Smith College | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

abby

Class: Senior
Major: English
Gender: F

High School: St. Anthony's High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Perhaps the greatest thing about Smith is the academics. You pay a lot of money, but you get what you pay for, a good education from a very reputable college. It does seem, however, that the school administration has been making several drastic changes to the college over the last 5 years. Several things which made the college much more of a community, for example dinning in every house, has been removed or replaced and I can't help but feel like the dynamic of the college has changed a bit from it. There is less intra house community. There have also been several incidents at the college which have fractured the Smith community. Specifically, there were several racist controversies among students as well as an incident involving the trans community at Smith. These incidents divided the Smith community into (usually) two strongly opposing sides which I would still say do not get along.

Academic Life

The academics at Smith are very good. They are difficult and can be challenging, but that is what we pay for. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed however, as most professors have high expectations and they also tend to forget that a student has other classes with other assignments. The work pile-up happens quickly and when classes start, they hit the ground running. That being said, most professors are willing to help out in anyway they can. The lack of core courses make it easy for students to take whatever strikes them and creates less stress in those first years. Classes themselves vary by the people who are in them, most often classes are a discussion with sporadic lectures. They can be peppered with what Smith terms "that girl" which refers to a student which talks a lot but doesn't say much. Students are very used to being correct so any statement contrary to their own can be met with hostility.

Student Body

The student body has its groups and cliques like every other campus, however the Smith cliques I believe are a bit different than most of other colleges. There is a large population of lesbians at Smith, including those Smith dubbed LUGS or lesbians until graduation. There is a small but growing trans-gender community at Smith. There are a small group of conservative or Republican students on campus. Generally, the school is a liberal one (may 90 to 95 percent). The different groups can blend and interact together fairly well with the exception of where politics are involved. The school is extremely politically active and aware and the different opinions can create conflict.