Contrasting Class Issues In Two Universities

10 Pages 2464 Words

luence, competition, independence, opportunity, luxury, leadership, honor, and alliance. These are all things that taken together, create and perpetuate a situation where someone is placed at an advantage over another both economically and socially. The more apparent and insistent these factors are in an educational institution, the more prepared a student is for future success in the world. While walking around the Smith Campus, there were extensive examples of what I had expected to see.
Smith College is located in the center of Northampton. Surrounded by the colorful happenings in town, the school has a location that offers much to do, from shopping, to great food. Once inside the gates of Smith, a much more serene feel takes hold, and you become elevated to the sense of community and scholarship that seems to permeate the atmosphere. The campus itself is beautiful, especially with the fall foliage. The overall feeling is that you are constantly surrounded by something, whether it is a building, pond, or tree; everything seems circular and close knit.
The first place I drove up to was the Neilson Library, where I parked my car. Parking is so much better at Smith, nice and close to the buildings, no crazy mile long walks from the yellow lot. There are four libraries on campus, all very accessible with new computers and the latest media resources. Technology all over campus is state-of-the-art, especially in the science center. Smith prides itself I having some of the best equipment available, giving its students access to the most recent and accurate tools and information.
The exterior of the buildings did not differ much from some of the older structures at UMass. With the exception of a few renovated areas, (not to mention an in-progress $35 million fine art center renovation) the architecture looks relatively aged, giving the place a sense of history. What really took my breath away was the nature surrounding the houses....