2008 Woodie Awards
Program Takes Students Back to High School
Regina Chien
Issue date: 10/6/05 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
A visit to high school may bring back unwelcome recollections, but over 100 Smithies returned to high school last year during their breaks to promote Smith College through the Take Smith Home program. The program has been around for more than 10 years and has successfully recruited Smithies of all grade levels to become ambassadors to their high school. Participants in the Take Smith Home program usually return to their high schools during Fall, Thanksgiving, or Winter breaks.
The program is particularly important because Smith's admissions officers cannot possibly visit all the high schools they want in the Fall months before applications are due. Student ambassadors take some of the pressure off admissions officers, and high schools have welcomed former students who return to promote Smith. Molly Reynolds '06, who is also the admissions office intern in charge of the program, said, "High school students value the perspective of current college students pretty highly." She mentioned that a student returning to her former high school will often relate well to a high school student's concerns about academic rigor or the adjustment of living on the East Coast.
Not only do traditional students participate in the program, but Ada Comstock Scholars, led by Ada admissions office intern Dee Patters 'AC, participate as well. Last year, around 15 Adas returned to their community colleges to promote Smith. The only restriction to the Take Smith Home program is that students are not allowed to recruit at other four-year colleges.
The admissions office starts promoting Take Smith Home early in the semester so that students returning home for the Fall or Thanksgiving breaks can still reach high school seniors before applications are due. However, most students return to their high schools in January and reach juniors who can apply next year. Annamarie Harmon '08 presented Take Smith Home to her local public high school in Atlanta, Georgia during J-term last year. Although she agreed to present to an AP US History class, "I walked into the room and there were only five girls out of thirty students," she recalled. Nevertheless, AnnaMarie believes that many of the students would enjoy a small liberal arts college. She hopes that her involvement with Take Smith Home will be a stepping stone for promoting Smith on a wider scale in her area.
Smithies interested in educating and recruiting at their former high schools can easily participate in the program. The admissions office will have all the materials you need before the next break.
The program is particularly important because Smith's admissions officers cannot possibly visit all the high schools they want in the Fall months before applications are due. Student ambassadors take some of the pressure off admissions officers, and high schools have welcomed former students who return to promote Smith. Molly Reynolds '06, who is also the admissions office intern in charge of the program, said, "High school students value the perspective of current college students pretty highly." She mentioned that a student returning to her former high school will often relate well to a high school student's concerns about academic rigor or the adjustment of living on the East Coast.
Not only do traditional students participate in the program, but Ada Comstock Scholars, led by Ada admissions office intern Dee Patters 'AC, participate as well. Last year, around 15 Adas returned to their community colleges to promote Smith. The only restriction to the Take Smith Home program is that students are not allowed to recruit at other four-year colleges.
The admissions office starts promoting Take Smith Home early in the semester so that students returning home for the Fall or Thanksgiving breaks can still reach high school seniors before applications are due. However, most students return to their high schools in January and reach juniors who can apply next year. Annamarie Harmon '08 presented Take Smith Home to her local public high school in Atlanta, Georgia during J-term last year. Although she agreed to present to an AP US History class, "I walked into the room and there were only five girls out of thirty students," she recalled. Nevertheless, AnnaMarie believes that many of the students would enjoy a small liberal arts college. She hopes that her involvement with Take Smith Home will be a stepping stone for promoting Smith on a wider scale in her area.
Smithies interested in educating and recruiting at their former high schools can easily participate in the program. The admissions office will have all the materials you need before the next break.