Smith College Top Questions

Smith is not real college. There are parties and drinking, but generally not to the extent at other colleges. As a transfer to Smith I was relieved there was both the party scene and the strong academics. You can find it all, but if you want to drink every night you have to look a little harder.

If you're gay, this is the school for you! A great dating scene! If you're straight, you really have to be outgoing and work at it to meet guys. The house system is amazing. I'm very close with the people in my house-- we eat together, hang out together, everything. Most of my friends live with me. Smith gets a lot of really great speakers, and the talks are well attended. Parties are pretty tame and end really early, but they're relaxed and fun if you don't expect too much out of them. In my experience, there's a lot of weed and drinking, but I think it depends on where you live (some areas of campus (Green St.) are known for being more quiet). There won't be wild parties, but if you like chilling with friends, I think the Smith social scene is fun.

At least in my house, everyone leaves their doors unlocked and oftentimes open throughout the day. It's a pretty trusting environment, and it feels like a family. Most people live in the same residence all four years, so it becomes a very tight-knit community with all sorts of quirks and traditions. For example, my house does Big Sis/Little Sis, First Snow Party, Assassins, No Talent Show, and a host of other things every year. It's great.

I'm really involved in my house community, which I love. My favorite part of the house system is Friday afternoon tea, which is definitely unique to Smith. Everyone gets together for some sort of snack (usually pastries, cheese and fruit) to talk about their week. We also have themed teas, ranging from salsa lessons to safe sex to no-talent shows.

Northampton is lame. Nothing going on. Should have gone to NYC school.

Though I don't have a lot of time for extra-curricular activities (too much homework), there is a lot of in-dorm socializing going on all the time. People regularly leave their doors open, or loiter in the halls, so there are plenty of people talking at any given time. Other houses have a lot of communal activity centered in the living room or other common spaces, and often houses organize group trips to larger events.

I never have time to hang out with anyone. My social life consists of meeting up with study buddies and working on chemistry homework. I am social chair of my class so I try to get involved in some way, but any other way is difficult to fit in.

It's lucky my friends here are so amazing because otherwise there wouldn't be much to do. The activities Smith organizes are ok but mostly related to academics. The parties aren't a ton of fun and usually my friends and I end up at someones house just hanging out. Also there's such a huge workload that a lot of the time we're too tired to go out. In the beginning of the semester we were much more motivated to meet guys but there really isn't anywhere to meet them. However doors in houses are almost always open and people from all different brackets of age and grade are open and friendly to each other.

What are the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus? Groups and organizations- Student government association, democrats, all the ethnic groups, some kind of art group – whether it is music or theatre, House Council Teams: Crew Team! Rugby, Frisbee, Soccer Tell us about groups you’re involved with? Crew Team: awesome, biggest team on campus, one of the largest division 3 teams in America. It seems like everyone at Smith at some point and time joins the team. Over the past 3 years the team has come in 2nd nationally twice Orchestra: great, just late night practices. We have played at Carnegie Hall which was pretty awesome! Tour Guide: There’s lots of us, I give a tour at least once a week Student Government: I’m involved, this school is run more by students than any other school I know of House Council: There are 35 houses on campus, each house has a council running the house. It’s awesome! Great way to get involved with your house and know everyone you live by. Do students in dorms leave their doors open? While I’m at home yes. Hopefully when you leave the building or at least on weekends no. But in 4 years only heard of one person ever having something stolen from their room. How popular are athletic events? Not at all. Guest speakers? Some are popular. It depends. There are lots of them though. Theater? Somewhat popular. Tons of Theater, music, dance, etc… performing events going on campus all the time. Tell us about the dating scene? If you are strait- what dating scene? If you are gay, I guess there is one. How did you meet your closest friends? I lived in the same house as them, or was on the same team as them. If you’re awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? Homework, going to have a snack at the diner, or involved in some serious awesome conversation that is either very intellectual – or just an amazing bonding moment with a friend. What traditions/events happen each year? So many. Go to the Smith website. Email a smith student to ask about more! House Teas every Sunday 4pm, Candle Light Supper every Thursday night, Convocation: at the begging of the school year the night before school starts. We teach all the first years in our house, our house chants, we all dress up in our house theme and go screaming to the main hall on campus our house chants and just make noise the whole convocation about how our house is better than everyone elses. Quad Riots: in first two months of school – huge food fight on the quad Mountain Day: one beautiful day during the first two months of school – at 7am the president cancels all classes for the day. Float Night – look on Smith website Quadigras – carnival on the quad – it’s fun Rally Day – In the Spring Semester – school is cancelled – first time seniors can wear their graduation gowns. Sophomore Push- Sophomores helping out with reunion and senior week and graduation Junior Ushers – Juniors helping out with reunion and senior week and graduation Ivy Day – Day before graduation, and during Alum reunion week. All the seniors line up by the presidents house and on a path leading into the quad where a ceremony is held. All Smities have to wear all white, but those who are alums wear white shoes, all other smithies wear black shoes. All the seniors lining up carry a rose and the alums by class year parade through the seniors by class carrying really funny inappropriate signs. It’s just an amazing moment! Illumination night – Night before graduation – the Whole campus is lit up with japenese lanterns and a cappella groups are set up all over campus singing to seniors and their friends and families. It is gorgeous! Diploma Circle – During graduation – as seniors are organized by house, not alphabetically – they get the wrong diploma. So after graduation they all get into a big circle and hand around diplomas till everyone gets the right one. This takes about 7 minutes. It’s sooo cool! How often do people party? Really depends. For example my first two years – hardly ever – maybe once a month. Junior and Senior Year – on average once a weekend. (Obviously sometimes not at all – sometimes twice a weekend) Really depends on your group of friends, how much your involved in, what your work load that semester is like, what your priorities are, etc… How important are fraternities/sororities? There are none. What did you do last weekend? Stayed in Friday night and studied, then watched some episodes of my favorite tv show with a friend snuggled up in bed, Saturday morning – team practice, Saturday – work, Saturday night – party at Amherst, Sunday work. What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn’t involve drinking? Go to a party or a bar, or a club and not drink, go to the movies at the theater or at Smith, go to some performance art concert or theatre show, go bowling, go to restaurant down town, play games in your house, go to stand up comedy show, go to a concert down town or at Smith of some famous person or up and coming famous person, watch tv with friends etc… What do you do off campus? I go to Amherst or UMass to party off campus, I go to eat off campus down town, I go to shop down town or at one of the 2 malls near by, I go to study at a restaurant down town or at a mall nearby, I go to concerts down town, I go to movies at a mall nearby, I go bowling down town, I go skiing or tubing off campus, I go visit friends at other colleges within 2 hours nearby. There are also great parks near by. I go rowing off campus. I go to restaurants, clubs, and bars down town.

I don't think there is a most popular. I'm involved with the swim team/cross country they are great they kept me from transferring. Some leave doors open....atheltic events arent popular at all....others are. Dating scene:Its way too difficult to meet a guy TOO easy to meet a girl...I met my closest friends on the swim team..tuesday 2 am- engineering HW....convocations.quadriot.rally day you name it....people party all the time...last weekend I did homework/worked out chilled with friends....not drinking and having going to the parties and dancing/watching movies/going to a concert...off campus-eat/concerts/dance/sporting events