<p>I just got the application in the mail and I am beyond excited. I made a thread so that we could talk about the the program, the application, and any questions.</p>
<p>Wow, hard to believe it’s been SIX years since I was in WOD.</p>
<p>Could you tell me anything about your experience with WOD?</p>
<p>What is WOD?</p>
<p>WOD is an admissions program for high achieving women of color. You have to fill out an application, which is basically identical to a regular Smith application, but in miniature form. You can get one from your guidance counselor, or through the mail, and actually I think you can also get them online somewhere or request one from the admissions office. If you are accepted, then Smith will pay to fly/train/bus you to campus and you get a weekend of events. You stay with a Smith student in her room, and then during the day you have a program of Smith stuff. Basically it’s to attract more women of color from a wider geographic area. </p>
<p>My WOD experience, kymazing, was a fun and also a little weird. I had already decided Smith was my number 1 at that point, and had already been to visit once, so getting a second, expenses paid trip sounded like fun and I figured I’d throw my hat in. During the days you are scheduled really tightly, so you mostly just see the other WOD girls, and you even eat separate from the rest of campus (they bring food in to the meeting rooms for you to facilitate faster movement from session to session). I don’t remember that much about the sessions, I just remember being busy and meeting a lot of interesting people, and getting more excited about Smith. </p>
<p>I also remember that my host had just met a new girlfriend and spent the whole time with the new gf (sleeping over in her girlfriend’s room every night I was there) so I was on my own a lot (that was the weird part). Fortunately, I was pretty comfortable on campus and didn’t mind being alone at all cause there were lots of WOD girls to hang with. When I became a Smith student, I also hosted people for WOD and always aimed to be very attentive to my guests, and I think the majority of the hosts are great with their prospies, I just happened to get a not so great one that one time.</p>
<p>thank you so much for your insight Smithieandproud. It sucks that you had an inattentive host but I’m glad that you were such a good host to the WOD students you hosted. I don’t know how much of a chance I have for this program but I’ve been anxiously awaiting the application. Smith is my number one college, and has been for almost 2 years, and I would love another chance to look at it.</p>
<p>Well just remember that if you do get into WOD, that’s of course a very good indication of how you’ll do in the actual application season, but also remember that if you don’t get into WOD, that does not mean that you will not do really well when it comes time for the regular application period. It’s a small program, so naturally not all of the very qualified applicants can’t go (esp. as they try to go for as wide a geographic distribution as they can. It’s a nice perk, but it’s not a make or break for your app, so don’t stress too much.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking forward to the WOD application more than I have actual college apps, haha. I’m very excited about the program and hope I’ll be accepted! Good luck everyone!</p>
<p>I have a somewhat silly question to ask… under “preferred name” should I write just my first name, or my first and last, etc? I’m guessing just first, since sometimes Katherine prefers to be called Katie, or what have you.</p>
<p>Yes, just put your first. “preferred name” is, as you said, for katies who are legally Katherines or people that go by their middle name or what have you.</p>
<p>Hi, out of curiosity, I was wondering if having participated in SSEP would increase my chances of getting accepted into WOD?
And, roughly speaking, how many girls are in this program?
Also, would it be advisable to use part of my college essay (which Im polishing up right now) as a part of the required personal statement of the WOD application? Erm, or should I save my college essay for when its time for ED?
Hmm, yeah
those are the only questions I have (
so far :))</p>
<p>I also want to know, how many people are accepted to this program? I applied this year and still waiting for answers.</p>
<p>Sherry1127, I think about 60 are accepted (according to past WOD threads).</p>
<p>Question- what is the benefit of attending Smith’s Women of Distinction when you are not interested in applying or attending Smith college? </p>
<p>I know for a fact that Smith is not the school for me, but I kind of just wanted to do this program to gain college experience, have fun, and possibly boost my resume. Plus, I heard that Smith has a beautiful campus. 
Are these good reasons? Because I sent in an application, but I don’t know if I should still attend if accepted, since I’m not interested in the actual school.</p>
<p>Oh also, when do acceptance letters get mailed for 2010?</p>
<p>It’s not a good idea unless you are actually going to apply to Smith. </p>
<p>WOD is a very whirlwind experience, they pack a lot in to a short period of time, and it’s the kind of thing where you spend most of your time with just other WOD participants (except in the evenings when you’ll spend time with your host and her friends), and you do WOD-only activities. So it’s not at all like being a college student and won’t give you very much of the college expereince. What it CAN provide, is an opportunity to visit Smith, see the campus, talk to professors (they come and visit for panels), see the inside of a Smith house, and understand what a women’s college in the Northeast can hold for a student of color. It’s supposed to help women who are already interested in Smith confirm their feelings and get a better understanding of all the possibilities that are there. </p>
<p>That being said, if you arent’ at all interested, I think you will find it exhausting and not very fun. It’s an admissions event so a lot of the time is going to be spent talking to you about all the things that are great about Smith, which will be boring if you’ve already decided Smith is not where you want to go to school It’s not much of a resume booster to be accepted to an admissions promotion weekend, and it’s not going to give you “college experience”. </p>
<p>Also I think it’s a bit selfish to go just to look around the campus, when there are other students who want to go because they are interested in Smith, and who might really be in need of the free trip because they might not otherwise be able to visit. If you get accepted and you take their slot just for kicks, you are denying someone an opportunity they could actually use and benefit from.</p>
<p>@SmithieandProud: So if I get accepted, should I decline to go? </p>
<p>Because I already sent in an application, so it’s kinda too late to take myself out of being considered. I never thought about it as taking away another student’s chance. I figured it was more than just an admissions weekend thing because it was a selective event. :-/ So EVERYONE who attends WOD really wants to go to Smith college? I don’t know what to do now. Should I be hoping for a rejection letter?</p>
<p>WOD is a selective event that Smith spends a lot of money on for some students they really want. To go without being interested in Smith is like having someone you’re not at all interested in fly you to a resort for a date.</p>
<p>Well it is both a selective event AND an admissions weekend. It’s a way to identify highly interested, highly qualified students of color and help them to build a bond with the school and with each other. If you’re selected for WOD it’s a good indication that you’ll be admitted (though that doesn’t work in reverse. If you are NOT selected for WOD, it’s not an automatic sign that you won’t be admitted. It’s a small program, they can only take so many people).</p>
<p>Of course not EVERYONE who attends WOD ends up going to Smith (I know a couple of former WOD participants personally who ended up at other colleges), but I don’t think anyone goes with an already set decision that they are 100% not going to Smith and don’t think Smith is for them. I think most people wouldn’t go through the bother of applying if they weren’t at least open to the idea. </p>
<p>I don’t think you should be hoping to be rejected. I think you should see what happens and then make your own decision based on what you want. I can’t tell you if you should decline or not, I can only say that if you go and you’re not at all interested in Smith, you probably won’t have a very good time. If you want to go anyway, that’s up to you. Anywya, it’s a little premature to be making these decisions before you’ve heard if you’re accepted or not.</p>
<p>Well, I actually got the acceptance email today so… :-/</p>
<p>And the reason why I’m not going to apply to Smith college is because it doesn’t have my intended major. Why would I attend a school that doesn’t have what I want to do? I <em>am</em> open to the idea of a new experience, though, so that is why I applied when the opportunity came up.</p>
<p>Anyway, I guess I have a decision to make now. ugh.</p>
<p>I got accepted too. Now I have to wait for the Barnard program…</p>