Frequently Asked Questions

Instead of conventional dorms, Smith students live in self-governing houses — communities of roughly 10 to 100 residents. Each house has all four class years living together, its own house government and traditions, and often its own dining room; many are historic homes rather than large residence halls. (Smith Residence Life)

No — Smith has no first-year dorms. Every house mixes first-years through seniors, so new students live alongside returning ones from day one. (Her Campus housing guide)

This guide covers 40 residence houses across 7 neighborhoods: Garden, Ivy, Mountain, Paradise, Meadow, River (Ada), River (Graduate). You can browse them all by neighborhood or see them on the campus map.

Two houses currently run student food cooperatives, where members buy groceries and cook together: Tenney and Hopkins (whose residents call themselves the “Hopkids”). Lawrence House pioneered cooperative living at Smith back in 1912. (The Sophian)

Accessibility varies by house. In this guide, 31 of the 40 houses are marked wheelchair-accessible — check each house's page for its specifics, or see them highlighted on the campus map.

Incoming students rank the neighborhoods they'd prefer and are placed by Residence Life; returning students take part in an annual room-draw and house-change process. The details shift year to year, so confirm current specifics with Smith's Residence Life office.

The oldest is Sessions Complex, whose original building dates to 1710. The newest is Cutter House (1957). Most houses were built between the 1870s and the 1920s — each house page lists its year.

Wilson House is the largest at about 102 students; Lee House is the smallest at about 13. Sizes in between cover every scale — compare them all on the house list.

Wilson House, Scales House, King House lead the count, each with dozens of singles. Every house page breaks down its singles, doubles, and triples.

Cutter House, Hopkins House, 44 Green Street are noted as staying open during breaks. Students in other houses can usually apply for break housing — check with Residence Life for current arrangements.

11 houses have an elevator: Comstock House, Haynes House, Duckett House, Cutter House, Gillett House, Lamont House, Northrop House, Ziskind House, King House, Scales House, Chase House. See each house's page for its full accessibility details.

It varies a lot by building — from just a few residents per bathroom in the smallest houses to roughly two dozen in the largest. Each house page lists its approximate ratio in the House Facts table.

The River (Graduate) neighborhood: 44 Green Street. These residences serve graduate, diploma, and nontraditional-age students rather than the four-year undergraduate house system.

Several residences received new names in 2024 — including Haynes House, Yolanda King House, and Lee House — and Friedman Apartments' five sub-buildings were named for Smith "firsts". Each affected house's page has a "Renamed in 2024" section with the story.

A few standouts: Betty Friedan '42 and (by long tradition) Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell in Chapin, Sylvia Plath '55 in Lawrence, Julia Child '34 in Hubbard, and The Baby-Sitters Club author Ann M. Martin '77 in Gardiner. Many house pages carry a sourced "Notable residents" section.

Officially, no — but campus legend disagrees. The most famous story belongs to Sessions, the oldest house, whose lore includes a hidden staircase and a Revolutionary-era romance retold to new residents each year. It's folklore, and treasured as such.

Yes — houses keep their own mascots, mottos, teas, and study breaks. Jordan House has its donkeys, others keep nicknames and rituals passed down each year; the "Traditions & lore" sections on house pages collect the best-documented ones.