Smith College Top Questions

In the beginninng, required classes of most majors it can be difficult to know your professor well, at least if they do not also teach the lab you are in (in the sciences) or the discussion section you are in (in some of the liberal arts). However this usually is only true for the everyone-has-to-take-them courses, and can be overcome with a little work in the other lower level classes. Some professors are difficult to get in touch with. I have not personally spent a lot of time outside of my classes with my teachers, although most of them have been fully willing to help when I have needed it, usually accomodating me when I cannot make their office hours. The biology major has just changed its requirements, and is one of the majors where quite a bit of time and less leeway about what you can take occurs. Because of the changing classes, the department is a little out of kilter at the moment and not especially kind to the students following the old requirements like I am.

Smith is academically challenging. Twice the workload of other colleges but it pays off. You get so much more out of the experience and you are better prepared for future grad school or work.

The academics are extremely challenging, but the knowledge I have gained is definitely worth it. Because of the small classes, all of my professors know my name, including ones that have not had me since my first year. They really care about their students, even if sometimes you wouldn't think so because of all the assignments and tests they load on us! Smith is also really great about helping students apply their academic experience beyond school in internships, jobs, etc.

Smith College is hard. I won't lie to you, but if you got in, then you can take it. Professors expect a lot from you, and you'll really be amazed at what you can, in fact, do. We spend a lot of time studying, but don't be fooled, we spend a lot of time having fun as well. Class size is fairly small, and it is possible to get very individual attention from professors, which is really good. The professors themselves are really very interesting as well, and I've gotten to know a few quite well, which is great, and they also teach really interesting material related to their research a lot of the time. My first semester I took a class on the philosophy of chemistry, which I'm pretty sure I could only have ever taken here. I'm an engineer, so I have a very structured schedule of classes that I need to take, but the people in the department have slowly become good friends and we have our own little groups within which we talk (complain) about all the things we have to do. Whereas my major is really career-oriented, there are definitely amazing programs that are slightly less practical. Apart from rigorous majors, there aren't really any requirements, so you can take whatever you can get into, whenever you want to, which brings a lot of different perspectives to each class, which is good. And even if you find that Smith isn't giving you everything that you want or need academically (or if you just want to get off campus), you can take classes at the other area colleges, which all have something different to offer.

My professors all know my name, which is nice. My favorites tend to be studio art or psych related, which are my two majors anyway. i'm definitely more of a fan of the art department professors than the ones in psych for the most part... just happens to be the way it worked out. we do study a lot around here - some more than others, but you certainly can't just ignore your work and expect to do well! and yes, many students are definitely competitive! maybe it's in our nature... but we compete to see who has more work to do. i'd say the education here is definitely geared towards learning for its own sake - it's really scary to think about what i'm going to do when i graduate next january!

Professors here are really approachable and most have known my name. I hate it when there's a lecture with no chance for student voices to be heard. I like experiential learning and interesting projects. The grading in the English Dept. is too hard - no matter how hard you try you can't get an A. I like that there are minimal requirements and this leaves options for people to explore their interests more.

We know professors pretty well - they usually get to know your name quickly. I really enjoyed Logic 100 this fall - very fun and challenging! My least favorite class is Eastern Christianity - it's a bit dull. Students study all the time - every day. Class participation is very common and required. Intellectual conversations outside of class are pretty regular. Students are generally competitive, though it varies. Most unique class: Third World in the Western Imagination. My major is religion. The religion department is pretty strong at Smith in most areas - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and South Asian traditions. More of a focus on traditions than on methodologies. I will go to professor's office hours if I need help with a class or with some application or other. Smith's requirements are fair. I would say the education at Smith is geared towards learning, but there's a lot of stress outside the classroom about getting a job.

To be honest, class size has been growing over the past few years and course offerings have been declining. However, there are enough academic gems to keep your intellectual midn sparked. The average class size is about 20 students and discussion is strongly encouraged. Professors will know your name and you will call them by their first name. Professors are always willing to meet with students outside of class.

It is a very challenging college, but once you have finished your work you feel accomplished and fulfilled. I think that there are times when professors will assign way to much work, without the consideration of other courses, but professors are often willing to work with students if they struggling with course work or concepts.

i like the classes, overall. lecture classes are nice because the professor won't usually know your name, and you can skip them when you're stressed over other stuff.

The thing that strikes me most about academics at Smith is how amazing my professors are. They all know who I am and genuinely care about what I'm getting out of their classes. Students here are very academic, and I spend at least a little time almost every day studying. This means that the level of class participation and discussion is usually very high and I learn on a regular basis from my peers as well as my professors.

While various programs and professors are outstanding, I find myself bored with my classes and my professors. Perhaps when I find a major that suits me I will have better things to say about Smith's academics but for now, all I can really say is that professors assign a lot of busy work which unnecessarily stresses out students who are already inclined to be stressed ("overachievers"). Smith students are generally intelligent, although you do get the occasional girl who doesn't know what she's talking about and will try to argue with you. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class. Smith's more geared towards learning rather than towards getting a job; it is a liberal arts college. I both like and dislike the lack of core requirements; while I enjoy choosing my own classes, I feel that as someone who doesn't have a major and does not know what direction I am headed in, perhaps being forced to take classes I wouldn't normally take would be helpful. I've found that students' study habits vary and it depends on where a student lives. For example, students who live on the Quad generally do not study as rigorously as students who live on Green Street, for example. Perhaps it's the "party" atmosphere...

The small classes are very beneficial. The professors know everyone's names and it is easy to get help when needed. I am quite disappointed by the lack of school work, however. I am bored out of my mind.

students here are very competitive to the detriment of their education. A lot of smithies do what they have to do to get the grade even if it means sacrificing their learning. people don't read articles, they talk to people who have read them. they don't watch a film but they fake having seen it for class. "do what you have to to get the grade at the cost of skipping the parts where you actually learn."

Smith academics are HARD. Not only do the professors expect a lot, but the competitive nature of Smithies means you really are completing every reading, revising every paper and spending most nights in the library. Good thing is, we love to learn!

I'm a philosophy major, and the department is fantastic. It's pretty big, considering how small the school is. The professors are friendly, they make an effort to get to know the majors. And all of us students talk and are friendly. There's a lot of camaraderie in the department. And if you're interested in philosophy, you should REALLY consider a women's college like Smith. I can promise you that all your philosophy classes at coed schools will be totally dominated by men. I have had a lot of academic conversations outside of the classroom, but it's certainly not all we do. You'll have discussions about other things, too.

Every one of my professors knows my name. I have a few classes where this doesn't necessarily have to be the case because of the big size, but in that instance, I make a point to go to my prof's office hours and get to know him/her. Either way, professors are overjoyed to have students display interest in their field, so they welcome casual conversations, or questions about coursework. Smith classes are hard. They are tons of work. There is so much work that it is impossible to have a social life and also get all of your work done all the time. But, professors know this, and I only know a handful of students who read every single word for every class. Sometimes things can get stressful, but it's all worth it because most of the classes are absolutely phenomenal. In general, you can get any Smithie talking about her academic pursuits, because each person is so invested in their education. It's great.

Academics at Smith are very intense. Ask people how they are doing and they will most often tell you "busy, but ok." Many students take more than a full course load (16 credits). Classes are challenging with a lot of outside reading. I have one class this semester with 300 pages of reading a night. Despite the hard course load, I'm really happy I'm here because I am learning so much more than most of my friends at larger, less challenging schools. As one of my friends put it, "you know you're screwed when the kids visiting from Harvard are freaked out by the amount of work you have."

Love the classes. Professors who have been here a while are great, the new ones they are bringing in are the ones to look out for (although some of them rock).

It's true, we work like crazy--and everyone here would be thankful if our professors gave us just a little less work, and a little more time for extra-curricular pursuits (like regular sleep and exercise). But people here love the work--we talk about the subjects we study outside of class, and not only in terms of what homework we need to finish, but out of genuine interest in the material.