Smith College Top Questions

The house parties are great in the Quad. They bring in a DJ and if your over 21 you get free beer. There is always something to do on the weekends. There is not Greek life at Smith but the houses are so close that it's almost the same.

Don't count on parties being very great. If you want to party, go to UMass. That doesn't mean it isn't fun here though. People here don't feel the need to be drunk all the time to have fun.

Athletic events are not very highly attended. Popular social events are the house parties that happen every weekend. These mostly occur in a group of building which are known as the Quad. Although when first coming to Smith one is reassured that boys will not be lacking, this is not true. Guys tend to stear away from Smith due to the popular stereotype that it is mostly a lesbian college. Unless, you are the type of girl to search out guys and appear available, it is difficult to meet guys. At Smith there are no fraternities/sororities, but each house and the community it build provides some of the same network/ social security as a sorority. Many Smith students study for a good part of the weekend and if anyone is awake at 2am on a Tuesday it is because they are working on class work.

Some sports on campus are pretty active, and LGBT plays a big part, but I think the things that people are involved in are pretty even and wide-spread. No one thing takes over at all, many people like comic books, others swim, others like math or investing. The dorms here are AMAZING. We all live in houses, I live in Talbot, and I love it. People spend a lot of time in common areas, and many either do hw in the halls, and/or leave their doors open. There are always lots of couples on campus, and a lot of girls find boyfriends at the other schools in the 5 college consortium, and still others are in long distance relationships. After going to Smith I can tell you, you can make it work! Many here to. I never drink on saturday nights... We often have capture the flag in the snow during the winter, a cappella groups singing every weekend, concerts downtown, even bedtime stories read by the president. I shop and go to concerts off campus, as well as do swing dancing performances, open dances, and weekend exchanges.

What Smith social life? People who like to party and do it regularly do it off-campus, at one of the other five colleges. The rest of us stay home and get annoyed when they come home drunk and shrieky at four in the morning. My closest friends are all from my house, and house community is a big part of Smith social life. There are no sororities, but houses come pretty close, and host events like Big Sib/Little Sib, where first-years and transfers have a secret Big Sib who leaves them notes and small gifts like candy for a week. In general, houses are welcoming and a comfortable social space--they can get pretty passive-aggressive when house-mates come into conflict but don't want to be open about it.

Straight girls complain that it's hard to meet boys. Our houses are like friendly, nonthreatening sororities with their own traditions and crazy stuff, with a built-in network of friends, study buddies, and dining hall companions.

There are a lot of groups here. I'm not involved in any yet. Yes we leave our dorms open most of the time. Athletic events aren't that popular unless you know a lot of people. We have a lot of Guest Speakers. It always seems like there's a new one every week. The dating scene for the straight, gay, lesbian, and bi community is very active. I met my closest friend at a party at Amherst. He's such a cool guy. If I'm awake on Tuesday at 2 I’m either talking to my friend Brittani or I’m doing homework. Traditions... I'm not too sure of the traditions they have. People party a lot here... but they always make sure all their work is done first. We don't have frats or sororities. Last weekend I went to my track meet and then went to New York for my first official photo shoot!!! Yay me!!! On a Saturday with no drinking I can have fun. I don't drink alcohol and I don't believe it's necessary. I am in a dance group off campus.

Lots of extracurriculars. This thing is running long, yo.

Smith houses are the center of social life for most people. You eat meals with people in your house, go to events with them, do homework in the hallways with them and pull all-nighters in your house living room during finals. We have tea in our houses at the end of every week, and it's a great way to relax after a hard week of class with your housemates. There isn't much of a dating scene for straight Smithies, unless you make a lot of effort to meet guys at other schools. A lot of club sports are popular, like ultimate frisbee, rugby and lacrosse. And many varsity teams accept people with no experience, like crew and fencing. Pretty much whatever you're into, you can find a way to do it at Smith (or in the five colleges). swing dance, step, science fiction, you name it, there's probably an organization for it.

The honor code policy on campus lets you leave your room door open and your laundry detergent downstairs without worrying about theft. There is strong house community and when you arrive, you're immediately surrounded by friends. Some areas of campus are more prone to partying than others. Smithies know how to have a good time, whether partying or attending concerts on campus or around town.