dearsmithie-blog

[dearsmithie-blog]

spring in nyc...

So, New York.

(meatpacking district)

Last spring was my first time ever living in the city. Before this, I had never spent more than a few days in Manhattan. Now, having chosen to do a program at NYU, NYC was gonna be my background for everything.

After being at Smith for the past 2 1/2 years, it was definitely different to have the noise, life, and general energy of New York as my daily soundtrack. But here is a collection of some of my favorite parts of having the city as my home for a few months.

(whitney museum notes) 

- it was super cool to have the amount of art in the city available to experience. most museums had special student discounts & there are so many open galleries/exhibits all over - art is literally around every corner. i started to pick up this habit of doodling in my notebook whenever i visited any.

(chinatown during chinese new year celebrations)

- just stumbling upon random & unexpected places/events! my friend and i decided to get malaysian food near chinatown unknowingly when peak-chinese new year celebrations were happening - so, confetti was everywhere!

(walking on the highline)

- being able to explore and reroute yourself around the city in new ways. after going to the whitney one day, i decided to take an extended stroll along the highline - it was chilly, but it was a pretty day & the city was bustling.

(washington square park at night, going home)

- one of my favorite parts of the day normally became walking home. this often meant walking through washington square park after my classes at NYU finished & it’d be less crowded & slightly more quiet & the entire city would feel more grounded.

(train to brooklyn)

The city definitely was a different form of study abroad for me. It was a whole new world to experience and live within. If you’re considering going abroad, don’t limit yourself. I never thought I would wind up studying in NY during my junior year - I must’ve changed my mind on where I would go over 5 times from England to New Zealand to California. But follow where your heart’s calling and make the most of it. And open yourself to all the possible options you have all over the world. 

But after my few months in the city, I’m ready to go back to my home at Smith and get used to the lack of sirens outside my window.

x Jemara

[dearsmithie-blog]

a change of plans ...

Junior Year Abroad (JYA) at Smith is real. Around half of juniors go abroad in some form - either domestic, international, etc. And in general, there are plenty of opportunities to go abroad while here like during J-term and Summer break. For me, I had actually gone through the entire Smith procedure of going abroad - I had been accepted into a program, organized, had gotten approval from Smith, and by all means was going abroad. But following a change of heart during the Fall semester of junior year, the idea wasn’t sitting the same and I emergency decided to take a semester off to study elsewhere. And yes, you can do that! 

I knew I didn’t want to give up the opportunity to try and leave my comfort zone here and experience something new. So, I began my search into visiting student programs at other institutions in the U.S. 

I, sincerely, never thought I would go through the college application process again - but I did. I sent my application. Made the phone calls. Sent the emails. And got the approval I needed. And got ready for a semester away from Smith, and a Spring semester in New York City studying at NYU.

Study abroad, study away, whatever you want to call it is a big step for everyone. Whether it’s during the academic year, J-term, or Summer break. It is a very independent and individual process. From what my friends and I have shared from our times away from Smith this past year - from traversing oceans, to bustling cities. It is definitely an adventure. And although I didn’t go abroad in the way I originally planned; I’ve come back home with lessons I wouldn’t have learned if I hadn’t at least tried to figure out the best options for me to study away.

I’ve learned that the time we have away from Smith is time for us to test what we’ve gained while being here for the past 2-3 years, and apply them in new environments. And for us to bring back what the world has taught us in return. 

Check out any and all posts by other Smithies about their times abroad! And expect a post about my adventures in the city soon. 

x Jemara

[dearsmithie-blog]

this beautiful human wrote such good words bout her study abroad experience! read if u get a chance! x

(Photo: enjoying the views in sunny Bern)

Spring 2019 in Geneva: Semester Highlights

Last week, I finished up my JYA semester at the University of Geneva. Getting to live and study in such a different way - for the second time in my life! - was such a valuable experience, and I will look back on all aspects of my time in Switzerland fondly. Here are only a few of my highlights from a long list of memorable moments.

1. Travel

By the end of the semester, I had visited 6 new European cities: Paris, Lyon, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Budapest, and Ibiza, as well as a number of cities in Switzerland including the capital, Bern. Geneva is such an easy location to travel from, since it is situated right in the middle of Europe, and with friends from Smith based in 3 or 4 different countries, a lot of my travelling included free accommodation! I was also able to make the generous food stipend from Smith stretch to cover a lot of my travel expenses, since I lived really close to the discount grocery store and tried to limit the amount of times I ate out (although temptations for fondue or spontaneous McDo often won…).

I mentioned in this post that getting to travel was really important to me. As well as the obvious benefits of learning about different cultures and languages and histories, I’m very aware that life after college may not have as much room for last-minute weekends away, what with having a 9-5 job/paying off student loans/other boring adult obligations. I’m really glad I got to make the most of having the time and opportunity to have these adventures while I had the chance!

On a similar note, I also got to visit home pretty regularly! Living in the UK has meant that I have only been able to visit home twice a year since coming to Smith, so I made the most of being able to hop on a $20 flight home every now and again.

(Photo: seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time during a visit to a friend on the Smith in Paris Program)

2. French

I have been learning French since I was about 11 years old, yet had never visited a French-speaking country before this semester. Practicing grammar and pronunciation in the classroom while getting that immersive experience in daily life was… challenging. It was so much French, all of the time. The learning curve was steep, but it was so rewarding to see myself adapt and learn in such a short time. I’m really happy with how much my French has improved.

3. Friends

There were 21 people in this semester’s cohort of the Geneva program, so I had the opportunity to make friends with so many new Smithies as well as students from other colleges - it turns out the program is open to a lot of other schools, so I met people from places like Cornell and Tufts, too! I’m looking forward to meeting up with my new Smith pals back on campus for French conversation practice accompanied by bread and cheese - old habits die hard.

I also got along really well with the Swiss students in one of my University seminars. It was a small class of students who all knew each other really well, so it was a little intimidating at first. However, they welcomed me into their circle and we ended up having a really good time in the class.

(Photo: one of my favourite snaps of 2 new Smith pals and I)

4. Cooking

This one was a surprise! I actually really enjoyed being responsible for my own food, from grocery shopping to cooking, from meal prep to figuring out how long raw onions stay good in the refrigerator. I love being on Smith’s meal plan, since it’s so easy and convenient to get meals, but I now know that I won’t starve once I graduate!

5. A New Perspective

It’s the oldest cliche about study abroad, but I absolutely learned a lot about myself during my semester away. Being away from the States made me see my life there so differently, and made me appreciate Smith in a new, more real way: knowing what it is like to study at a large university, in a city, in big lecture classes, confirmed to me that I prefer the women’s-liberal-arts-college-in-a-quirky-college-town vibe. Before getting the opportunity to apply to American schools, studying in the European system seemed inevitable for me, and I was prepared to try and make the most of it despite knowing that it wasn’t quite right for me. Knowing that I have the school of my dreams to come back to has made me all the more grateful for the wild and wonderful life I have at Smith.

Now it’s time to gear up for summer and count down the days until I get back to my Chapin home! Tu me manqueras, Genève <3

[dearsmithie-blog]

some kind words for this upcoming application season...

Speaking as someone who wasn’t really raised with college culture, I’ve realized (in hindsight) how much I was unaware of what other students went through during the application season. But no matter where you’re at in the process, whatever environment you’ve grown up in, your exposure (or even lack thereof) to certain resources - the stress of this period is hard for everyone. You’re valid in your worry. So if you need to hear it from anybody, even a stranger like me: I believe in you. And trust me when I say, it’ll all be okay. 

Entering my senior year here at Smith, where you’re at feels a bit more distant to me now. But working in Admissions this summer, I hear how the pressure of this period hasn’t necessarily gotten any easier for students today. So, for those of you feeling the weight of this period on your shoulders right now - I hope these words can help in any way, no matter how small:

- i know it’s hard to really listen to any comforting words from those around you right now about everything going on in your head about applications/admissions. so feel free to ignore this, even though it’s true that… you’ve got this. 

- try your best to start early, like the summer is a great period to try to possibly lighten your load senior year. but, don’t forget that it’s summer! take breaks. be with friends & family! enjoy your time.

- you’ve done a lot of the hard work already. no one should ever underestimate junior year (or high school in general, tbh). so, don’t forget to give yourself some praise. you DID THAT. you’ve got one more year of high school left! HELLO SENIOR.

- make sure to communicate all your worries about the application process (housing, aid, etc.) with the resources offered to you. for example, if you’re concerned about aid at Smith - ask here on the Smith by Smithies blog or reach out to one of our amazing bloggers here!

- stop underestimating yourself. imposter syndrome is real. try to not let it overwhelm your application process if you can.

- you’ll apply, you’ll wait, you’ll get your answers. whatever anxieties or stresses you feel during this time are VALID. doing this is scary. putting yourself out there is scary. let’s not undermine our feelings or emotions! kick that poor self-care & bad self-love outta here folks.

Classes of 2020, you got this - happy summer & happy senior year! 

x Jemara

[dearsmithie-blog]

hi hi hi! nice to meet you!

I’m Jemara and I’m a current rising senior at Smith (class of 2020 say what!). I will be around the Smith area this summer working as one of the Admissions Office’s Senior Interviewers. So, expect some summer posts from me about being here when school’s out. 

(this be me, hullo)

I’m an Environmental Science & Policy major, possibly unofficial Film minor. I live in Chapin. I’ve sort of lived all over the country as of recently - but I call California home.

I love photography, music, traveling to new places, writing nonsense, and making film projects. Right now, I really like making multimedia art things and am trying to create my own zine as a personal “thesis” my senior year.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you just wanna chat in general! So nice to meet you!

x Jemara