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- So, What's It Like to Be a Rookie?
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- First-years tell it like it was
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- Related Articles:
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- Smart Studying for First-Years
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- The Seasoned Volunteers
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- When an April snowstorm canceled their morning class,
Erin (top) and Becca built a snow fort outside their house.
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- Becca Whitin's story
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- It was late August 1996, and I was sitting down for my first meal as
a first-year at Smith with a room full of people I didn't know. I remember
wondering what they were going to do with all of the china and silverware
once the parents left: when were they going to bring out the aluminum forks
and plastic plates like at other colleges? Somehow, it didn't seem right
that we were eating with such expensive utensils. As I glanced around,
though, no one else seemed to give them a second thought. At that moment,
I feared that I wouldn't fit in with Smith women. I also wondered if I
was going into debt to pay for china, an investment I didn't necessarily
expect or want. What exactly were my parents paying for?
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Working with the Five College Habitat for Humanity gave
Becca Whitin (front row, center) a change of scenery and a way to meet
other college students in the area.
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- During my first weeks of school, however, I realized there is a lot
more to Smith than fancy eating utensils. I met women with incredibly diverse
talents, backgrounds, interests and personalities, all benefiting from
one another's differences. Finding a place to fit in didn't pose any sort
of challenge. Furthermore, I found that the women take full advantage of
the amazing resources available to them. They excel in everything from
Ultimate Frisbee to macroeconomics. As I began to make friends and discover
all Smith has to offer, I too found and established my place at Smith.
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- Although I came with several misconceptions about Smith, I also discovered
I was right about a lot of things I expected to find, such as the excellent
professors, talented and bright students, the respect and responsibility
given to students, and the beautiful campus. I also expected Smith would
be a place where I would change and grow in my first year; what I didn't
know was how much.
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Roommates Erin (back row, center) and Becca (front right)
pose with daffodils and housemates who gathered in their Northrop room
one night last spring.
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Looking back, one of my favorite memories is of life in my house and what
happened on my birthday. Our head cook, Bess, knew I loved apple crisp
because I came into the kitchen and told her so every time we had it. When
she found out my birthday was approaching, Bess promised to make me my
favorite dessert on March 10--and did, even though it wasn't on the menu.
That kind of personal touch made the house a home.
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- Another favorite memory from life in Northrop House centers around
Rally Day. Sandie Drury, our house president, asked me to design our banner
for the contest between the houses. After I sketched out a few ideas, three
of my friends and I went down to the basement with a stereo. Soon we were
cutting and gluing felt, mixing paint, and gathering other odds and ends
to decorate cloth. We joked around, listened to music, and worked side
by side. Before we knew it, it was dinner time and the four of us emerged
from the basement bursting with excitement about our creation. The next
day we hauled it over to John M. Greene Hall and hung it to be judged with
the others. When we went to the rally that afternoon, we saw a blue ribbon
on our banner-meaning that we had won $125 for the house coffers. It boosted
house spirit and gave us all a sense of pride.
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- My most significant academic memory is of writing my second-semester
art history paper. I chose to write on George Inness' "New Jersey
Landscape." I went into the museum with clipboard and pencil, sat
in front of the painting with a list of questions, and began writing. An
hour and a half later, I had six pages of notes and felt an incredible
connection to and respect for the painting. As Caroline Houser, my section
leader, told our class, once you write a paper on a piece of artwork and
really get to know it, it's yours. I left the museum feeling as if that
landscape was part of me.
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- When asked about social life at Smith, I sometimes blabber on about
different parties I've attended. But I also have wonderful memories of
lounging on the floor of my hallway just talking and laughing with friends.
During first-semester finals, my friend Michelle and I took a study break
and went ice skating at UMass. In March, I waited in line for five hours
in the freezing cold to get front-row seats at the Indigo Girls concert
at Mount Holyoke (well worth the wait). I attended plays, concerts, lectures
and art shows. I even saw an opera. However, sometimes I had the most fun
eating leftover Chinese food, listening to Ani DiFranco and talking with
friends until 2 a.m.
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- I also got involved with Habitat for Humanity, building houses for
low-income families. It's a nice change of scenery and a good way to meet
people from other schools in a non-party environment.
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- All of these activities have shaped and changed me. I know I am different
now from the 18-year-old who started college one year ago. I've learned
that life at Smith is about balance, finding activities that I love and
blending them to create my own place. The opportunities are there; it's
up to me to take advantage of them. As my parents told me last September,
"We're not paying for the china plates, we're paying for the experience."
So that's what I plan to do: whether I'm at a party or in my house living
room, by myself or with hundreds of other students, examining a painting
or relaxing by Paradise Pond, I'll experience Smith to the fullest.
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- Erin Ostrander's story
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- After visiting Smith in the spring of my senior year of high school,
I received a phone call from Becca Whitin, a prospective student from South
Carolina whom I'd met while visiting. She asked if I'd like to be her roommate
and I agreed, never suspecting that I'd be subjected to repeated playings
of James Taylor's "Caroline in My Mind" and the Indigo Girls.
That summer, after talking through the roommate questionnaire form, we
communicated by letters and e-mail, sharing information about our backgrounds,
our interests, and our goals. When Becca and I saw each other at central
check-in that September, it felt like seeing an old friend.
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- Though Becca and I both live in Northrop singles this year, I remember
our time as roommates fondly. I feel that our ability to get along and
talk through concerns, whether roommate-related or not, helped shape my
experiences for the entire year. We enjoyed our late-night discussions
about high school friends and memories, and we supported each other in
being far from home. I happily shared my computer with her for e-mail and
printing purposes, and she took her phone into the hall for late-night
conversations. Probably what I will remember most is our one shared class--Discovering
Mathematics--and my attempts, including the use of my hiking boots, to
wake her up for it.
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- Partly because I attended an all-girls' high school, my adjustment
to Smith was very smooth. However, I also feel that the Smith residential
system played a big part in helping me feel at home. From the first moment
I entered my house and was enthusiastically greeted by the HONS, I felt
there were always people I could turn to if I needed help or just wanted
to know how to get to Wright Auditorium. Most of the almost 20 first-years
in my house bonded quickly, and I recall a group of us heading to Bart's
Homemade Ice Cream to pick up our free mugs one night during orientation.
I was amazed at how comfortable we felt with each other, and at how it
seemed we'd known each other for much more than a few days. Another key
factor in feeling settled was receiving an invitation to stay with a friend
over Thanksgiving-my parents were glad I found someone to "adopt"
me!
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- Classes began, and with them came work. I took intro biology and quickly
learned that studying earned me a far better grade than not studying. But
I knew that I wanted college to be more than four years holed up in the
library. Taking time to play became important to me, as I learned that
a balance between work and fun is necessary for sanity. Swinging on the
swings at the Campus School, laughing over popcorn and hot chocolate, coloring
with new Crayola crayons while groaning over cheesy '80s love songs, dancing
on the dining room tables to Prince songs on Valentine's Day, celebrating
birthdays at Fresh Pasta, building a snow fort with Becca when Discovering
Math was canceled, procrastinating in the hallway and talking to everyone
who walked by, cramming 10 people in a closet to have an unregistered party-those
times are what my first-year memories are made of.
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- Outside of Smith, I committed to assisting a troop of fourth- and fifth-grade
Girl Scouts. My involvement in the troop meant that I got away from campus
at least once a week and that I realized people really could live in Northampton
and not be connected to Smith.
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- At the end of my first year, I returned home for the summer in time
to attend my high school's graduation ceremonies. I realized how much my
life had changed in just one short year, especially when the graduating
seniors asked for advice. I told them to find a balance between having
fun and working hard; to be spontaneous, because that is when you have
the most fun; to get involved in something, whether on campus or in the
community; and to realize that everyone around you is going through basically
the same transition. But most of all, relish every moment. Time passes
much too fast.
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