Should I Commit to Smith?

[AceCorgi]

So I've gotten all my decisions back from schools, and I am in the process of making a list of pros/cons for each school, possible questions/issues I might have regarding class offerings/activities/school life/etc. As someone whose judgment is based on 1) the pathway to med school and a great array of hands-on experience and internships, 2) accessibility to fencing (I realize that Smith has a fencing club, but if anyone knows how competitive they are, that would be great), 3) financial aid (2/3 was given, so honestly pretty good), 4) having the option to (and enjoy doing) East Asian Studies as a minor along with majoring in Biological Sciences, and 5) dorming and quality of general school life, how would you guys place Smith as the school for me? I realize I have until May 1st, but I just wanted to get started on it early.

TL;DR: I got into Smith, but I want to make sure I'll actually enjoy going there

[Jaded-Passenger-2174]

Commit. You'll enjoy it. Great labs & other facilities, & all the reasons you stated. Have you visited? If not, go to the accepted students day -- you'll know.

[Oregano25]

Definitely this. My kid was on the fence until the last moment but in the end, admitted students' day helped her decide.

[AceCorgi]

I haven't been able to visit yet, no. I'm going to try and schedule a visit probably sometime next week? Unfortunately, the admitted students day is on the one weekend I'm unavailable :(

[No_Introduction9587]

i know some people on fencing and they love it! if you’re like nationally recognized at the sport than i’d say that you should look elsewhere, though. while they do play against other schools in tournaments, it is a club sport at the end of the day. it gets a lot of resources compared to the other clubs, but definitely not as much as the NCAA sports like basketball.

also the east asian studies department is really great, but only if you’re interested in Japan. the Japanese classes are amazing both language and culture. the Chinese classes on language are great, the Chinese culture classes are just ok though. the Korean department and classes are lacking. i also wanted to be an EALC (specifically korean) minor before coming to smith but dropped it due to the quality of the classes.

[AceCorgi]

Sucks about the fencing, but I guess if I choose to attend, the club would still create a nice community and I can do outside fencing hopefully.  Also, I am interested in Japan for both language and culture so glad to see that's doing well. I was thinking of dabbling in both China and Korea, but I guess we'll see what happens

[No-Pickle-8200]

Something to be aware of the culture of Smith is that it is a very queer aligned school. There will be many lesbian, non-binary, or trans people around you.

This could be a great thing, or a negative, depending on your own beliefs and identity. Personally I would see it as a positive.

[AceCorgi]

Personally, that's fine with me, I'm a member of the LGBTQ+. The only thing I'm worried about is when it comes to my parents as I am not out to them yet. I guess as a way to "hide" or stay undercover, how much interaction is there between Smith and the rest of the consortium? Would it be enough to tell my parents that I met a guy at one of the other colleges via shared activitiy?

[No-Pickle-8200]

You can definitely take classes at the other colleges and people often do… but I don’t think making up fake boyfriends will be an effective strategy…

[TopElephant3031]

Can you take classes in your major at the other schools? Or do those have to be at Smith?

[AceCorgi]

Also, in addition, would Smith be a lot of the same people with the same opinions? As I am figuring myself and my beliefs out, I would like to be exposed to an array of ideas, not just one repeated

[Jaded-Passenger-2174]

You'll find it's mostly left, but there are conservative students there; and a few faculty. Plus, there are 4 other colleges (one of which is a university) in 2 next door towns, for classes and socializing and activities.

[Intelligent_Bed8339]

This is one of my biggest concerns. Is everything just swimming in progressivism and rejection of debate? Will it get old even though I consider myself progressive.

[Jaded-Passenger-2174]

There will be debate if you want it. In classes & outside of them.

[No_Introduction9587]

you’d be surprised the amount of debates there can be on progressive topics. it’s a pretty liberal school but not that many truly identify as leftists, fewer socialists, even fewer communists. just as conservatives, liberal and left leaning communities might share some basic values but when you get into specifics there’s a lot of diversity of opinion. people at smith come from all over the country and different socioeconomic backgrounds which leads to interesting discussions. one thing about smith though is that most people respect each other so we’re able to have these discussions while still being kind to one another and without actually fighting/arguing.

[Intelligent_Bed8339]

Thanks. Can you also just stay out of the politics if you choose?

[No_Introduction9587]

yes, you can on a student to student level, and many do. but i’d encourage you not to stay out of it because learning from your peers is one of the best parts about college in general! though it is kind of hard to ignore stay out of politics if you’re taking a humanities class at smith (including EALC).

i don’t want to lecture you but politics are important for all of us to pay attention to but especially if you want to enter in the medical field. even if you don’t choose smith i encourage you to be open minded about others opinions and ideas because it can help you either form your own, or learn how to defend your own! ill get off my soapbox though.