Smith College Top Questions

Don't be afraid to try things and quit. You don't need to be an expert in something to try it for the first time; you don't need to stick with something that you hate out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. Forgive people more. Educate people more. You are going to meet people whom you admire, who intimidate you. Remember that they are people, and don't take so long to seek them out. They're waiting for you to make a move, too. Be firm with yourself and commit to habits that you know will make you a better person and a better student. Take criticism gracefully, and advocate for yourself--but only when it's worth it. Remember that you chose to be here, and that you love it. Be out and joyful and unrepentent.

Advice to My Former Self The best way to prepare for college in particular and for life in general involves finding a cause that is close to my heart at an early age and working to address it through volunteering. Don't wait until the summer before my senior year to work with a local organization whose mission is to help those afflicted with aids. Start early so I can learn at a younger age how incredibly satisfying it is to help make a difference in the lives of others - to know the warmth of giving back to the community. Start early on the path that will lead to a major in college of social justice. Have the work convert my vague appreciation of how lucky I am to the knowledge of the incredible blessings in my life. Use the opportunity to meet those whose life is so different than mine, whose challenges far outweigh mine. Learn early to enjoy those who can teach me so much about the larger world. It is great preparation for college, where the range of people I meet will expand tremendously. Yes, begin early down the path to help myself as much as others.

There's nothing you need for collegiate success that you don't already have. Imagination, cleverness, and determination are in equal measure what will propell you through your studies. Don't allow yourself to be distracted. Don't turn grudges into excuses. Make time for friends and fun, of course, or risk sanity entirely, but remember that the education comes first. School is there for you. All those resources, all those books and specimens, ideas and arguments, lectures and libraries are yours. There's no room for timidity. You know exactly what you want to do, what you want to make of yourself and the world, and you have all the tools you need. You live in a world where women in the sciences are trivialized and where righteous indignation is spun into pettiness by the powers that be, but you're up to it. Every paper, lab, and discussion brings you closer to the scientist--and the person--you know you can be. Don't let a moment pass you by.

I would tell myself not to be so afraid, so affected by the culture shock, so homesick. I would give myself academic advice (Smith has an "open curriculum," which is great, but it makes course selection a bit overwhelming), and I'd remind myself to audition for a play. I would tell myself that time moves quickly, so go to the art museum, the hill of daffodils (before it's removed during construction), the botanical gardens, the archives. Find the secret staircase in Sessions House and move out of Capen House after your first year. Be active in Italian Club (model in their fashion show) and stay one year over January to learn Yiddish. Don't take the LSAT without studying and don't wait until senior year to take math and science. Finally, I'd tell myself to get enough sleep, leave room for a social life and not to worry because it'll all be okay.

I wish I had known how much easier procrastination becomes in college than it was in highschool. I would tell myself to stay more focused and really schedule out each day when the assignments start pouring in, because when I do that it's so much easier to stay on top of things. I would tell myself to pack less--you really don't need all that stuff. I would remind myself that it's okay to be lonely sometimes, and talking to your friends about your experiences (and realizing they're lonely sometimes too) really helps. I didn't figure that out for a while. I wish I could have told myself to breath more. The year is almost over and I survived, but I think I could have done it with less stress if I had planned my academics, taken time to meditate or something, and eaten a little healthier--more salad, fewer tater tots--because you don't need any more stress than college already is.

Just relax, stick it out. Making decisions can be difficult but remember you can always change your mind, nothings set in stone.

I have learned more about myself, my temperment, and my personal and academic interests. I have developed a sense of independence and have found the strength to keep going even when things do work out the way I had originally planned.

I have only been in college for one semester and already I have changed so much. Before college, I procrastinated with every thing, forgot about assignments, I was unorganized, and a bit shy. Now I have learned to budget my time. I turn in all assignments on time if not early. Forgetting assignments is not an option in college. I write everything down and leave reminders for myself everywhere. I am much more responsible and reliable because of this and much more confident. Also, my college experience has given me a strong sense of accomplishment. I am going to a prestigious school filled with intelligent people who challenge me every day. Most of my professors have a Ph. D. I am learning Arabic, which is one of the hardest languages to learn. I am proud of myself. I am doing something no one in my family has done before. I am a first generation college student. I am also going to be the first graduate in my family. I am going to be the first person in my family to have a yearly salary versus hourly. College is molding me into a strong, intelligent, capable woman.

My name is Mayli-Anne Waterbury and I am a robust 66 year old woman looking for scholarship aid so that I can attend Smith College in Massachusetts. A lifelong dream was to finish my college education. My goal isn?t just about me; I am looking for a way out of the self-absorption retirees can slide into-I understand at a deep level that the solution to getting out of ?me? is to become pro-active in the welfare of others. I need to be armed with all the clout I can muster to be taken seriously in a world that needs all the help it can get. I love to write. I have been published several times in self-help books and on the Op-Ed pages of state and local newspapers. I am looking to make my major English/American Studies at Smith. Later, I hope to write books, articles, and continuing with serious volunteering. Presently, I am enrolled as a part time student at the University of Rhode Island and donate my time for transparently-decent candidates seeking political office. I hope you will consider my request for the scholarship.

I am a firm proponent of universal success where every individual has an aptitude for a skill. A collegiate education will enhance and refine whatever ability that may be. But college isn?t all about the formal learning that takes place within the institutions; the experiences that colleges are able to extend to their students have a greater impact on their success than any mathematics course would. Being able to develop an ideal self based off of the experiences one has encountered is the most critical difference between a successful individual and a failure. I attended college for academic purposes like most prospective students do but in my brief time at Valencia Community College, I have gain some invaluable experiences that will mold me into a man ready to illuminate my community. As a product of the Bridges to Success Program, I have been engraved with the determination to lead others in a positive direction. Soon I attained membership of Phi Theta Kappa and Presidency of I.M.A.G.E.S. (Influential Men Applying Gifts and Employing Strategies); our goal is to promote academic achievement and community service. My college experience has gave me power to enlighten my community.

My experience at Smith College can be summed up in one word, and that word is confidence. At Smith, I learned the confidence to be myself, the confidence to do what it takes to succeed, the confidence to take chances, and most importantly, I gained confidence in being a woman. For me, attending an all-woman's college was extrodinarily valuable. If I had attended a co-ed college, I doubt I would have graduated with the same level of confidence. Smith was an accepting school that pushed female students to grow, learn and change. Smith professors are supportive and engaging. Simply being surrounded by intelligent, intellectual, creative women is incredibly inspiring. Smith also provides students with non-traditional opportunities to grow - like a semester-long for-credit internship at the Smithsonians, an opportunity I was excited to partake in. Since graduating, I have used the confidence that I gained at Smith to succeed in the "real world." In less than two years, I am at the director level, and have individuals who report directly to me. I owe my success to the professors, the administration, and most of all my fellow classmates. All inspired me beyond words.

Breathe. Life is what happens while you're making plans. I have found, in my experience of applying to and attending college, that expectations are rarely met, but that what you end up with can often be surprising and wonderful. High school is the time to learn how to work, to realize your passions and to focus on your special gifts. College is the time to rediscover who you thought you were, to reimagine how you see the world and to refocus your passions so that they not only blossom and grow and change, but so that they can be shared with your academic, professional and global community. As you make the transition from High School to College, know that you will face challenges, but that you are fully equipped and prepared to take them on, and that they may not be what you expect, but that the outcome of your hard work and your willingness to keep an open mind and heart will reward you more than you ever thought possible.

As a junior in College, I now know things that would have been helpful to know while still in high school. If I could deliver important and insightful information to myself as a high school student, I would recite words of empowerment and personal growth. I would advise to always stand strong in my personal values and seek to continue to grow. To maintain a steadfast faith and that trials and tribulation will in fact come in my direct path. I would inform myself that the world and people I may trust will change and I must continue to seek and strive for an ultimate goal of making myself happy with my choices, my outcomes, the wisdom that I gain from them and my internal self. I would say that grades are not everything and that it?s important not to lose myself in achieving greatness, and greatness shows when my character radiates. I would say that success is not measured by the marks given by someone assessing me despite our society?s perception to impose this fabrication, but the amount of fulfillment, happiness and accomplishment that I find in my efforts, my goals, my loved ones and my life.

"Hey, ignore the guy sitting next to you. Who cares if he was the star of last night's basketball game. In 15 years, he will be working for the donut shop that you stop at in the mornings on your way to college. Pay attention and actually 'learn' how to write a thesis sentense. Learn how to use the library resources now and not wait until your senior year at college. Don't pay attention to what the other girls are saying in the halls about your clothes - they will come back in style and you will wish you hadn't thrown them out. Be proactive with your goals, you can do it.... and you don't need some boyfriend telling you that you can't, especially since he will drop out of college and you will continue on to graduate school! Study smarter, not harder! Give them the sizzle, not only the steak! And for crying out loud: learn to eat new foods - pizza will only go so far!"

The thought that haunted my head as a high school senior was not the typical will I get in. I knew that I would get in somewhere because there are so many different colleges one could attend. My biggest fear was that I was not sure I could do it. I did not know if I could take on this new level of education. I was unsure if I could move to another place, live with a new person, go to harder classes and somehow pay for it all. If I could sit my high school self down and tell her one thing, I would look into her eyes and tell her to be not afraid. Life can throw a person some serious twisted paths to walk along, but there is always a path. There is always a way forward and one will succeed if one is determined. My high school self, if I could talk to you, be whoever you want to be and smile every single day. You can do it.

You're telling yourself that you don't want to go to a girl's school. You're annoyed because it's the only prestigious college that accepted you. You're already plotting transferring after freshman year. First off, you're going to a women's college, not a girl's school. Second, you need to rethink why you're going to college. You want to go to a coed school so you can meet boys, and think if you don't meet them now, it'll never happen. So here?s a dope slap from the future for you. You are not going to college to get married. You?re going to get an education that will be the foundation for the rest of your life. You didn?t work so hard to get into college just to meet the one. You worked hard so that you could get into a college where you could be academically challenged and study what interests you. You?ll find that at Smith. So wake up and get ready for the time of your life. Also, there are three coed schools a free bus ride away. You?ll be okay.

It can be really easy to lose track of the reason why you are in college, why you're studying so hard for a test on a subject that you won't need for your career, when instead you could be partying or watching a movie with friends. And now that you are an adult, it truly is your decision, your parents will never know if you stay up all night, and you have every right to do so. But you have to remember that you are going to college (and paying all four limbs for it) for solely your benefit. You need to decide what you want to get out of college, and keep your eyes trained on that goal. You have to study, write and read more than you ever have before, in order to become aware of the world around you, and in order to begin to think and learn critically. While you're in college, you might as well get your money and time's worth.

If I could advise my high school self about college decisions, I would tell myself not to be too hasty or pressured when making my decision. I am glad I ended where I did, but I know that many of my decisions were based on the prestige a school's name had attached to it, rather than the actual worth of the school, or even my own interest in the school. Not knowing what you want to major in or even where you want to go to school is completely normal. However, choosing a school based on what you believe others want you to do or become is all too normal as well, and you must try to push aside those thoughts when making your final decision. After all, spending four years or more at a school you can't stand is a waste of your time, your money, and your life. Choose a school you love or like, not the one your parents or teachers or society love or like, and everything will work out in the end.

Shirrell, seeing how your life has turned out at age 40, it would be wise to stop chasing after Greg and focus on your school work. The two of you thought that you would get married and have kids, but that's not how it turns out. You have kids with a "dead-beat" dad, your kids are great but you raise them alone. Both you and your children deserve better. So stay focused, graduate and go off to a prestigious black college to experience living on campus. College life is definitely about school and doing well but you meet so many new people that later in life you can network with. The parties are so much fun, although I went to a community college, I loved the University parties I attended. I know you don't want to go to college right away but you are young and sometimes we need that push from an adult who is wiser and experienced in life. Trust me, things will work out better this way and you will not have to juggle going to school full time and working while raising kids. Now go break up with Greg!

I would tell myself to definately consider attending school as soon after graduation as possible. Being a 29 year old student, i found it to be much easier being a student as a younger man in all aspects of the learning process. My memory retention was much more effective and i have forgotten many of the skills needed for effective studying. I have had to apply much more time and effort as an older student in order to achieve the same results as a younger student. I know it seems as if it may add too much time to an already drug out process, but in the scope of life i have wasted much more time waiting to attend college. I have wasted time doing something that i have other than enjoyed only to find myself returning back to a learning situation to do what i could have done some 11 years ago and engaging in a profession that holds my interest and potential happiness. And for what, money? Hardly worth it. So I beg you to stop, think and take the little extra time needed to achieve what you will now and not later.