One
Foot Already in College
 By the time he claims his first desk seat in a classroom
at Dartmouth College in the fall, Rob Contuzzi will be well
familiarized with college surroundings.
Contuzzi, who graduated from Northampton High School (NHS)
on May 31, has already logged many hours in Smith College
classrooms. He studied Introduction to Macro-Economics at
Smith last fall, and recently finished the course The American
Presidency, taught by Marc Lendler, associate professor of
government.
Contuzzi’s schoolmate, junior Elise Shulman-Reed,
is considering studying women’s history when she heads
off to college next year after taking Women in U.S. History
with Jennifer Guglielmo, assistant professor of history at
Smith, this spring. Shulman-Reed plans to take more Smith
courses next year.
Contuzzi and Shulman-Reed
are two among 50 NHS students who opted to enroll in Smith
courses this spring through a program in which qualifying
juniors and seniors from NHS and from Smith Academy in
Hatfield are invited to take courses here at no cost. A
total of 89 NHS students have taken part in the program
this year, enrolling in 110 Smith courses, according to
Julie Kurose, the high school’s guidance
office secretary, who administers the high school’s
participation.
The program, which is coordinated by the Office of the Dean
of the College, has been available to local students for
more than 20 years, said Tom Riddell, acting Dean of the
College. In the past five years, more than 480 students have
taken Smith courses.
“Smith College is pleased to be able to offer this
benefit to local high school students who qualify,” said
Riddell. “This program is part of a strong relationship
we have with the local public schools and the city.”
Students participating in the program must have at least
a 3.4 grade point average and can only take courses not offered
in the high school curriculum, said Kurose. Language and
math courses are among the most popular, she said.
“Kids who participate in this program tend to do well
academically,” said Kurose. “For the students,
we think it will provide a benefit when applying to colleges.
Admissions departments see this as a plus; it shows the students
are capable of college work.”
For Shulman-Reed, the Smith experience provided a glimpse
of what to expect as a full-time college student.
“I thought I’d get a chance to see what college
is like, and I did,” she said recently during a break
from studies at NHS. “It’s a different dynamic
than high school classes. It’s a lot of reading and
discussion, not so many tests. It shows you what college
is like.”
Shulman-Reed recently
finished her Smith course with a final paper on the topic “Transgressive Cultural Formations” and
how they have shaped women’s history. She so enjoyed
the class that she hopes to study women’s history in
college.
“I loved that class,” she said. “Going
in, I didn’t really know what to expect. But she’s
a great teacher, I loved the way she directed the class.”
For Contuzzi, who is the son of Giovanna Bellesia, professor
of Italian language and literature at Smith, the Smith experience
helped him anticipate what will be expected of him as he
enters Dartmouth.
“It taught me that much of the learning in college
you do on your own,” he said. “Learning happens
more after class time, not as much during class, as it does
in high school. Class work is your own responsibility.”
For Contuzzi and Shulman-Reed,
taking classes at Smith made sense in their academic progression. “They offer topics
that are interesting,” said Contuzzi of the Smith curricula, “topics
that you can’t take in high school.”
Also, they note, it’s
a logical next step to take college courses after completing
the selection of advanced placement options at their school.
For Shulman-Reed, whose
mother, Laura Reed, is a professor of political science
at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the academics
were enhanced by the camaraderie she felt among other young
women in her Smith classes. “I
made three friends with Smithies in class,” she said.
Both NHS students feel
fortunate to have the experience of taking college courses. “I think it’s great
that Smith gives us the opportunity to do this,” said
Contuzzi. “It’ll make a big difference when we’re
in college.”
|
