#smith 2021

Hi everyone, hope y’all are well! Ruth @a-smithie-named-ruth and Rowan @smitherdoodles made wonderful posts recently about what they’re planning to post about this summer/school year, so I thought I’d do the same ~

Summer activities: I’ve already made one post about some of the things I’ve done with my summer, and more are on the way! They’re tagged under “summer 2017″

College prep: I’ll talk a little about how I’m preparing for college - what I’m packing, making and buying - and make a reflection post at the end of the semester on what helped and what I should’ve done more of! I’ll also talk about orientation and registering for courses when the time comes.

Books: these posts will be happening as much as possible :)

Why I chose Smith: this one’s a little self-explanatory, but similar posts helped me get a feel for why it might be a good school for me, and pointed out new things that I hadn’t thought of.

Activities: once I get to campus, it’s gonna get wild. I have a good idea of some orgs I’d like to join, but of course that’s subject to change, so we’ll see! I’ll post a bit about what I’m doing outside of class and how well the time-management balancing act is going.

Having my wisdom teeth out knocked me for a loop, and I got a terrible head cold on top of it, so I apologize for not posting much lately (I basically watched movies and slept for the last week).

right in time for decisions to be released (yay!!!!), here’s why i chose smith!

academics → when deciding between schools, i looked at the course catalog for smith to get an idea of the classes i could take if i attended. i was immediately drawn to the range of courses, and i loved smith’s open curriculum -- basically, smithies are only obligated to take a writing intensive class their first year & are encouraged to engage with different areas of study, but have no distribution requirements outside of their major! though some students attempt latin honors, where they take courses in seven different disciplines, the school provides a space for us to construct our own schedules and focus on the academic areas we want (not have) to explore. this was my biggest factor for attending...i’m also glad smith lived up to its reputation for having rigorous and rewarding classes & wonderful faculty and staff!

housing → smith’s unique housing system means we live in houses, not dorms! each have their own internally-elected governing bodies of students called house councils, and the architectural style varies between areas of campus and individual houses. i love living with students from all four years, and we even have weekly house teas and events every semester! it’s comforting to return home after a long day and hang out in cozy rooms or communal spaces (each house even has a piano!) with my housemates. i was particularly drawn to this concept of community as a prospective student, and i feel lucky to have found such incredible friends through my house in only two years here.

Last Friday, two of my closest friends and I visited the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the African Art Museum!

This year the festival seemed to be circus-themed - there was a big top tent (which we unfortunately didn’t make it into), a trapeze show, lots of tents discussing the art of storytelling and being a clown, and some amazing acrobatics displays. We had delicious Vietnamese food for lunch, and afterwards headed home to Arlington for some dessert - both Mira and I work in restaurants so we scored some ice cream and cookies for a discount :)

(left to right, Jordi, Mira and I at the Smithsonian Castle Enid Haupt Garden - below, the mosaic inside the castle)

Yesterday I had an amazing, amazing time in Baltimore, meeting up with three other members of the Smith c/o 2021! Grace hosted, and Colleen, Tari (@smithliving, hi Tari!!) and I joined. We hung out at Grace’s house for a bit (drank some root beer :D) and got to know one another - we covered each other’s possible majors, where everyone was from, and talked a little about what we were most excited about for the upcoming school year. I was super psyched to meet Tari, who’s also a Smith blogger!

Afterwards, we went to the Golden West Cafe in Hampden for dinner, which was ridiculously delicious. Grace and I had some fantastic french toast - mine with blueberries, hers with apples - Tari had a burger, and Colleen had a vegan burrito.

We had planned to get ice cream just afterwards, but we were too full from dinner and decided to walk around a bit first. Enter the True Vine Records, a hidden marvel on a side street near the restaurant. We had lots of fun poking through the stacks of records (and cassette tapes!), and talking about what music we liked. Grace bought a few records (including a Star Wars one), and I ran across an excellent pressing of Neil Young’s Harvest, an album that I love and that’s very near to my heart.

Once we left there, we worked our way over to The Charmery, a great little ice cream place with a line out the door. Coincidentally, the ice cream was from the same place that supplies the bakery I work at - Trickling Springs Creamery! The scoop of chocolate I had was delicious, and we all hung out on the steps of a church across the street. Tari had to leave right afterward unfortunately, so we said our goodbyes and took a photo (which Tari kindly sent me!), and I had to catch a 9:30 train back to Washington, so we split up.

I had an absolute blast and I’m so excited to attend Smith such wonderful, kindhearted people!