For Accepted Students

After paying the program deposit, students and parents/guardians will receive a “welcome email” from SchoolDoc.com. SchoolDoc.com is an electronic health record system we use to consolidate and integrate student enrollment forms and health information. The security, confidentiality, and privacy of your personal health information will always be protected.

A completed SchoolDoc profile includes:

• Assumption of Risk
• Media Consent
• Rules & Regulations Contract
• Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resource
• Medical Examination form completed by a physician. (An examination is acceptable when performed no more than 18 months prior to your arrival at Smith.)
• Proof of all required vaccinations.
• TB risk assessment completed by you and your physician.
• If applicable, current and accurate prescribed medication profile.
• Accurate allergy information (if you have an EpiPen you need to list it in the medication profile).

In the Enrollment Forms email, deposited students will receive a link to this form. This form provides our office with details about the student’s intended arrival and departure plans to the program.

Admission to Smith Precollege Program does not guarantee enrollment in a specific course. Enrollment in a program course is a separate action done through the Course Selection Form. Students will receive their course selection form on May 16. Students must complete this form by May 26, and classroom placement notifications will be sent by June 6.

Students enrolled in Sustainable Futures or College Readiness do not receive a Course Selection Form.

In an Enrollment Forms email, deposited students will receive a link to our Housing Form. Housing assignments are announced two weeks before registration.

Slack is monitored from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. before your arrival. You can post messages anytime, but please be aware that staff responses may be delayed.

While you are on campus, Slack is monitored from 8 a.m. to midnight each day.

The Smith Precollege Slack is a public chat forum, operated by Smith College, where academic directors, instructors, managers, staff, and students can see your messages. All platform users must be respectful and thoughtful with what they write and share.

Precollege students should consult the handbook and FAQ channel first.

The Student Handbook is posted and pinned in the #mainchannel24 Channel. It contains a lot of information and answers to common questions.

Before posting a question, please visit our #FAQ or #mainchannel24 Channels to see if it has already been answered.

Alternatively, you can also type a few words reflecting your question in the search bar in Slack to find previous conversations.

Students are invited to Slack one week prior to their program start date. You will click the join link in your email.

Slack will ask you to verify your email address. This process takes less than a minute. (Slack will send you an email, and you'll click on a link.)

Once verified, Slack will ask you to create a username and password. 
Your username is public to everyone else in the group, please use your preferred first name and your last name.

Slack will guide you through a fast tutorial, showing you how to send a message in both a channel and a direct message to another user.
Slack Workspaces have two messaging functions—channels (notated with a “#” or a lock symbol if it’s a private channel) and direct messages.
Channel Messages go out to everyone in the channel, can be public or private (depending upon the channel), and are divided by topic. For example:

Your Course Channel is private (noted by a lock symbol to the left of the channel title). The after-class activities, random, and general channels are public (noted by the “#” to the left of the channel title). 

If you have a question about the course material, an assignment, or even a technical issue, post it to the appropriate group channel—someone else may have the same question, and they’d benefit from the answer, too. Or maybe someone from the class can help if your instructor or CA isn’t immediately available.
Direct Messages go out to one or a few members and are private. An example of when to use a direct message is if you have a question that only applies to you—for example, an instructor’s comment on your assignment or letting your instructor know you are ill.

To find a user to directly message, click the “+” symbol next to the Direct Messages label. This will allow you to search for members and start a direct message with up to eight other people.

You can also directly message the Slackbot, Slack’s automated help center. It has a little heart next to its name.

That’s about it! Once you are on the Precollege Slack Workspace, click on the Channel called #mainchannel24. It is on the side panel on the left-hand side of the Slack page. Once you are in that Channel, post a quick introduction of yourself to say hello to the other students and our staff. We can’t wait to meet you!

If you have questions about using Slack, please email summerprecollege@smith.edu.

You will need to determine if your cell phone is “unlocked” and “GSM-ready.” You can do this by calling your cell phone provider.

If your phone is “unlocked”: We partner with campusSIMS, part of MintMobile, to provide SIM cards to our students. Service will cost around $15 per month for a minimum 3-month agreement. Visit www.campusSIMS.com and follow the directions under “HAVE A SIM CARD?”

Email summerprecollege@smith.edu to request your SIM card’s ACT number.

If your phone is “unlocked,” you can pick up your SIM card on Registration Day at the Communications Table in the Art Museum Atrium. You will then need to activate it using MintMobile’s app or website.

If your phone is not “unlocked,” you must purchase a phone to use in the United States.

Option 1

AT&T Store
140 Main Street, Northampton
$9.99 phone
$30 one month of service
$15 activation fee, plus tax

Option 2

Verizon Store
180 Main Street, Northampton
$120 phone
$35 one month of service
$25 activation fee, plus tax

If you arrive to check in and do not have a cell phone that meets our policy, you will not be granted access to your room until you are compliant. Exceptions will be made for students who arrive unaccompanied. Unaccompanied students will be given access to their room but will not be permitted to participate in any programming until their cell phone complies with this policy.

Cell phones are prohibited during class time, house meetings, or other times that require your attention to be directed toward program activities (both academic and recreational) unless instructed by the activity’s leader or your classroom instructor. The same rule applies to any other handheld devices.

• tops
• shorts and at least one pair of long pants
• sandals/flip-flops
• suitable walking shoes
• sweatshirt or light jacket (classrooms tend to run very cold)
• rain boots, umbrella, rain jacket
• business casual attire for final presentation(s) (SSEP and WGR only)
• pajamas

• toiletries
• medications—your prescriptions, supplements/vitamins and over-the-counter medications
• sunscreen and bug spray (the Health Center will also have some available)
• other personal hygiene products 
• shower shoes (flip-flops)
• water bottle
• spending money
• backpack or day bag
• sunglasses
• a laptop (if students do not have access to a laptop, please reach out to our office)

SSEP 

Students in this program will be working in the lab and will need:

• closed-toe shoes
• at least one pair of long pants

Field Studies for Sustainable Futures

Students in this program will be working outside and getting dirty and will need:

• comfortable, rugged shoes (hiking and farm tours)
• raincoat
• loose-fitting clothes (movement exercises)
• at least one pair of long pants

Not Permitted

• Candles or open flames
• Wall-hangings

Prohibited

• Pets
• Weapons (including pocket knives)
• Cigarettes, Juuls, vaporizers, or any form of tobacco
• Alcohol
• Cannabis in any form
• Illegal drugs