Smith College Top Questions

Smith students are committed to talking about diversity. Although all campus have incidents in regards to religious, racial and socioeconomic differences, the student body wants to create a safe place to talk about differences.

Some people at Smith are crazy and drive me crazy, but in general I find Smith students respectful, friendly, welcoming, and willing to help. Some people come to class wearing blazers and heels, others in dresses, and others in sweats. That is part of the joy of an all women's college. You can do whatever you'd like. The politics are predominantly democratic, with little support for the Republican point of view. Sometimes that can go overboard.

Smith is a very diverse campus. Students here come from every class, racial religion, sexual background. All students are welcomed and will find a place here. And what is the best part, is that all different types of people come together and are friends because we are all women striving for similar goals. In my opinion, no student would feel "out of place" here. There is a place (houses vary from small and quiet to large and loud) and organization (check out the website and add on so many others and you can get a feel of the orgs here- if you don't see something that interests you, make it up) for everyone here! We are a very political campus, but I am not so crazy about it. But just being on a campus where people deeply care about our country and politics, enough to get active about things, really makes you want to be active as well!

Smith has a really diverse study body. Aside from the fact that there are no men living on campus, men from one of the other five colleges often take classes here and add a lot to the classroom.

Smith can be a harsh environment for students who come from conservative, republican, or very religious backgrounds. While the student body is probably more moderate than it can seem, there is a lot of political and social activism on campus. I am originally from the South, and Smith can be daunting if you've never had to interact with someone who is transgendered or uses alternative pronouns. If you come with an open mind, Smith has a lot to teach about other cultures, religions, and lifestyles, and I have had many friends who have been willing to share with me their experiences and help educate me. As far as other types of diversity, Smith has quite a bit of diversity. Whether or not you choose to explore that is a personal choice. I sit at a table with all types of people, but that's not true of everyone. Some international students choose to spend time with students from their country, who speak their language. Many black students choose to sit together. Who and what you experience at Smith depends on your choices.

Most of the students are from the New England states, with the biggest contributor outside of them being California. They are usually well-to-do, are politically left (some to the extreme) and close-minded about absolutely anything else, and stressed by the academics. It is not uncommon for people to be figuring out what they want to do right before they graduate, or to be planning a year off or something (in my experience). People from the midwest states like I am are likely to feel uncomfortable, at least with some aspect of the college/community, and I would advise them to choose government classes carefully. Otherwise, the jokes told in class may be politically left but usually pass by the end of class, with the expected exception on some ecology issues.

It's slowly getting more diverse. I love the fact that it has remained an all-women's college. I never thought much about it until I took a five-college class and saw the difference. Smith gives young women the chance to mature and learn without the male dominated environment.

Everyone who comes to Smith definitely finds their niche in the student body because it is so diverse. All of the students care about their studies and it shows, and sometimes students seem to compete for who is the most stressed, which I don't like, but in the end everyone realizes we are all here for the same excellent education. Students and professors tend to be pretty chill - I wear sweats to class a lot.

I feel like I've had a good and well rounded experience working and talking with people from different socio-economic, religious and sexualities(definitely this one) than myself, I feel like racially there is something... lacking. Maybe that's just how I place myself, but I don't feel like we're very integrated in that sense. That being said, I don't feel that any student would be out of place at Smith, as stated earlier, no matter who you are there is a community on campus that you can be involved in that will be your new "home". The student body is politically left, but not everyone is, and most people are willing to have intelligent conversations with you if you aren't, which is good. There are people from every financial background, especially from lower socio-economic classes, which I think Smith particularly encourages to come here, which is good.

we have a fairly diverse student body here. i find, however, that we tend to segregate ourselves... especially in a racial sense. i see a lot of groups of only white girls, or only african american, or all asian girls hanging out all the time. it's kind of sad, but i guess it's who they feel comfortable with. this isnt to say they dont all interact! that's certainly not true of everyone here. many students are extremely politically aware/active. we have a lot of lefts and centers on campus and a few rights.