<p>There are 60-70 orchestral members of the Smith symphony, with a GREAT conductor (Jonathan Hirsch - you can e-mail him if you want more info.) They just celebrated their 100th birthday by playing Beethoven’s 9th at Carnegie Hall. While my D. was there, they did an orchestral tour of Sicily and, I think, Costa Rica. One rehearsal plus one sectional a week - violins in high demand (flutes, not so much!) There are also paid gigs that some of the members do alongside community members for large events (they did a huge Verdi Requiem several years ago.) Really advanced players also join the Springfield Symphony. There are lots of other orchestras and events within the 5-college system, and many Smith music students also become interns at Tanglewood. No, it is NOT Yale. </p>
<p>As for science, STRIDE scholars get paid research assistantships for the first two years (as well as four-year scholarships). Smith is a national center for genomics research, and has a massive new science and engineering building underwritten by Ford Motor Company. Check it out on their website.</p>