How hard is the workload?

Colleges & Universities Smith College
1

<p>I’m a sophomore trying to transfer from a state college in Colorado to Smith for Spring and was wondering if you could help me anticipate how much more difficult the work load will be. Here’s an example of one of my classes (Phil 360) which I hope will be representative of the work load of a class at Smith…</p>

<p>Three, 3 page papers critically evaluating readings worth 5% each
Two tests 50 minutes long consisting of passage identification, Sanskrit terminology, and two essays that should be at least 1.5-2 pages each (we are given six essay topics to prepare for one week ahead of time and he will randomly choose two) 25% each
One final paper on a topic covered in class 10-15 pages 25%
Attendance and quality of participation 10%</p>

<p>Does that sound about right?
How many pages/tests do you usually have in a non science or math class? (I want to major in religion and minor in international relations)</p>

<p>Also, whats the difference between a 3 and a 4 credit class?
I’ve only been taking 4 3 credit classes a semester (15 credits is normal) so I’m a little nervous about going from 12 to 16 credits. However, the classes don’t seem to be much longer (shorter in most cases actually!) and your semester is shorter than mine.</p>

2

<p>For an average 200 level humanities class at Smith, you should expect: </p>

<p>2-3 papers of 6-8 pages (sometimes 7-10 pages) during the semester </p>

<p>1 final exam intended to last for two hours or a final paper (typically somewhere in the 12-15 page length, though sometimes it’s 10-12). In some classes the prof will give those who don’t want to take the exam the option of submitting a paper topic and doing a paper instead. </p>

<p>And interspersed in there may be a mid-term exam if you have 2 short papers instead of 3, but there might not be. possibly some kind of quiz (my international relations teacher, Gov 241, used to give us map quizzes where he would make us memorize the entire continent). Sometimes they have you do one-pagers to check up and see if you’re doing the reading, or there will be an oral presentation or something like that. </p>

<p>200 level classes usually meet twice a week, usually for 1 hr and 10 minutes, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. For each class there will be reading that you’re expected to do, but that varies widely depending on subject and prof. Can be anything from a couple of articles, to a couple of chapters to a couple of articles AND a couple of chapters, it’s all over the place. Usually you just have to come prepared to discuss (participation is almost always at least a 10% part of your grade), sometimes profs have small evaluations to see if you actually did the work, but most don’t. So you can sometimes get away with not doing the reading for every class (Lord knows I didn’t get it done all the time). </p>

<p>I think the hardest thing about work at Smith is that all profs assume that you work in a vaacuum and that there class is your ONLY class or at least your top priority (intsead of 1 of 4-5 demanding courses) and they all tend to assign papers that are due around the same time, so there are a few periods every semester when you’re freaking out just because there is so. much. to do. And since the semester’s are short, they pack a lot of material into a very brief time span and the classes move pretty fast. You have to keep up and stay on top of your reading or you’ll really regret it later. </p>

<p>I have no idea what the difference between a 3 and 4 credit class is, except that since the semester is shorter, again, your’e going over the same material in a much more compact space. But at UMASS they only offer 3 credit classes and in most cases those count as 4 credits at Smith so I don’t think it will matter too much.</p>

3

<p>I should also note that a 200 level course described above would be a lecture course providing intermeditate study in that subject matter. A colloquia (small discussion based course) will be different and those vary a lot by department. </p>

<p>A 300 level course at Smith is a seminar, intended primarily for seniors and juniors who are strong in that subject area. </p>

<p>100 level courses are either intro courses to the subject. </p>

<p>There’s no hard numbers breakdown (i.e. seniors take 100 level courses if they’ve never studied that discipline before, such as intro to microeconomics, and first-years take 200 level courses, and juniors take 300 level courses and sometimes sophomores do too). But typically as a sophomore/junior you’ll have mostly 200 level courses with one 300 level seminar if you are a junior (sophomores need special permission to take a 300 level course)</p>

4

<p>Sorry for the triple posts, but I feel like what I wrote was kind of scary, so I want to add a few things before ppl start freaking out. </p>

<p>1) If Smith accepts you, then you are capable of doing this kind of work. Even if you don’t think you are. You would not have been accepted if you could not meet this standard. Trust me. You wouldn’t have been. So everybody breathe. </p>

<p>2) Everything seems impossible until it isn’t. When I got to Smith, I had never written a paper longer than 12 pages and that was my senior English research paper. By the time I left Smith, I had polished off an 80 page paper (not a thesis, but pretty close). If you’ve never had to do 10 or 12 or 15 pages it seems really hard, but when you realize that 1) it’s double-spaced and 2) you’re close-analyzing dense material so there’s going to be a lot to talk about, you’ll be amazed how quickly those pages fly. Whatever is expected of you will become routine even if it seems terrifyingly long at first. I promise. </p>

<p>3) You can get a lot of help. Most profs are happy to go over outlines of your papers with you and even edit early drafts. The Jacobsen writing center has professional tutors that will review and edit your paper to make sure you are on the right track. Your friends and housemates will help (can’t tell you how many 11 PM knocks on the door English majors get from housemates looking for assistance). </p>

<p>So I hope I didn’t freak anyone out too much. Just wanted to throw in these caveats.</p>

5

<p>Had several courses (and one that I’m taking now) that had very similar standards. I remember the class (a 100 level Intro to American Government) that had pop quizzes every which way,six 3 page papers, a 12 page midterm paper and a 24 page final. That was at a Community College to boot.</p>

<p>I was worried about the same thing, but Smithie…you’ve reassured me.
If am accepted, I know that I definitely could cut the mustard…with hard work and lots of printer paper. :)</p>

6

<p>D2, a hs senior, is taking an intro psych class at a local 4 year college. Her take-home, open-book mid-term consisted of 8 one-age essay responses and one 3 page response. She recently completed a ten-page paper and she must submit a second ten-page papber before the end of the semester; the second paper is also the basis for her in-class oral presentation.</p>

<p>All of D’s written work has met or exceeded the required page limits, and she received Bs on boh the mid-term and first ten-page paper. I, however, found that in both cases, D’s writing to be somewhat verbose and redundant - - and with my slash-and-burn editing, none of her writings would have met their respective page requirements.</p>

<p>Perhaps the prof cut D2 some slack b/c she is hs student – but D2’s work would not have been graded so generously in any of D1’s intro level Smith classes. My point: don’t focus solely on the quantity of work; quality is at least as important a factor. (Admittedly,D2 did not take advantage of her college’s writing center.)</p>

7

<p>Yes, I was going to say something similar. The quality of work demanded at Smith is pretty high, even if the quantity is not neccessarily too much higher than that of other colleges. You have to keep in mind too that your fellow students will all be high-achievers in their prospective high school or college communities, very driven women who are used to performing at the tops of their classes. So the quality of everyone else’s work will be very high, and in relation your own work must stand up to scrutiny. It’s very motivating actually :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Also, you would never have an open-book mid-term in a psych class, though some classes do have open book exams.</p>