The small size of the school and "cottage system" of housing, for we live in actual houses and not dorms, foster a close-knit community. Houses and sports teams have their own mini-communities, inside jokes, and traditions, so it is easy to make friends and you always have someone to go to dinner with. Yet, there are enough people that you can have more than just one circle of friends, and the first day of classes always introduces you to new people.

The town of Northampton has much to offer students, including award-winning ice cream shoppe Herrell's. Students can shop at the semi-underground complex Thornes, grab a smoothie at Haymarket with friends, and go to a fantastic concert at the Iron Horse. Norhtampton's restaurant scene is excellent, with a wide array of styles and prices for each student. Hampshire Mall and Amherst are just a free bus ride away as well, making it easy to get off campus if you need a break.

Smith is very personal. Classes truly are small with the exception of some 101 classes, and even those have smaller discussion groups that meet on different days. Professors know your name within a few weeks, and encourage students to stop by during office hours or even just to say "hi." Hearing my friends talk about their experiences at larger colleges and universities, I am shocked to hear of classes with 400+ people in them or professors that have no interaction with their students.

Pre-major and major advisers can be a huge help to a student if you choose wisely. I know some students who have been frustrated by advisers that are hard to get in touch with or poorly suited for their field of study, but most students are very satisfied. These advisers help students with the transition into college life, help them choose courses, talk to them about their classes, and generally help their advisees in any way they can.

Class participation is expected at Smith. Though first-years can sometimes be nervous and hesitant to speak up, professors are aware of this and do their best to encourage them. Taking a First-Year Seminar (FYS) can be a huge help to a student, because these classes are small, interesting, and contain only students just entering college. It is easy to make friends in these classes as everyone is essentially in the same boat, and you can help each other transition into college life and academics.

Smith's lack of a core curriculum is a brilliant decision. While friends at other schools are stuck in Calc II and Bio 101 when they know they want to be an art major, I am free to take exactly those classes I want. The only requirement is a writing-intensive course your first year, intended to bring first-years up to college-level writing standards. This can be a difficult level to attain for some students, but making good use of their WI class and the Jacobsen Center will prove invaluable for those students. That said, expanding your academic pursuits is encouraged, and for the Latin Honors program you must take at leasat one course in each of the seven areas of learning. Students are encouraged to take courses outside their majors; classes that interest them whether they put them on a career track or not. Yet, Smith works hard to prepare its students for life after college, frequently bringing in alums to discuss what they have done with their English, Psych, neuroscience majors, etc. The Career Development office also works with students to get them internships, jobs, or just to give advice.

LGBTQQA students are certainly the most ____ed minority on campus. Homophobia is not tolerated, though lingering awkwardness and antipathy towards transgender students has recently been brought up. Religious freedom is well-defended, but Smith is a very secular school. Though there are many resources for people of different faiths and exploring religions different from your own is strongly encouraged, most Smithies feel strongly that the practice of religion has no place in the classroom, and act accordingly. This does not mean that Religion majors have nothing to study, in fact the opposite is true, but much of the student body identifies as athiest or agnostic, and Smithies require that courses and interactions with others are not imbued with preference for one religion. The sentiments of racial minorities at Smith were raised this year, as many feel that Smith does not provide adequate resources for these groups, especially African-American students. The reorganization of some courses and organizations, as well as various events focused on this issue, hope to make students in the racial minority feel more a part of the Smith community and better cared for.

Smith College has a very liberal campus, and consequently those with very conservative views are likely to feel out of place. Allegedly, after the 2004 elections members of the Smith Republicans were taunted in some manner, but the administration, members of Smith Democrats, and of the student body as a whole soon decried this behavior as hypocritical and out of sync with Smith's character. However, there certainly are conservative Smithies, and the political leftist swing of the campus should be seen as an interesting experience to engage in rather than a deterrent for conservative prospective students.

Various a cappella groups on campus are very popular, such as the Vibes, the Poofs, and Crapappella. They are often conscripted to sing at house events like Winter Weekend, and travel to other schools to perform. Many of the sports teams are a very close-knit community, especially crew and rugby.

Each area of campus has its own personality, and each house as well. Some have stronger a sense of community than others. Much of this depends on the size and composition of the building as well; students in large houses or houses that are predominantly singles are likely to seek their friends elsewhere and return home largely for studying and sleep, but smaller houses with many roommates and those with their own dining halls often have a stronger sense of identity, and spend a lot of time together eating, watching tv, studying, or just hanging out in the living room. Different personalities will be at home in different types of houses- those who demand a "haven" in which they can relax or work without interruption may prefer Cutter and Ziskind houses or those on Green street. More artsy, cultural types may prefer Lower and Upper Elm, close to downtown Northampton. The Quad is most loved by gregarious students who don't mind being kept up late by a house party, of which the Quad houses traditionally throw the best. Many athletic students live in this area of campus as well because there is a small gym in one of the houses, and tea (normally on Friday afternoons) is moved to Sundays to accommodate practice schedules. Center Campus is close to academic buildings and perhaps more quiet than the Elm sections. If you want to jump out of bed and be at your class in three minutes, Center Campus is ideally placed, and it is also near the library and Campus Center where you can buy a slice of pizza or a salad to sustain a late-night study session after the dining halls are closed.

The biggest stereotype about Smithies is that we are all lesbians, and that there is a lot of drama because of it. Women's colleges in general are often thought to be "catty."

These stereotypes are not true. Certainly, Smith College does have a higher percentage that identifies as lesbian or bisexual, but students who identify as such certainly do not comprise the majority, much less the entirety, of the student body. The GLBTQQA population is very active and open at Smith, which can make it appear to be larger than it is, but this atmosphere of acceptance and respect benefits students of all sexual orientations. I have found a huge reduction in "drama" since high school, despite the unsolicited advice from friends back home that I avoid the cattiness of an "all-girl's school" (it's a women's college, people). Though the absence of men does eliminate some of the reasons girls behave that way in middle and high school (though many male students come from 5-college schools to take Smith classes), I find the assumption unfounded as well because the people that would choose to come to Smith simply are not, by an large, the kind of women who would act that way.

This survey should be counted towards Parsons Complex House