Quick summary of Parents Weekend

TheDad
Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:47:06 +0000

nyc, you will notice in my account that we, too, missed the Holyoke Mall.
But I felt very good hosting some unattached Smithies to dinner, though one had her mom getting into Bradley at midnight(!).

I’d recommend the brunch at Hotel Northampton any time. N.B., the Autumn Inn is a bit on the rustic side in comparison but I prefer both the rates and the location for the stay. Fitzwilly’s vs. Spoletto…the kind of question that makes for horse races; I think Spoletto has the best wine, fwiw. Btw, what is not at all clear about Viva Fresh from the outside is that they have a good sized downstairs dining room, not just what you see in the window. The Thai place on Main down near the bridge is one of D’s favorite off-campus spots to eat.

LiT, I’m almost overwhelmed by nostalgia. The time at Smith has made high school seem half-speed in comparison. There have certainly been unexpected directions of growth for D at Smith and if she had it to do over again she would have taken slightly different classes first year, ruthlessly eliminating Latin and the possible Classics major that seemed possibly appealing at the time. Back then, she tore apart her whole schedule just to accommodate the possibility after a Dean told her it was “first year or never” for the Latin. At a guess, she’d have a couple of more Econ courses.

I’m not much of a gardener either…if I say “Hi!” to plant it most likely will start turning brown around the edges. But I think it may be a blend: students chart their own courses but the advising, to me, has seemed staggeringly good, with the exception of the fellowship coordinator. They have waved D past course prerequisites at least three times now and their specific recommendations have always made great sense. And it’s kinda cute when two departments or two profs start fighting over her…makes her feel wanted, know what I mean?

She’s developed a lot, as one would expect, outside of the classroom as much as in. For lack of a better word, she’s much more surefooted now and catches tone and nuance pretty well. (Though sometimes discerning criticism in a fatherly comment where none was intended.) I expect that she’s made several lifelong friends at Smith. The one downside of going abroad is that you have a lot of people, those outside your own class, for only one year.

Being up in the air regarding post-undergraduate plans is more stressful than the college application/choice period was four years ago…a sobering thought.

Smith has been outstanding to her academically but possibly even better outside of the academics.