#smithbysmithies

Hello everyone!

Since the semester has already started and I have now completed more than a week of the semester, I decided to mix how my first week went and my course schedule together into one post.

Here is my schedule for the semester!

This semester I am taking 5 courses, with a total of 18 credits.

The courses are:

-  CHINESE II (INTENSIVE) / CHI 221 (5 credits)

-  CLQ: POLITICS US MEX BORDER / GOV 237 (4 credits)

- COMPUTER GRAPHICS / CSC 240 (4 credits)

-  CLQ:WOMEN& NARRATION/MOD KOREA / EAL 273 (4 credits)

-  DRAWING SOCIAL JUSTICE / ARS 153 (1 credit)

For my computer science major, I decided to only take one course this semester since the other course I wanted to take clashed with my Chinese class. I have been taking Chinese since my first semester at Smith and I have really been enjoying learning a new language, therefore I decided to continue learning it this semester. Since I was no longer taking another comp sci course this semester, I decided to take courses in other interests that I have. I took a course last semester called Latin American Political Systems, and since I really liked the professor and the content, I decided to take another one of her classes, which is the Politics of the US Mexico Border. And finally I decided to take a course on Women and Narration in Korea because I really like films and it is a subject matter that I’ve never learned about. 

I really like Smith’s open curriculum because it allows me to explore subjects that I’ve never been exposed to. I’ve taken a wide range of courses and subject matters already despite the fact that this is only my 4th semester here.

My first week kind of felt unexpected. Usually my first week of classes at Smith are more chill and professors give students time to “shop” for courses (which just means the period of time students attend courses and decide whether or not they want to stay in the class or sign up for a different class). The first week is also relaxed in order to give students enough time to buy any required material for the course. This week however started off rather quickly, which I will attribute it to the fact that, due to the pandemic, this semester is an accelerated semester. I’m sure professors just want to start early so that they can cover as much material as possible in a shorter time frame. 

I am fortunate to only have needed to buy two textbooks, which were both for my Chinese course. My professors for my other courses are super generous and have supplied free pdfs of whatever readings they want us to do. As a low income student, this is super helpful for me, especially during a pandemic! I can say super lucky because I know how expensive it can be to buy all required material.

Hi! Smith houses are different from regular college dorms in a few ways. The first is the architecture! A lot of the houses are converted buildings (some used to be schools!), so they all have their own unique features. All of the houses have living rooms and a study space, many of the houses have basements that provide another study/hangout space, and every house (except one) has a kitchen and/or dining room. The rooms are also bigger than a lot of other colleges because of the unique architecture!

The other way Smith houses are different is that house community is really big. Every house has their own traditions, self-governing house councils, and a mix of people from all class years. While people do move around for a variety of reasons (I’ve lived in two different houses), it’s not uncommon for people to live in the same house all four years.

Lastly, housing is guaranteed all four years, and most students live on-campus (~98% I believe).

I hope this helps!

Huge congrats to everyone accepted to the newest class of Smith College!

Since the college is currently closed to in-person visits, I compiled some resources to get to know Smith-no matter where you are:

1.) Chats with current Smithies!

I highly recommend coming to a chat, which is our replacement for student-led campus tours! These informal chats with current Smith students happen almost everyday of the week and are a great way to get an unfiltered look at Smith College from students’ perspectives! You can find the sign up information here under “Smith From a Distance: Connect with a Current Smithie”. Currently, they are only for admitted students, but they will return to being for prospective students as soon as college decisions are done! Feel free to bring any questions about Smith to these chats.

2.) Information sessions!

There are also virtual information sessions lead by Smith’s admissions officers. These are great for learning the nitty-gritty details about Smith (statistics & facts)!

3.) Virtual Campus Tours

Although I’d recommend a current student chat to learn about Smith, the virtual campus tour options here are a great way to see what Smith looks like in person!

4.) Follow Smith College on ZeeMee and join Smith College Class of 2025 Social Media groups on Facebook and Instagram!

ZeeMee is an free app that you can download and follow Smith College for videos and more information about Smith! Class social media pages are created by future Smithies to connect with other admitted students!

5.) Attend a Smith class!

Admitted students are currently able to attend Smith classes to get a feel for a classroom at Smith! You can register for class visits through your Admitted Student portal under the Academics tab.

6.) Other various admission events for admitted students!

The Admissions office is hosting events spread out over the next month for students admitted to Smith! More information also available in your admitted students portal! I know there’s currently an activism series happening that looks cool.

I’m finally back on campus and taking classes again, and I’m so excited. Most of my classes are primarily remote still, but I’m happy to at least live on campus.

My classes this spring are:

BIO 366 Biogeography - This class fulfills requirements for my biology major as well as for my 5 College Coastal and Marine Sciences certificate, and its a class I’ve been wanting to take since my first year. It is about the distribution of species on Earth, both terrestrial and marine, and how humans are impacting those habitats. 

BIO 390 Coral Reef Seminar - This seminar I’ve also been waiting to take, and I’m so excited to finally be in it. It also fills the same requirements as my biogeography class, so I’m almost done with my major and certificate (ahhhh!) As the name suggests we study coral reefs with an emphasis on reading and presenting relevant scientific papers. 

REL 206 Afterlife in World Religions - I’m taking full advantage of Smith’s open curriculum and taking a class way out of my field about religion! I’ve never taken anything in the religion department before, but so far I’m really engaged with the readings and the professors are making it very accessible. I was not raised with any sort of religion so I’m excited to learn more.

(Photos: my friends and I in our graduation robes -- making memories, taking part in traditions, and saying goodbye in style).

Impromptu Senior Celebrations!

The moments after we found out that we had to leave Smith were heartbreaking, scary, and full of unknowns. But one thing was certain: Senior Week had begun.

Today, Smith released plans for the fall 2020 school year. If you want to read over their entire COVID-19 Response Plan you can click this link which will take you to the plan. Here are a few main points that I summarized from the first three categories. 

Health & Safety

Everyone has to wear a face mask

Everyone must stay at least 6ft away from eachother other 

No off-campus guests/visitors are allowed on campus

Students may not travel more than 10 miles away from campus

Hand sanitizer and masks will be provided

There will be a daily symptoms checklist that each student will fill out 

Houses will be disinfected 2x a day, classrooms with be disinfected 5x a week 

Academic Planning

Teachers will decide if classes are in person or online

Most classes are going to offer both options

You can still take classes at any of the other five colleges as long as you do it online

All interterm classes will be online

First-years & Sophomores will be on campus from September 1-November 20, Juniors & Seniors will be on campus for the Spring Semester (unless a senior is graduating in January, they will arrive in the fall period)

You can apply to live on campus for the entire year if you have extraordinary circumstances 

Student Life

All students are going to have singles

We will arrive in mid to late August

Fall sports are being put on a hold

We will order all food through an app, with a maximum of three orders a day

All meals are takeout only

Housing will come out in early August

You can not be in anyone else’s room overnight, but you can visit friends in their room as long as you are 6ft away from each other 

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Hi All, 

Moving to college is overwhelming and for some of you, moving to a new city might be as well. Northampton is one of the smallest cities I have ever lived in but has by far the best charm. I thought I would share with you some of the tips I’ve learned from exploring Smith’s backyard this last year. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: In this post I will often be mentioning PVTA buses. These buses are free for 5 College Students if they present their OneCard (which you will receive at orientation on the first day) to the bus driver. Click here for the link to bus schedules. 

1. Nearest mall

Hampshire Mall - 367 Russel St. Hadley

Whether you’re first moving into Smith and need more hangers or you want to go see a movie or buy storage bins at the end of your first year, you’re going to want to head to the Hampshire Mall. The mall has a bunch of stores like Target, Trader Joe’s and Bed Bath and Beyond which will most definitely give you what you need. Click here for the Mall’s directory! To get there from Smith you can take the PVTA Bus B43 which will take you there in 30 minutes top. It might sound like a lot of time to be sitting on the bus, but I promise you, after you’ve done the ride as many times as I have, it really doesn’t feel like that long! If you want to get there quicker, Zipcar, Uber, Lyft and a friend’s car are always another option!

2. Nearest CVS

90 Main St. Northampton

CVS has been a vital part of my Northampton life, I go there at least once every three weeks to pick up my meds, grab snacks and things like toothpaste/shampoo etc if I’m running out. From Duckett House CVS is a 10 minute walk MAX and if you are just too tired to make that walk, the PVTA B43 bus has a stop one block up from CVS so you can cut your walk time in half. 

3. Help! My phone broke! Where do I go? 

AT&T - 140 Main St. Northampton

Verizon - 180 Main St. Northampton 

Apple Store - 50 Holyoke St. Holyoke

First of all, DON’T PANIC. Like every city, Northampton has all the resources to help you fix your phone. If it’s a technical difficulty like your service provider isn’t working right, Northampton has two providers who have stores downtown - Verizon and AT&T. So, if you’re lucky enough to have one of them as your provider you can stop by their store which is only a couple minutes away from Smith. If the problem is an Apple related problem, the town of Holyoke (where Mount Holyoke College is located) has an Apple store which you can use to fix the problem. Getting there is a little more of a hike, it takes at least an hour by bus (R43) but Zipcar, Uber and Lyft are available if you don’t want to take the bus. Or, you could ask a friend to drive you there if you know someone with a car! 

4. Nearest train / bus station

Northampton Train Station - 170 Pleasant St. Northampton 

Peter Pan Bus Terminal - 1 Roundhouse Plaza, Northampton

If you plan to go to a big city for the weekend, like Boston or NYC, chances are you will be leaving out of one of these two places. Northampton has a train that takes you directly into NYC Penn Station in about 4h30min. Depending on when you’re planning to take this adventure, it could cost you $40-80 round trip. The cost is why most Smithies choose Peter Pan Bus Lines as their preferred mode of transport. The bus will take you to NYC Port Authority in 4h and to Boston (South Station, Copley Sq, Park Sq or State House) in an average of 2h30min. Peter Pan Bus prices are pretty unpredictable, depending on if you’re traveling at a peak time (like October Break) the cost could be between $40-60 round trip. I have gotten tickets for Peter Pan for $40 round trip though, so I would say: plan ahead to make sure you get the best price. 

5. Best coffee shops

Woodstar Cafe - 60 Masonic St. Northampton 

Haymarket Cafe - 185 Main St. Northampton

Shelburne Falls Coffee Rosters - 273 Main St. Northampton 

If there’s one thing that you won’t miss while being in Northampton is coffee shops. You can find plenty of Smithies at any one of these three coffee shops which are an average of a 5/10 minute walk from the center of campus. Each of these three cafe’s have such different vibes and so it’s up to you to find your favorite one. My personal favorite is Woodstar because it’s filled with natural light and yummy desserts to snack on while studying. Remember, there are so many coffee shops in Northampton that these three are not the only options! I just picked the three I know that most people tend to go to. 

I hope that helps,

Speaking as someone who wasn’t really raised with college culture, I’ve realized (in hindsight) how much I was unaware of what other students went through during the application season. But no matter where you’re at in the process, whatever environment you’ve grown up in, your exposure (or even lack thereof) to certain resources - the stress of this period is hard for everyone. You’re valid in your worry. So if you need to hear it from anybody, even a stranger like me: I believe in you. And trust me when I say, it’ll all be okay. 

Entering my senior year here at Smith, where you’re at feels a bit more distant to me now. But working in Admissions this summer, I hear how the pressure of this period hasn’t necessarily gotten any easier for students today. So, for those of you feeling the weight of this period on your shoulders right now - I hope these words can help in any way, no matter how small:

- i know it’s hard to really listen to any comforting words from those around you right now about everything going on in your head about applications/admissions. so feel free to ignore this, even though it’s true that… you’ve got this. 

- try your best to start early, like the summer is a great period to try to possibly lighten your load senior year. but, don’t forget that it’s summer! take breaks. be with friends & family! enjoy your time.

- you’ve done a lot of the hard work already. no one should ever underestimate junior year (or high school in general, tbh). so, don’t forget to give yourself some praise. you DID THAT. you’ve got one more year of high school left! HELLO SENIOR.

- make sure to communicate all your worries about the application process (housing, aid, etc.) with the resources offered to you. for example, if you’re concerned about aid at Smith - ask here on the Smith by Smithies blog or reach out to one of our amazing bloggers here!

- stop underestimating yourself. imposter syndrome is real. try to not let it overwhelm your application process if you can.

- you’ll apply, you’ll wait, you’ll get your answers. whatever anxieties or stresses you feel during this time are VALID. doing this is scary. putting yourself out there is scary. let’s not undermine our feelings or emotions! kick that poor self-care & bad self-love outta here folks.

Classes of 2020, you got this - happy summer & happy senior year!