Smith Mathematics Major

gay, crunchy, smart, activist

largely

Smith is pretty cool. The campus is beautiful; it was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the same guy who designed Central Park in New York City. The campus is also an officially recognized botanical garden, so all of the plants on campus are incredibly well-selected and many are remarkably old and/or rare. The size is just right: small enough that you're sure to bump into friends walking around campus, but big enough that there are still new people to meet and that it is possible to avoid someone if the need arises. I spend most of my time on campus lying outside on the lawn if it's a nice day out, or in my house or the Campus Center if it's not. The one thing I would change about Smith is the Administration's strict, reactionary outlook on partying. Where under-aged drinking is involved, they are completely unrealistic and unforgiving, even if a student is forced to turn herself in to get help for a friend whose life may be in danger. This is an outrage, but despite the administrative doucheyness, we still manage to have a good time.

Academics at Smith are great. Rigorous but engaging and worthwhile. Smith has no core requirements, so all students are completely free to take exactly what interests them, which makes classes even better, since everyone wants to be there. The professors (for the most part) are amazing. Every professor I've had has known my name, and they all make themselves very available for extra help outside of class. They are truly interested in each of their students' growth and success and in promoting that growth/success in any way possible. Professors and students often become quite close. I have had dinner at a professor's house once, and my house has invited professors over for dinner on many occasions. The classes are mostly quite small, with the exception of a very few large lecture classes, and class participation is the norm. Many students are really driven and hard-working, although there are still definitely those who appreciate the importance of free time and relaxation. The education at Smith is geared toward learning for its own sake, but nonetheless, Smith graduates are very successful and never have problems finding a job.

Classes to take: Horticulture, Infinite Dimensional Linear Algebra (if you're into that)

The people at Smith are, for the most part, awesome. Many of them are incredibly active in promoting positive social change. The campus, as a whole, is also quite environmentally conscious and actively involved in trying to be as ecologically friendly as possible. Most people here are warm, nice and friendly. There is a lot of cool unique style at Smith. There is also a probably higher-than-average proportion of "hipsters" on this campus, for whatever reason. The population here is far more in touch with the fluidity of sexual orientation and free of the traditional perceptions and stigmas about gender. I'd say that the subset of students here who identify as female AND are 100% absolutely straight is a minority. It's superfun. Smith students are from all over the country and the world. Smith prides itself on its racially/ethnically diverse student body and is INCREDIBLY aware about race-related issues. There is no visibly predominant religion on campus. Political leanings at Smith would best be described as leftward. Smith is expensive, so many students are fairly well-off, but lots get financial aid, and money clearly isn't the main priority or goal of most students here. The type of student who would feel out of place at Smith is someone who is very conservative and tight-laced, judgmental, homophobic, materialistic or superficial, intolerant, or just generally someone who can't handle people who are different from them.

Smith has a wide range of extracurricular activities. Some of the most popular sports here are rugby and crew. There are many cultural clubs and community service/activism clubs. Opportunities abound for students to be involved in music, theater, and dance. There are 6 a capella groups on campus (including one strictly for bad singers), although the Smithereens are pretty much the best. Most people meet their closets friends in their orgs/clubs or in their houses. House communities are often very tightly-knit. The dating scene at Smith is fairly active, mainly with Smith students dating each other. But it is still possible to have a boyfriend if you so desire, either from one of the 3 co-ed schools in the area, or something slightly more long-distance. There is a full spectrum of partying on this campus, ranging from not at all to almost every night. So no matter how often or hard you like to party, chances are you will be able to find several kindred spirits.