Smith College Top Questions

There was a blackface incident on campus earlier this year. I think that because we do have a really diverse population, people need to be better informed. LGBT is the strongest in the country, and we have a lot of very active religious groups, including bhuddist talks and meditations and an active hillel. It's impossible to describe the tables of people at the dining halls. They're all very mixed. Usually someone will have a shaved head. The students are from all over, dress all differently... everyone really has their own personality which stands out here. I love that. Smithies don't seem to preoccupied with money, and come from a full range of backgrounds.

Smith is mostly middle or upper-middle class white people, like most other small liberal-arts East-coast colleges. There have been recent controversies over race; a student went to a party in black face and sparked an angry and racially-charged exchange over a Smith online forum, and the administration is planning to make the African American studies and Latin American studies departments smaller. I've never seen racism on campus aside from the comments posted on the forum, but then, I'm white. There are plenty of Asians, too, and some international students from places like India and Middle Eastern countries. Almost everyone here is liberal; there are some Republicans and people who don't care about politics, but they're a definite minority. Students tend to be aware of social issues. Fashion is really diverse--you have a lot of straight girls who don't care what they look like, preppy girls, nerds, hipsters, transgender guys in men's clothing, girls who wear men's clothing because they like it, etc.

Smith is VERY LGBTQQ friendly. I've heard Republicans and conservatives sometimes feel out of place.

I myself haven't encountered any issues. Smith is very welcoming but some things effect people more than others. Pajamas are the clothing of choice here. Yes friendships here are very diverse. The Smith community is very diverse. I live in Scales so many girls are very wealthy here, but they're still very nice people. Students are very politically aware and active. We just had a protest about Tibet and then we had a dialogue about the presidential campaign that's going on right now. Yes students usually talk about how much they'll earn. Some need financial motivation.

They're ladies who like to learn and pay large amounts of money.

Smith is very liberal and very queer-friendly. It makes for a great community, as long as you're accepting of people. Four tables in a dining hall: hipsters, jocks, geeks and some melange of people who are friends because they live in the same house. Unless you're in the vegetarian/vegan dining hall. Then it's just hipsters. Very conservative Republicans might feel out of place or ostracized at Smith. I have heard of people who get a really hard time for being Republican, but the Smith Republican club is just as active as the Smith Democrats. The student body truly is very diverse, with people from all kinds of ethnic and financial backgrounds, as well as a lot of international students.

The student body at Smith is incredibly diverse. There are people from all sorts of different geographical, religious, socio-economic, political, and academic backgrounds. Smith is very accepting of all kinds of people and there is a place for everyone. Cliques don't exist here like they did in high school and most of the campus is pretty well blended. Students are very politically aware and are strong activists, supporting a multitude of causes and really trying to make a difference. There is a definite left lean to the campus.

Everyone is very diverse and interesting.

Smith has a habit of talking around racial issues. If a racial charged event happens, students stage a protest, the college hosts a forum, a committee is formed to look at the issue, and then it's forgotten until the next time something happens, then the cycle repeats, with everyone complaining about how everything was forgotten last time. Class is still not something we can really talk about at Smith. There is always someone with a petition about something on campus. I am always ashamed by how the Republican students get treated on campus. My first-year, someone put a 'hit list' on the Daily Jolt. I may not agree with their stance, but some people on this campus take things too far. The Daily Jolt is an awful place because people will post anonymous comments that start all sorts of trouble just because some want to hide behind anonymity instead of being open with their racist, sexist, prejudice remarks.

The Smith student body is the most characterizable group of people I have ever met. So for lack of better labels I label them all as "Smithies" This may be obvious but to a Smithie the word Smithie encompasses so many things. The main thing that it encompasses to me is purpose. I truly believe that everyone who ended up at Smith has a purpose or will have a purpose after they leave. A Smithie is a unique, dedicated, complex, strong, woman who is ready to change the world.

Smithies are extremely diverse, yet united by the institution they comprise. There is no typical Smith student. She could be rich/poor, black/white, American/international, gay/straight, political/artistic/book-worm/fashionista/athlete, she/he, and-or a thousand other things.

Smith has opened my eyes to so many different worlds/lifestyles/experiences. One thing that I like is that there isn't just one "smith girl". There are all kinds of people from all over the world from so many different backgrounds. Social tensions are still present, yet they are slim compared to other places i've experienced. One more thing--the vast majority of people here are liberal democrats. In fact, people come here from all across the country to be in that kind of environment.

I've had many experiences on campus with racial, religious and socio-economic groups on campus most were to gain or share experiences and views. Students wear an array of different things to class, but most students wear what make them comfortable and not unselfconscious. Students talk about everything from their political ideas to their social and religious ideas to share their points of view and never to discredit others points of view.

I have been active in multiple orgs on campus. And I enjoyed the experience of each. I like that there are spaces for us to do the kind of social activist work on campus. However its usually the same 15 or 20 people circulating from group to group. That frustrates me. Regardless whatever you want to invest your time in you will find at least two or three other people who will do it with you.

Smith is sort of self-selecting. Strong, democratic, intelligent women are prominent on campus. There are a few republicans, but they are definitely in the minority. House community is very strong, so four tables in the dining hall would almost certainly be divided into two houses.

Smith's student body isn't as diverse and they would like you to think. However, there are a lot of gay and trans students on campus, so the community is very welcome to gender identities of all kinds. EVERYONE is liberal.

Smith has a semi-diverse campus. There are people from all over the world and all different races, religions, sexualities, and socio-economic classes, but the majority is still white middle/upper class. It is kind of cliquey between races and other groups, but all groups still intermingle. I have close friends who can fit into almost every group on campus. Most students here are very liberal and I think it is a difficult environment for conservative students because the campus is very politically aware and active.

There are issues, just like every other college, around racial, LGBT, socio-economic, etc. groups on campus. No one is ever going to be completely happy; someone will always have a problem with something. Sometimes, it feels like "it's always something" and it can get annoying and frustrating. When people complain about Smith I often just want to tell them that if they hate it so much, they should just go to another school. For the most part though, students are smart, friendly, and wonderful people to be around.

The Smith student body is very diverse. We tend to respond to incidents involving adversity by coming together to learn about the root of the problem.

I feel that overall Smith is very open but, we have had isolated incidents of racial or sexual orientation attacks. I also feel that there are way too many sex offenders in the local area.