Help with persuading parents to let me attend Smith

pmyen
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:34:54 +0000

Hi yxyxyx,
I think you can tell from the many offers of help, advice, and connections that you personally received from so many Smith parents and students, those who are associated with the school have a deep fondness for the school and believe in its academic mission to empower capable and intelligent young women to reach their highest potential. Smith has a special place in their hearts. You also will find alumnae and faculty who share that same passion, and are more than happy to network with you. The student often is valued as an individual with unique characteristics and goals at LACs like Smith. At larger schools, there may be so many majors in a department, that many profs will not no all the students in the department, and often, it is the few star students among the undergraduates that may gain faculty attention as they generally are more focused on their research and training graduate students and fellows.

Besides contacting CDO, I would also contact the chairmen/women of the departments you are interested in or even individual faculty members who are doing work that you find attractive. These interactions with faculty will help your Dad and you get to know some of the people who teach at Smith. Heck, you may even want to make an appointment to see the physics department and meet their faculty, just for him! Although it will be a busy time, I am sure that you will be be able to meet a few faculty who are willing to share about their interests and their department. Again, the personal nature of a Smith (LAC) education.

If you are in Chicago, you will find a lot of things to do so don’t worry. Some things to see or do: Sears/Hancock Tower, Field Museums of Science and the one for Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago (one of the world’s gret museums), theater of all types (including improv comedy at Second City), ethnic foods of all types-I like Greektown but Chinatown may suit your Dad’s tastes, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Bahai Center, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Hyde Park (Robie House) and Oak Park, Chicago architecture cruise to see the city skyline and learn about all the great architects who have designed in the city, a Chicago Cubs game (if you never have been to a baseball game) and deep dish pizza (A must!). There is so much to do there, so with a little bit of initiative, you will you not only won’t get bored but wished you had a few more days there.

I hope your Dad will go with more open eyes once he is in the U.S. Perhaps some of his American colleagues will let him know about Smith, too. Anyways, I wish you both a safe and informative trip, and hope you and he will have a chance to see first-hand whether Smith is the right place for you. Speaking as a parent, I also would give your Dad some credit for his willingness to go to Smith and visit. It shows that he is taking you seriously and has even developed interest to see Smith for himself. You are starting to make a convincing case as a potential future lawyer!