Thoughts/Questions from an Excited Prospie

MeredithBelle
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:59:05 +0000

Why did you pick Smith?
It was the only historically all-women’s college I applied to & the more I looked into it, the more attractive single-sex education appealed to me. I was pretty sure I wanted a co-ed school, but then I got more & more excited about Smith’s focus on WOMEN and their careers & aspirations. My friends at co-ed schools tell me how men seem to be the focus in the classroom & even at ones where the male:female ration is close to 50/50, men seem to be the ones who are holding most of the student leadership posistions & getting the most attention from profs. The fact that women hold almost every student leadership posistion sounded great, especially considering I want to enter the public policy realm which is very much male-dominated. Also, the location/Five College Consortium, the student body, and the housing system. That being said, know that a single-sex education would be beneficial to you- SERIOUSLY! IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE. If you are “one of the guys”, it will likely be difficult for you especially.

Why should we pick Smith?
Pretty much for the same reasons above: the college was historically founded to further the particular aspirations of women (though I certainly embrace the trans community here the consortium, the housing system (!!!) & especially if you want to be in a small arts town-like atmosphere.

What is your favorite thing about Smith? (your least favorite thing?)
Favorites: the Five College Consortium opportunities avaliable, housing system, how there really is a niche for everyone

Least favorites: How heavily regulated “official” Smith parties are, how a few departments you think would be somewhat stronger aren’t, how easy it is to get “stuck in the Smith bubble” if you don’t make a concerted effort not to be.

What was the most useful thing you learned at Smith?
Confidence and leadership in & out of the classroom. Almost anyone will tell you how much these are fostered here in an historically all-women’s college environment.

What did you major in? What did you do outside of class?
Gov/Spanish. I’m involved with the Smith Dems, Peer Sexuality Educators, Voices for Planned Parenthood, Five College Reproductive Health Advocates & Transcending Gender all to varying degrees. I also volunteer at a homeless shelter in Northampton through the Community Service Office.

On a side note – have you read Commencement? How accurately does it portray life at Smith?
It plays up sterotypes like no other. Obviously there are out n’ proud LGBT people, outspoken feminists, the “pearls n’ penny loafers” women one may automatically think of when imagining what historically all-women’s colleges are like, a few pretty damn shallow folks, even what some might call LUGs. But Smith students as a whole are so much more diverse than that. The author isn’t even protraying The Universal Smith Experience if there even was one, just the one that’s most entertaining to read about.

If I’m not clear enough, don’t think the experience of these fictional characters will be your experience at Smith or even have to be. In fact, don’t even read it to psyche yourself up for Smith imho, anyway.

Lastly, do you have any useful tips for us prospies?
Visit before you go if you can, show your leadership qualities in you app as well as why you want to go to Smith/why it would “fit you” well & why you believe you have something to contribute to the institution. Oh, and good luck!