New Exhibits Showcase Smithie First Year Experience
Exhibits
On view in Neilson Library, 3rd floor
Published August 15, 2025
Neilson Library Third Floor
On display through September 2025
First day jitters, new adventures, and reconnecting with friends —two new exhibits in Special Collections bring back all the memories of those pivotal Smithie moments through photos, documents, and other items found in the College Archives.
The College Archives documents student life, including student organizations and activism activities, since Smith's founding 150 years ago. To learn more about Smith history, check out the Special Collections reading room on the third floor of Neilson Library, or visit the Special Collections website.
Move In Day Through the Years
The exhibit features photos of Smithies both moving into their houses and settling into their rooms in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Classes, Clubs & Crushes
The First Year Experience at Smith, 1875-2025, explores the ways that students have adapted to college life over the years, highlighting how they impacted Smith, and how Smith impacted them. The exhibit features advice that first years received, the romantic norms and social customs they encountered, and the communities they built. These materials capture the complexity of new students' relationships with each other, upperclassmen, and with the college itself, and offer insight into how being a student at Smith has changed over time.
