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............................   The Socially Active Class By Eric Sean Weld   There have been 124 Smith graduating classes before them. More than 60,000 Smith graduates have accepted their diplomas before this arriving class of 2003 has even entered a classroom. But now these entering first-years, with the determination and skills that got them into Smith in the first place, are here and taking their own shots at becoming accomplished alumnae.   "This class promises to hit the ground running," says Debra Shaver, senior associate director of admission, "because they are bright and interesting and involved both in the classroom and in the community."   This fall's first-years, says Shaver, represent a modern trend for incoming Smith students to volunteer and participate during their high school years in varied activities beyond their academic classes. "So many of them come to Smith having made a difference in their communities," she says. "They are bringing a wealth of experience with them from outside the classroom. They are both very smart and very involved."   Lauren Hall, of South Nyack, New York, proves Shaver's point. She studied in France during high school and traveled to Kenya with a volunteer agricultural program. She has also been active in Amnesty International and Students Opposing Starvation and has pitched in at the Rockland (New York) Family Shelter for Women while volunteering to assist with "Back Door," a series of teen music events meant to encourage a drug-free community.   "I think it's important for people to be exposed to all sorts of other people and ideas," says Hall. "It's important to help others live a better life and to help everybody interact."   Hall, who is studying visual arts and philosophy, says she opted to come here because she was impressed with the academic environment at Smith and within the Five College area.   Megan Jamieson, of Randolph, Vermont, says she participated in many activities outside of class as a way to meet an array of different people. "One of the most important lessons you can learn is in working with other people," she says. "Any time you can give yourself lessons in that, you should. There's so much more than school when it comes to learning."   Jamieson, who has acted with her community theater and sung in various town choirs, is not yet sure what she will major in at Smith. "But I know it will definitely involve writing, definitely languages and definitely people," she says.   After she graduates from Smith in 2003 with a degree in government, Carolyn Hsu, of Hillsborough, California, plans to study law and "fight for the social causes that I believe in," including equal rights for women, reproductive rights and the eradication of racism. She believes Smith is a good place to advocate for her causes. "I chose Smith because of the visible level of community awareness about social issues and because of the competitiveness of Smith academics," she says.   Hsu, who completed an internship in Washington with the National Organization for Women, co-founded the Women's Empowerment Club in her high school and worked with Planned Parenthood in California. The class of 2003 numbers about 670 students accepted from among almost 3,000 applicants. Of the pool of applicants, Smith admitted 1,681, or 56 percent.   Shaver says a student's academic performance, a combination of her grades and high school curriculum, is what admissions personnel examine first. Also important are a student's extracurricular involvement, her personal essay and college testing, and what her teachers and counselors say about her. "Although all the components are important, the most important remains the transcript," says Shaver. "We are looking for bright, interesting women."   Joemy Gates, of Berkeley, California, says that's one of the reasons she came to Smith. "Smith produces a lot of dynamic women and I look forward to being part of that atmosphere," she says. Gates, who studies psychology and music, hopes to work with children in need after her Smith tenure, possibly as a social worker.   One aspect of coming to Smith that the new first-years say they've looked most forward to is meeting new people. "I look forward to meeting new people of all types," said Hsu last August from California, "from different ethnicities, backgrounds, sexualities, ideas, ideals, beliefs, socio-economic classes, et cetera."   She's come to the right place.

When Being a Wordsmith Makes a Difference To understand the talent of the young women who've earned a spot in Smith's class of 2003, don't just look at their GPAs and SAT scores. Take a look at the application essays they've written. They're well worth the read. Penned by young women in high school, these personal essays often tell surprisingly poignant stories or reveal unusual insights culled from common experiences. One writer imagined the journey her grandmother took as an eight-year-old girl emigrating from Russia. An- other described a summer of political activism in Washington, D.C. Each Smith applicant is required to write an essay on one of several assigned topics; she may discuss some issue of personal, local or national concern and its importance to her or she may identify a person who has had a significant influence on her and describe that influence. Nearly every applicant understands that when it comes to getting into Smith College, her words can seal the deal. Nanci Tessier, former Smith director of admission, says, "The essay is a critically important piece of the application review process." The essay gives admission officers a way to evaluate several elements of an applicant's communication skills and see if her writing is mechanically sound, her writing style comfortable, and her arguments logically established. "All of these points are important for a student to be successful at a liberal arts college," Tessier says. Admission officers also hope that an essay will tell them more about the candidate as a person-her history, attitudes, interests, values and goals. These traits, Tessier notes, are important to consider but aren't readily revealed in high school transcripts, test scores or letters of recommendation. "Essays on nearly any topic can reveal something about a student's values, sense of humor, interests, accomplishments or goals," notes Sally Rubenstone '73, co-author of College Admissions: A Crash Course for Panicked Parents, and a long-time admission counselor at Smith. What a student writes about is up to her. Rubenstone says three of the best essays she's ever read "were on subjects as seemingly pedestrian as shopping at Wal-Mart, playing in a horrendous school band and ruining a roommate's lingerie in a laundry mishap." "When a student is a good writer," she adds, "the topic of a piece is clearly less important than its style and the insight into its author that it conveys." We asked the admission office for a few samples of some of the best essays from this year's crop of incoming first-years. What follows are excerpts from three of them. ............................ Alexis Bateman Omaha, Nebraska When I was eight my parents signed me up to take art lessons. I am not just being modest when I say that I have no artistic skill. If this application had to include a sample of my artwork, you would marvel at the fact that I had ever taken an art class or that my art teacher turned out to be a significant influence on my life. My teacher had thick gray hair that came down to her waist. She had an amazon presence to her as she towered over me inspecting my drawing. She wore long bohemian skirts and woolen sweaters. Over her shoulder was a blue gingham purse. Out of her purse she took her sketch pad, her pencils and a gray gummy eraser. I was astounded the first time she removed these items because her bag appeared to be empty afterwards. Upon further investigation, I discovered that it was empty. Unlike my mother's handbag, hers contained no makeup, wallet, or checkbook. She was so different from any person with whom I had ever come in contact. I come from a conservative, upper-middle-class neighborhood in the state of Nebraska, the stronghold of the religious right and old-fashioned American family values. She talked to me like no adult ever had before. She was the first person I heard use the word breast, in a sentence, without embarrassment, and not in conjunction with cancer. My parents had always called them boobies when they were forced to discuss the female mammary glands. She talked about her dogs and how she lived with them in an abandoned yellow school bus down by a creek. I was so shocked upon hearing that she was homeless that I offered to let her move in and sleep on the bottom bunk of my bed. She declined my offer saying that she liked living in her bus more than she liked living in her old house. That someone would want to live in poverty was something which my upbringing had not prepared me to encounter. Perhaps the most meaningful influence she had on me was her faith in my own individuality. Whenever I would ask her what I should draw she would say "Draw what's on your mind. Express you." Coming from such a homogenous neighborhood, it was nice to be told that I did have something uniquely me. I guess, to this day, I am still trying to express that uniqueness. ............................ Carolyn Hsu Hillsborough, California It was a suffocating 100 degrees. Along with the rest of the protesters, I repeatedly shouted a slogan ("Ho ho, hey hey, equal rights are here to stay! Hey hey, ho ho, discrimination's got to go!") marching back and forth in front of the Longworth House office building on Capitol Hill. There was an unspoken agreement among the protesters: no one was leaving. Determined, I expressed frustration toward an unfair society. Born into a traditional Chinese family, I was taught that wealth was the path toward success and happiness; thus, my family had difficulty understanding my decision to apply for an unpaid internship at the National Organization for Women (NOW). Even when I got the position, after writing many essays and undergoing an intense interview, my parents were still uncomfortable with my spending the summer on the other side of the country. With their reluctant support, I headed off to our nation's capital the summer of 1998 for one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. In Washington, D.C., I experienced a passionate and fast-paced environment. Lobbying my Congressperson, listening to prominent politicians, and observing Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, I was exposed to the inner workings of a new world. The endless opportunities to see how a government functioned greatly broadened my intellectual curiosity. During the second week of my internship, I helped NOW hold its celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls convention. Shaking hands and conversing with the eminently successful women at the conference left me star-struck. I am proud of my work at NOW and inspired by the people I met. During that summer, I played a vital role in organizing a protest against the Hefley Amendment, which would have reversed Clinton's order to ban discrimination against homosexuals in the federal workplace. Coordinating such an event was challenging. I had to obtain proper permits to hold a gathering on federal grounds and publicize the protest to the national and local media, the members of Congress, and every major activist group in D.C. All my hard work proved to be worthwhile when our catchy chants struck down the bill in the House. Now, I have brought my newfound knowledge of organizing grassroots activism to my community. I also worked to build student involvement on the Democratic Party Campaign ... and... I am directly working to organize the first Bay Area Young Feminist Conference for the spring of 1999. With this conference I hope to inspire young women to become involved in their communities. By working within the government, I have realized I want to fight for a society where everyone is equal. Now, my parents are more understanding of my ideals; with their blessing, I am energized to continue attaining my goals. I still feel the intense commitment that I felt on that day I stood on Capitol Hill shouting to end discrimination. Through my experiences-from working in D.C. to helping in my community-I have matured into a socially aware citizen. ............................ Clara Lewis Newtonville, Massachusetts What my ancestors left [Russia], what they passed along the way on their journey to America in the 1910s, has faded from what must have been an intense topic of family discussion into too many details to remember or share. Now nothing is left to say except, "We left from Odessa and landed in New York." All my grandmother's stories start here. Speaking in English unmarked by the grace of an accent, she has recounted to me the difficulties and joys of starting her new life. But the journey from Odessa to New York that was never recounted to me has, ironically, had the greatest effect on my life. The ocean is a million pieces of broken glass in the morning's heatless sun. My grandmother, only eight years old, pulls her shawl around her bony shoulders and presses her cold face into her sister's warm chest. They wait for what feels like an eternity. Her impatience is curbed only by her parents' tense faces. Other people wait with them. As the sun gathers warmth, more people arrive with small bags or nothing in their hands. The people with nothing are allowed on the vessel first. They file on silently and are packed into the belly of the ship. My great grandfather leans down and pulls my grandmother close, saying, "Don't worry, Mare, our trip has been paid for by your uncle. We won't be crowded in the bottom. We are lucky." With the untold journey my family took two generations ago come two truths: I am Russian on both sides of my family, yet I know nothing about Russia. My family has shared with me love, good humor, and strength. But, by not sharing their past lives, they have left me with somewhat of a blank slate. How is it that I can be genetically a Jew and not feel a sense of personal loss in relation to the Holocaust? How can I be Russian and not feel remorse for the country's endless suffering? Why don't I know how to spell what should have been my last name? Walking through her apartment in Odessa for the last time, Mare thought that, despite her parents' assurances to the contrary, they must only have been leaving for a short time. All the dishes were left on the shelves in the kitchen, the rugs on the floor and the toys in her room. The papers had come in the mail yesterday, and today her parents had pulled two bags from the back of their closet and were ready to leave. She turned and saw her favorite library book resting by the window. The dull afternoon light rested on its leather cover like schmaltz on a slice of thick brown bread. Joining her family on the busy street, she realized that the book would never be returned and wondered how a trip could be more important than her responsibilities. My grandmother's apartment is filled with treasures brought back from many wonderful adventures. She has something from everywhere except Russia. On the two occasions she has attempted to return, her health and conditions in Russia conspired to make the trips impossible. She says, "Fate doesn't want me to make the long trip at this age." But I sense it may be a subliminal desire to leave old memories where they belong: in the past. Perhaps one day I will swim in the buoyant waters of the Black Sea and understand the landscape that created my family, or maybe I will be satisfied telling people I am American.

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