figuringitout

I am a Sophomore in high school, and yes, I know it's very early, but I am about to face my Junior year and need some advice. I have lived near Smith all my life, and have just recently discovered it's charm. I am aware of Smith's selectivity, but would like to hear about it's engineering and international relations programs (yes, I am a girl . There seems to be an engineering building going up on campus, and I would love to hear about it. I am also facing some difficulties identifying summer occupations. I just found out about the Smith Summer Science Program, and plan to apply to it for next year. For this summer I am thinking of a few internships, and taking care of a few volunteer hours. Any Smith Engineers around who can rat off a few names of summer programs that helped prepare them for the Smith Engineering experience?

SmithieandProud

The IR program is very good, I'm in it. It's really more of a division of the government degree, though you can minor in IR specifically (I'm a Gov major with an IR concentration). There are a lot of good opportunities, you can go to D.C. for six months and intern and do research, or go to Geneva on your JYA and do any number of internships with the ngos there. And of course, the Smith network is really great in this area.

At this stage, the best thing to do is to keep your grades up, do your community service (whatever lights your fire, don't think too hard about creating some special college community service profile) and be active in your school. If you're in any clubs at school, start thinking about running for leadership positions, those always help. But for IR, don't think you need to intern at the UN or something in order to get accepted.

Smithiegr can probably suggest more of the engineering stuff, which might have its own prep.

figuringitout

I am doing all of those things you recommended, so that's a weight off my mind. I'm really into running cross-country, what is it like for athletes at Smith?

SmithieandProud

My athlete friends often miss out on house community things like Friday afternoon tea (some houses hold tea on sundays so athletes can come). They're kind of separated from the rest of the house, just because they're gone a lot and when they get back they have to do homework. But they have their own community within their team, and teams tend to be tight-knit and caring. I'm not a student athlete, but I used to be a sports reporter for the school paper and I have a fair amount of contact with the Smith athletic community.

They practice every afternoon, usually 2-3 hours (possibly more), then they eat dinner together at Tyler dining hall, which is kept open later for athletes (regular dinner ends at 7, dinner at Tyler ends at 9, I think). In the off-season, they all train together, both formal and informal training, and of course their are meets and so on. So kind of like high school, but more intense.

So basically, it's a big committment. Not as big at a D-3 school as a D-1 school obviously, but still, a committment of time and energy. Some people think its worth it, other people decide not to continue their sport, or get interested in a different sport (rugby, ultimate frisby, fencing, whatever).

Next year you should get in touch with the cross country coach and arrange for a meeting if you want to talk about running. You'll probably get a chance to be hosted by a member of the team and maybe get to attend a practice.

smithiegr

I don't think that anything can prepare you for engineering school. It's going to be hard no matter what; you'll be placed in courses appropriate for your level of preparation, so you'll be challenged from the get-go. With that said, however, I would recomment lots of math and science courses to build a solid foundation, and lots of courses that emphasize critical thinking, communications, and writing. We may all be technically oriented, but the department still emphasizes good, ol' fashioned communcations. Telling professors that you intend to be the ferment-y kind of engineer is unlikely to get you out of a well-written lab report.

Momwaitingfornew

Smithiegr, thank you for emphasizing how important writing is for ALL students. Engineers (and other non-humanities majors) often think that they can get away without having to write well but then discover how important technical papers become in real life. Your company cannot easily defend (or develop) a patent without precise, logical, and coherent technical papers to back up the work. I know my response is slightly off-topic, but it's important for incoming students to know why they cannot afford to neglect their writing skills.

smithiegr

MWFN, definitely. I know a lot of engineers who think that they can get by without knowing how to write, and I'm sure they could, but why let that be a stumbling block? My professors have countless tales about how people with solid ideas lose out on contracts to those who did a better job of conveying their ideas.

The scientists known best today (Newton, Maxwell, Einstein et al) were all proficient writers themselves...I sometimes wonder how much less we'd know today had they not been capable of communicating effectively.

TheDad

The engineer who can write will have an advantage in the marketplace, not only getting hired but in getting promoted. Add some social skills to the package and it's even better. Too many techies---not just engineers---seem to think that technical competence is the only thing that really matters.

pesto

"I'm really into running cross-country, what is it like for athletes at Smith?"

I can't say enough good things about the cross-country coach at Smith and about the kinds of students who join her team. You should definitely talk to her. Being a part of that team did more than almost anything else to make my daughter feel at home at Smith when she was a first-year (she's a senior now), and it has continued to be a source of support and friendships for her. I'm sure you already know how the discipline of running actually helps, rather than hinders, your academic performance, and if you have any concerns about whether you will be able to manage your academic responsibilities in college with the time commitment of training for the X-country team, don't be. Academics come first at Smith, and your coach will understand that, assuming you have shown your determination to show up at practice on time and to work hard at your running. I know one runner on the team who is in the engineering program and has managed to continue excelling as a runner despite the rigors of her academic responsibilities. You can do it.

This is a team where you will be encouraged to challenge your limitations, to run as a team, and yet also to be kind to yourself -- in maintaining good eating habits and in resting enough and in allowing yourself to heal when you get injured.

Being on a team allows you to get away from campus on the weekends -- to other schools when you have meets, and to nearby natural areas for long training runs. The running course on the Smith campus is also very pretty.

If you are a star runner, you should know that Smith is a Division 3 school, and so you might feel more challenged, if running is a real priority, by going to a D1 school. But if you just want to be able to run on a team that respects your needs as scholar, Smith would be a good choice.

integrity09

Figuringitout,

Smith’s Picker Engineering Program is outstanding, and the first and only accredited engineering program in the nation for women.

The quality of the engineering program is such that every Smith College engineering student with a 3.5 GPA is GUARANTEED admission to the graduate engineering schools at Princeton, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and University of Michigan!

You can find more information on the program at: Smith College: Picker Engineering Program and at: Smith College: Picker Engineering Program

Sounds like you are doing all the right things. To answer your earlier question, Smith has a 4-week summer program in science and engineering for high school girls. I'd recommend you check it out: The Smith Summer Science and Engineering Program for High School Girls

figuringitout

Thanks so much for the responses, they have been really helpful. Smith sounds like a great place!