Wednesday, June 30, 2010

We just received the info on the linen program today. The price seems very good. We wondered about the quality of the products. Do most students use the program? Thanks.

To tell you the truth, I had to look up the linen program when I read this question, because I had never heard of it. As far as I know, nobody I knew used the program, but I'm not sure how new it is. So, unfortunately I can't comment on the quality of any of the products. I will say though, that if it's something that will make your transition easier then go for it, but just know that it's easy to find inexpensive bedding all over.

My suggestion would be to hit up Bed, Bath, and Beyond and get a "bed in a bag" which comes with sheets, a comforter, and pillow cases (maybe a pillow but I'm not sure). Then grab some pillows, an extra set of sheets (always good to have 2 sets), and some egg crate padding (or a memory foam pad, I got mine at J.C. Pennys for under $100). You should be all set after that.

Hope this helps :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I loved following your blog while you were abroad! what was it like to go to italy with so few people from smc? (I'm going to be a sophomore and I still creep your blog hahaha)

So many props for the blog lately, I love it!

It really wasn't bad going abroad without a ton of SMC people. The point of the experience is to make new friends and break out of your comfort zone, and that's what I did. My 3 SMC friends in the program lived in different apartments, so we saw each other in class, walking the streets, and out at dinners and parties.

I became so close with my roommates and two other friends that they were like my SMC family away from home. We did all of our traveling together, ate meals together, and explored the city together. It's a lot nicer to come back with a close bunch of new friends than to only have the people you went over with. Of course I missed my people back here, but it was a lovely reunion when I returned.

:]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Hi Christine!! While I'm so excited to go to SMC this fall, I'm a little nervous about move in day. Could you tell me a little bit on how it works? Thank you!!

When you get there in the morning for move in, I can guarantee you that you won't be nervous anymore. As you pull in, there's going to be a ton of students running around, waving signs, yelling, and blowing whistles. You'll get an orientation packet and then it'll be off to the quad to start unpacking all of your stuff.

BUT you won't have to do much unpacking on your own, because there will be even more students there running around and pulling things out of cars to move everyone in (leave the fridge for a strapping young man to carry). You'll get some time to settle in and unpack and then you'll have a fun filled weekend to meet new friends and get used to SMC before everyone else moves in. PLUS, I'll be there! Haha but in all seriousness, no need to be nervous, you're going to have a great time!

Let me know if there's anything else :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Christine, could you tell some of the different food station offered in Alliot? I'm a bit of a picky eater. Thank you and your blog is awesome :)

Always love to hear the blog has supporters! Now about Alliot (one of my favorite places on campus for a variety of reasons)

For breakfast you can get cereal, made to order eggs, a bagel, toast, muffin, fruit, all that good stuff.

For lunch we've got a salad station with a different salad every day, and that's also at dinner too. There is a deli station that has every type of deli meat and cheese plus lettuce, tomato, chips, pasta salad, etc. At lunch there is also a wrap station serving a different wrap every day. Next we have two entres, one of which is always vegetarian. The grill serves grilled cheese, burgers, and fries every day, and also has a special every day like a bacon burger or a philly cheese steak. The pizza station also has plain and pepperoni pizza every day and some kind of special pizza as well (pizza bagels and calzones are most popular, and they also have French onion soup and gravy fries sometimes). Last but not least we have the chef's corner, where the meal of the day is made however you want it (which means with or without sauce, veggies, etc).

At dinner time, the deli station changes to a vegan entre, and the wrap station becomes a pasta station, which normally has 2 or 3 different sauces and sometimes extras like chicken or eggplant parm.

For both lunch and dinner you can also always get cereal, one of two daily soups, another selection of salad bar items, and of course peanut butter and jelly. There's also a whole table of desserts every day, as well as fruits.

The best meal at Alliot, however, is definitely brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings/afternoons. We have a waffle maker, home fries, sausage/bacon, and pancakes/french toast.

Alliot will also frequently have guest chefs come in and make a special dish or dessert (bananas foster is my favorite) or have theme nights like western theme or italy theme, to name a few.

Long story short, even the pickiest of eaters (my friend Matt only eats things that are white colored or super plain for the most part) can find something every day. Sometimes it takes a little creativity, but I'm pretty confident that you'll be able to find a good bunch of things you really enjoy and do fine in Alliot.

Hope this helps :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

I know you already answered a question about the mac / pc deal but I havent actually purchased mine yet so do you think i sould stray away from the mac computers and get a pc??

I'm going to say get whatever you want. If you're really interested in getting a mac, go for it (some days I wish I had one), but if you're comfortable with a PC and want to stick with it, then do that.

As far as I've heard, macs don't have any trouble at SMC, as long as you get Microsoft office on it so you can use word/powerpoint/etc. Don't be swayed by the deal with HP either, if you do decide on a PC but you don't want HP, that's ok too. I sometimes find myself wishing that I got a different computer than I did, do just get whatever you want!

What do you want to know about SMC?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Hey! I'm wondering about how much per semester is the average amount students spend on books? I know it varies but a general estimate would be really useful, thanks!

So you're right, it does vary A LOT depending on how many classes you take, where you buy your books, and what kind of classes you take. I'd say to be safe you should be prepared to spend between $300 and $500 but again it really does depend on a lot.

If you buy your books used from places like amazon they will much cheeper than if you buy them new from the book store. If you're taking english classes where you need a few small paperbacks at $15 each, you'll pay less than you would if you were taking bio and chem which each have a text book around $150. But I'd say a max amount would be $500 (I paid that once) but it could be as low as $200 or $300.

What do you want to know about SMC?

Christine, I've heard that there is a parents/ family day for freshman parents. Could you tell me a little more about it and when it usually happens? Thanks so much!

New student family day is Saturday September 18th this year, so parents are welcome for the whole weekend.

Since it's still nice weather, it should be a great opportunity to go downtown for some food and to hang out, and there will most definitely be things going on here on campus as well. I'm not sure just what there will be, but my guess is a rugby or soccer game at least, and probably some a'capella music too.

There's also another family weekend in the spring semester for all families, and that usually has more music and sports as well as honors society inductions and research presentations.

Hope this helps! :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

would you suggest buying a printer and bringing it to school, or is there enough printing facilities on campus?

It really depends on what type of person you are. I'm the type to print out a lot of stuff all the time, and I want a printer in my room so I can have my readings for class, study guides, and finished papers all printed before classes.

However, if you don't want the hassle, a majority of students don't have printers here anymore. Printing on campus is free, and as long as you don't need anything in color, you'll be all set using the printers in the library or academic building computer labs. And we have print services on campus if you needed to print a color presentation or anything else in color.

What do you want to know about SMC?

If you didn't get into the WOW or POW that you wanted, do you have to sign up for a different registration day? If so, how do you do it?

If you've found out that the POW or WOW you put as your first choice is not the one you are actually going on, the registration date you are signed up for is the one that coincides with the POW or WOW you are actually going on (registering for the program includes a registration day).

If you're still nervous and want to double check, give a call to Megan Ohler at 802 654 2248 and ask her.

What do you want to know about SMC?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Calculus Readiness Test

Hey everyone!

Interested in math/calculus? Read on for important information!

If you are NOT planning to take a Calculus course during your undergraduate study at Saint Michael’s, we will miss seeing you there, but you may safely skip the rest of this post.

If you ARE planning to take an introductory Calculus course at some point during your time at Saint Michael’s, you will need to take an online Calculus readiness test this summer, before you register for courses for the fall semester. The test will provide feedback to you and your advisor about your preparation for introductory Calculus.

The test will take about an hour to complete, and you should set aside enough time to finish this in one session. More information and a link to this test can be found at http://www.smcvt.edu/academics/mathematics/readiness/. Please read the information posted there, and when you are ready to take the test, follow the link.

If you have any questions about the readiness test or mathematics at Saint Michael’s, then please feel free to contact professor George Ashline or another member of the Mathematics Department.

George Ashline
802-654-2434; calculusreadiness@smcvt.edu
Chair, Department of Mathematics
Saint Michael’s College

good luck!
-Christine

What do you think seperates SMC from other colleges?

I know that every college wants to play up its students, community, activities, and location, but I really do think that the combination of those things here at SMC really set it apart.

There are amazing students here that care about each other, the college, and learning. There are well over 50 different activities to participate in and both varsity and intramural sports as well. Students here are so close, and it's not uncommon to see a senior giving a ride to a first year he met in his philosophy class, that's just how we are.

Our location in Burlington also really sets us apart from a lot of schools that may seem similar to us. We're 15 minutes from downtown, and that means just a short bus ride to all of the shopping, relaxing, and eating that we could need. Burlington has a great food/drink scene as well as spectacular cultural options from jazz music to Romeo and Juliet at the theater.

SMC is just a happy and fun place to be, and you should definitely stop by for a visit to see for yourself!

What do you want to know about SMC?

What is your favorite thing about SMC?

My favorite thing about being here at SMC is hands down the people. I'm one of those people that likes to know as many people as possible, and that's something I can try and do here, with great benefits.

Students here have friends in every grade level, someone to say hi to between classes, and never a shortage of people to sit with at lunch. It's the students that make SMC the great place that it is, and I'm happy to be one of them

What do you want to know about SMC?

whats the name and author of the freshman summer reading book?

The book is "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert. It's on a pretty controversial topic and so SMC hopes it will inspire a lot of good conversation. It'll cost about $15 for a paperback copy.

Over the summer 3 professors will post their responses to the book at http://academics.smcvt.edu/KolbertReports

More info can be found on page 13 of your New Student Guide

What do you want to know about SMC?

whats the name and author of the freshman summer reading book?

The book is "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert. It's on a pretty controversial topic and so SMC hopes it will inspire a lot of good conversation. It'll cost about $15 for a paperback copy.

Over the summer 3 professors will post their responses to the book at http://academics.smcvt.edu/KolbertReports

More info can be found on page 13 of your New Student Manuel

What do you want to know about SMC?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Why are the assistant directors of admissions so awesome?

Well I'm not sure which of our humble directors asked this question, but I will say that the people working in the admissions department really ARE awesome!

As a summer intern there right now, I'm having a great time and learning a lot. We're here to answer any questions you may have, from pre-orientation programs and orientation questions, to something as simple as "how's the food" or "what should I pack." Feel free to always contact us here, on facebook, on the blogs, or give the office a call.

What do you want to know about SMC?

If we want to play fall sports is it ok to wait until we get there to try out or should we be talking to coaches now?

I would suggest getting in contact with coaches before you get to campus. When it comes time to try out, they'll remember that you contacted them and that could work in your favor. Also, some coaches may have pre-season workouts they want athletes to try and follow, and some teams come to campus early to begin training. You can find contact information for all of our coaches at our athletic page: http://www.smcathletics.com/information/staff/index

Hope this helps and good luck :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Monday, June 14, 2010

Tons of fun on and off campus

Hey all!

So after answering a bunch of formspring questions (which I LOVE, by the way), I'm ready for a real post again. It's Monday, so of course everyone is a little sluggish and tired from the weekend, and I'm no exception. However, I thought I would pick up my mood a bit by writing about the great weekend I had here at SMC and in Burlington.

Downtown, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival was going on. It was about a week long and a majority of the artists that came to town to play could be seen at no cost. All week, friends and I would stop down for a few hours to walk around and listen to the music. The highlight of the festival had to be last Tuesday when a last minute press release announced a surprise concert by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. The band is well known and loved in Burlington and the concert had a huge turnout, right in the middle of Church Street. The best part? It was free!

Also going on downtown from May until September, a community, art, and business mix project called The Cows Come Home to Burlington. I've linked you all to a description of the event and how it works, AND here's a slide show of some of the cows you can find downtown right now. Look out for the SMC cow, right outside of city hall!



For more about what's going on downtown this summer, visit Church Street's Webpage.

Back on campus, it was Reunion Weekend for SMC alumni who graduated in years ending in 5 or 0, starting with the class of 2005 and going all the way to 1950 (and even one graduate from 1949!). One way I volunteered by giving tours to the alumni to show them what was new on campus. Most of the people on my tour were from the class of 1965 or earlier, so almost everything was new to them. It was so cool to hear stories about a time when SMC was all men and over 50% of the buildings on today's campus didn't exist.

On Saturday I woke up early to help with the 5k fun run, which had a great turnout despite the rain. I then headed over to the awards ceremony where alumni who have contributed outstandingly to SMC were recognized, and we found out that the entire group of alumni from this reunion raised about $175k for SMC. It was amazing to see how many people turned up to give and support SMC and to see their other classmates.

Saturday night was the main even: class dinners. A few friends and I volunteered to spend our night eating and chatting with the classes of 1985 and earlier, and we had a great time. In addition to a delicious free dinner (remember, college students LOVE free food) we got to chat with all of the alumni, hear stories and tell them about what we're doing, and the best part, dancing! We danced until 10:30 with everyone from the fun loving ladies from 1975 to the sweet old men from 1950. I had a really great time and I only wish that I could have been helping with reunion every year, and that more students got a chance to meet and mingle with alumni.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll get another post in by the end of the week.
-Christine

do people ever go in to burlington on weekends? like to shop or go to restaraunts?

Students go into Burlington all the time! It's a one stop deal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, shopping, music, everything! SMC students can ride the 15 minute bus downtown for free any day of the week too. Hope this helps :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Sunday, June 13, 2010

does smc have any rival schools?

I think the rivalries depends on the sport. St. A's, UVM, and Stonehill are some schools we get pretty competitive with.

What do you want to know about SMC?

do many people bring Macintosh computers to st. michael's? Because I've heard a lot about all the PC's but not if macs are supported, b/c I have one!

SMC is definitely mac friendly, so no worries! While it's true that we have a program with HP and that most students have PCs, our tech community is still able to help with a mac problem (not that there ever are any) and macs can still connect to the networks and everything else. I'd suggest getting microsoft office on your mac, but most people have that anyway. Hope this helps!

What do you want to know about SMC?

when do you find out if you got into one of the POW or WOW programs?

You should be findning out about POW and WOW very soon, because the deadline has just passed. The coordinators will figure out who can go for which weekend and you'll receive a confirmation in the mail. :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Hi Christine- I love your blog sooo much and it's really helped me choose SMC :) Could you tell me a little bit more about the activities you do at SMC, especially Founders? Thanks so much!!

Hi! I'm SO happy to hear that my blog is helping someone to choose to come to SMC :]. I do quite a bit around campus, and swim team takes up a great deal of my time. I'll be one of the women's captains for next year and I'm super excited about that.

When I'm not swimming, in class, or doing homework, Founder's takes up another good chunk of my time. I started out as a Blogger (which has now evolved into also being on facebook, twitter, knightspace, etc) and am also a full time tour guide, which means I give a tour at the same time every week. I've also been the Media and Communications coordinator for Founder's since this past Spring began, which means I oversee all of the bloggers and make sure we're answering everyone's questions.

Founder's is a great organization and there's more to be involved in than just tour guiding and blogging. We host students for day visits, participate in student pannels for academic days and open houses, and have phone-a-thons to call our accepted students and see what kind of questions they have.

Hope this helps, and if you've got more questions about specific things on campus, let me know!

What do you want to know about SMC?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

i didn't realize that the roommate form was first come first serve so i mailed it semi late... now i'm nervous i'm going to get whomever is left over.. :/

Don't worry! Only pre-orientation trips such as POW and WOW are first come first serve. The rooming forms won't be sorted through until they all come in. Once that's done, you'll get matched up as best as we can with someone who answered the questions similarly to you. SMC does a really good job matching people up with roommates. I loved my roommate freshman year and so did almost all of my friends.

Also, as an extra bit, if you do end up having trouble with your roommate, never fear! There is a 2 week housing freeze, and then you are able to change rooms if you really need to. Your RA will be able to help you through any trouble you might have, but chances are, your experience will be great!

What do you want to know about SMC?

Monday, June 7, 2010

Where is your favorite place on campus?

Alliot Hall is definitely my favorite place. It's got the bookstore, club offices, and of course the dining hall. Alliot is the best place to people watch and run your little errands. AND I love to eat, so sitting inside the dining hall with my friends and chatting, eating, and creeping on everyone. However, The Dailey Room in the library comes in a close second since it it full of photos from study abroad students and I have 2 photos up there now :]

What do you want to know about SMC?

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

It's been one week

Hey all,

So it's been a full week since I started my new job here on campus in the Admissions department. Some days (and hours) are definitely more exciting than others, but I'm really enjoying what I'm doing and am learning a lot.

Last week I gave a few tour that really picked up my spirits and made me feel like I made a difference. On one of them, the parents of a member of the incoming class of 2014 came in to get a tour of campus, which they had never seen. The father is a soldier in Iraq so I felt so honored to be able to give him a tour of the campus where his son will be. They told me that the day before, they had driven around campus on the road, and had gotten nervous that it wasn't the right place for their son. The weather was gloomy and since it's summer there's nobody on campus. However, this day was gorgeous and I was able to take them around and show them all of the great part of campus and they left feeling a lot better about SMC, so that was great!

The rest of the week was a lot of tours, book award work, and learning how to work the data entry system. Like I said, some exciting and some not, but I'm really looking forward to the rest of the summer.

This weekend was very chill. I saw some friends, went downtown on Saturday, and yesterday I went on a hike. Some friends and I hiked to the summit of Mount Abraham, which is part of the Long Trail and the 5th highest peak in Vermont. I guess I'm just preparing for my ultimate goal of hiking the highest peak, Mount Mansfield. We'll see about that, since I struggled a bit yesterday. But I do need to get back into shape.

In other news, I've finally linked my formspring account to the blog and to my twitter, so everyone can see my answers to the questions I get. So if you have a question, type it in on the box to the right and I'll get right to it!

That's all for now!
-Christine

Is the dinning hall open every day of the week, Including weekends?

YES! The dining hall is open on weekdays from 7:30 AM until 8PM and is open select hours on weekends for breakfast, BRUNCH (everyone's favorite) and dinner.

We also have 2 cafes on campus open during the day for snacks and sandwiches. The Knight Stand cafe also opens with late night food from 8pm until midnight.

What do you want to know about SMC?