Do i stand for a chance?

mini
Sat, 01 Jul 2006 16:00:57 +0000

Good question. My d. turned down Williams, which, while it doesn’t much in the way of opera, has a fantastic music composition faculty, some of whom my d. had known for years (and was recruiting her.) It had been on the top of her list until she visited (we actually visited three times!) Stayed over a Thursday night - the alcohol thing, coupled with the heavy athletic emphasis, and lack of economic diversity (she had already spent a year at Evergreen, so she knew what she was looking at) made it go from the top of the list to the bottom.

What sold her on Smith (as opposed to unselling her on other places) was the visit - they created a new STRIDE position specifically for her right on the spot, and having all the faculty in their offices to talk with prospective students was like nothing else she had experienced anywhere else. She also stayed over a Thursday night, and the contrast was huge.

What also turned out to be a surprise plus (when making decisions) was the town. She had initially told us she was looking for very rural. (Williams, Bard, etc.) But the town, and especially, the very active Friends Meeting in town made a huge difference (and one we - the parents - basically hadn’t had on our radar screen.) She has since parlayed that to position on a national Friends body, and travels all over the east coast to attend meetings, making friends all oer the place.

We could have afforded any of the places she applied, though the lowest would have been a stretch.

“Worth it” is in the mind of the one doing the valuing. I can easily imagine her having a successful time elsewhere. Having the extra money in pocket has opened up other opportunities though - Smith helped fund her travels and work in India, Thailand, and Cambodia last summer, but we would have found it difficult to make up for the lack of summer earnings if it wasn’t for Smith’s generosity.