Smith College Top Questions

Not at all.

We are smart women, we aren't easily pushed around, and we are confident in ourselves and our visions for our futures.

it's only true of the hockey team, the rest of us are pretty.

NO!

There are a good number of lesbians and feminists at Smith, but the majority of students are not lesbians. There's a group of friends for everyone, and there's no one prototype for a Smithie.

While these is a high incidence of vegetarian/vegan-ism on campus, it in not pervasive or intrusive to those who are not. (There is a lot of vegetarian/vegan food, but all the food here kind of sucks so no one seems to have a problem with the meat free options.) There is also a lot of open-mindedness about sexual orientation, but with a decline in middle-class college attendance in the past few years this acceptance has chipped away at (by many judgmental rich girls and small-town students). Smith's attempt at diversity has come at the expense of the student body (including minority students--- most of whom will transfer before they complete their sophomore year). The biggest stereotype walking around on campus seems to be WASP-y, rich white girls from horse farms in New England-- who are so overly 'color blind' that it actually borders on racism (but in the other direction). Additionally, being on campus can turn many (other wise normal) minority students into racial zealots. (Ex. A girl who was suspended on multiple occasions from her very expensive boarding school for selling drugs is here on a full-ride scholarship. She is extremely wealthy, not particularly academic-- and has never been. Why is she here?-- and better question, why is she here on a full-ride? .. She told the admissions office that she is African-American. ..she isn't, but they didn't know that when they gave her a 'women of color' scholarship..) Smith fucks up normal, well-meaning people.

neither of the above stereotypes are accurate. Smith students generally work their ass off, and do it right. You will rarely find somebody who just turns in whatever meets the basic requirements, most work hard to do it good! Of course, if you have a campus with 2500 female students, some of them are going to be LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, or transsexual). But most are not, and it is a great opportunity to learn about all the various possibilites people chose to identify with. If you're straight: UMASS, Amherst and Hampshire are just a bus ride away, and it's really less isolating that you could think it would be considering it is an all-women's college.

Not really. We do have a lot of LGBT students, but if anything this only serves to give us a more diverse perspective on females! As far as the other stereotype, Smithies can be pretty confrontational, especially to each other because we're all academically competitive and have very different opinions on loads of issues.

Not very....the percentage of heterosexuals is way higher than that of homosexuals

There are definitely people who fit the stereotype, but it is far from true for everybody. I suppose that is true at many colleges. I got a lot of culture shock my first semester here because there were a lot less modest people than I was used to. I felt like a complete nerd because I was one of the few people who didn't want to go 3/4 naked to Convocation. It is common to see people who party hard on the weekends and skip a class once in a while, but when it comes down to it, students will get really serious before papers are due. There are also an equal amount of students who can pace themselves so that they can have fun without having to worry about studying last minute. Then again, there are students I never see outside of the library. I think students just find whatever study habits work best for them and stick to it. Finally, there is a higher percentage of lesbian/transgendered students at Smith than at a large number of other colleges, but it is not as high as many think. There are a few students who are Lesbians Until Graduation (LUGs), but the majority of the student body is straight. It IS hard to meet guys while at Smith, especially if you're not out-going or into the party scene. Don't believe the college when they say there are lots of opportunities to socialize at one of the other 5-colleges by taking a class or through events. It's a pain to do.