Smith College 2009 Alumnae Survey
  Education
Since College		 Jobs and Careers Undergraduate Experience Evaluating Your School Keeping in Touch Your Life Now Questions from Smith  

Questions from Smith

The next questions are specific to Smith College. For the first questions, please think about the time when you first graduated from Smith.

Listed below are some general areas of study offered at a liberal arts college. Please try to recall the number of courses in each area you took at Smith. Then, keeping in mind that there is time for only a limited number of courses in your undergraduate program, indicate how you would distribute your course work differently if you could plan your college education over again.

  Number you TOOK AT SMITH   Number you WOULD TAKE NOW
None 1 course 2-4 courses More than 4 courses   Fewer Same number Somewhat more Many more
Literature LOCAL01 1 LOCAL01 2 LOCAL01 3 LOCAL01 4   LOCAL09 1 LOCAL09 2 LOCAL09 3 LOCAL09 4
Historical studies LOCAL02 1 LOCAL02 2 LOCAL02 3 LOCAL02 4   LOCAL10 1 LOCAL10 2 LOCAL10 3 LOCAL10 4
Social science LOCAL03 1 LOCAL03 2 LOCAL03 3 LOCAL03 4   LOCAL11 1 LOCAL11 2 LOCAL11 3 LOCAL11 4
Natural science LOCAL04 1 LOCAL04 2 LOCAL04 3 LOCAL04 4   LOCAL12 1 LOCAL12 2 LOCAL12 3 LOCAL12 4
Mathematics LOCAL05 1 LOCAL05 2 LOCAL05 3 LOCAL05 4   LOCAL13 1 LOCAL13 2 LOCAL13 3 LOCAL13 4
The arts LOCAL06 1 LOCAL06 2 LOCAL06 3 LOCAL06 4   LOCAL14 1 LOCAL14 2 LOCAL14 3 LOCAL14 4
A foreign language LOCAL07 1 LOCAL07 2 LOCAL07 3 LOCAL07 4   LOCAL15 1 LOCAL15 2 LOCAL15 3 LOCAL15 4
Engineering LOCAL08 1 LOCAL08 2 LOCAL08 3 LOCAL08 4   LOCAL16 1 LOCAL16 2 LOCAL16 3 LOCAL16 4

If you sought employment within a year of graduating from Smith, how well did your Smith education prepare you for your first job after college?





If you sought employment within a year of graduating from Smith, please indicate whether each of the following was a major problem, minor problem, or not a problem in obtaining your first job after graduation. If you did not seek employment during your first year after Smith graduation, please skip this question.

  Not a problem Minor problem Major problem
Deciding what I wanted to do opt02 1 opt02 2 opt02 3
Knowing how to find job openings opt03 1 opt03 2 opt03 3
Scheduling interviews opt04 1 opt04 2 opt04 3
Writing a resume, vita or letter of introduction opt05 1 opt05 2 opt05 3
Finding a job that paid enough opt06 1 opt06 2 opt06 3
Completing job applications opt07 1 opt07 2 opt07 3
Finding a job for which I was qualified opt08 1 opt08 2 opt08 3
Finding a job where I wanted to live opt09 1 opt09 2 opt09 3
Finding the kind of job I wanted opt10 1 opt10 2 opt10 3
Race/sex discrimination opt11 1 opt11 2 opt11 3
Other (specify) opt12txt opt12 1 opt12 2 opt12 3
Did not seek employment within a year of graduating from Smith. opt13 1 opt13 2 opt13 3

The next question is about your current job.
From which source did you learn about your current job?












opt14txt

The next questions are about your experiences as an alumna of Smith College.

When you mention Smith College to friends and colleagues, approximately what proportion recognize the Smith name?




When friends and colleagues recognize the Smith name, is their reaction generally positive, mixed, or negative?



How proud are you to be an alumna of Smith College?


The next questions are about Smith's identity as a women's college.

Would you encourage a high school senior who is like you were as a high school senior (similar background, interests, and temperament) to attend a women's college?




How did you view the fact that Smith is a women’s college when you first entered Smith?



How did you view the fact that Smith is a women’s college when you graduated?




How do you view the fact that Smith is a women’s college now?



Which of the following best describes your experiences studying abroad while at Smith?


opt22txt

PROGRAMMING NOTE: If opt22=1 (didn't study abroad), skip to p16.html, otherwise show p15.html

Study Abroad

If you studied abroad, please answer the following questions.

Which program and university did you attend, in which country?
Write in name of program: opt23
Write in name of university: opt24
Write in name of country: opt25

Which of the following best describes the program you attended?


opt26txt

If you studied abroad, which of the following best describes the program you attended?


opt27txt

If you studied abroad during your Smith education, please answer the following three questions.

What to what extent did your study abroad experience affect your career choices?



To what extent did your study abroad experience affect your other life choices?



Please use the space below to comment on how your study abroad experience affected your life after Smith.
[TEXTBOX] opt30

Last Section

The following questions are about your experience of Smith College as an alumna and as a student thinking about her future. We have asked similar questions of Smith students, and we are interested in comparing alumnae experiences with those of current students. Please answer based on your own perspective and experience; other alumnae may experience Smith differently than you do, but we are interested in your unique perceptions and experiences.

For this section, please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements about your experience as an alumna of Smith College: Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
When I was a student, Smith College encouraged students to have balanced lives. opt31 1 opt31 2 opt31 3 opt31 4 opt31 5
Smith College encourages graduates to have balanced lives. opt32 1 opt32 2 opt32 3 opt32 4 opt32 5
I feel at odds with Smith's expectations for me. opt33 1 opt33 2 opt33 3 opt33 4 opt33 5
I feel at odds with my parents' expectations for me. opt34 1 opt34 2 opt34 3 opt34 4 opt34 5
I feel at odds with my own expectations for myself. opt35 1 opt35 2 opt35 3 opt35 4 opt35 5
Smith's expectations for me play an important role in my life after graduation. opt36 1 opt36 2 opt36 3 opt36 4 opt36 5
Smith's values play an important role in my life after graduation. opt37 1 opt37 2 opt37 3 opt37 4 opt37 5
Smith encourages each alumna to follow her own values and goals. opt38 1 opt38 2 opt38 3 opt38 4 opt38 5
I expect to live up to Smith's expectations of success. opt39 1 opt39 2 opt39 3 opt39 4 opt39 5
Personal success at Smith is broadly defined. opt40 1 opt40 2 opt40 3 opt40 4 opt40 5
Smith understands failure as an important educational experience. opt41 1 opt41 2 opt41 3 opt41 4 opt41 5

The next questions are about your expectations for your future.

First, how clear do you feel you are about your expectations for your future? Do you feel your expectations are:


Next, regardless of your level of clarity about your expectations for your future, please answer the following questions based on your best guess about what you expect to do in the future.

For each statement, please indicate your level of agreement: Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
I have or expect to have a demanding career. opt43 1 opt43 2 opt43 3 opt43 4 opt43 5
I am or expect to be well-off financially. opt44 1 opt44 2 opt44 3 opt44 4 opt44 5
I pay attention to my health. opt45 1 opt45 2 opt45 3 opt45 4 opt45 5
I take time for contemplation and reflection. opt46 1 opt46 2 opt46 3 opt46 4 opt46 5
I have or expect to have satisfying relationships. opt47 1 opt47 2 opt47 3 opt47 4 opt47 5
I am or expect to be in control of my choices. opt48 1 opt48 2 opt48 3 opt48 4 opt48 5
I follow or expect to follow an unconventional path. opt49 1 opt49 2 opt49 3 opt49 4 opt49 5
I have role models for the family I have or would like to create. opt50 1 opt50 2 opt50 3 opt50 4 opt50 5
I have role models for the career I have or would like to create. opt51 1 opt51 2 opt51 3 opt51 4 opt51 5
I have role models for balancing work and family. opt52 1 opt52 2 opt52 3 opt52 4 opt52 5
I have found role models at Smith. opt53 1 opt53 2 opt53 3 opt53 4 opt53 5
I am raising or expect to raise children. opt54 1 opt54 2 opt54 3 opt54 4 opt54 5

If you are raising or are considering raising children:
Which of the following best describes your family-building situation?





opt55txt

If you are raising or considering raising children, please indicate your level of agreement on the following scale: Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
I had or expect to have children soon after graduation from Smith. opt56 1 opt56 2 opt56 3 opt56 4 opt56 5
I became or expect to become established in my career before having children. opt57 1 opt57 2 opt57 3 opt57 4 opt57 5
I knew or expect that I will know the best time in my career to have children. opt58 1 opt58 2 opt58 3 opt58 4 opt58 5
I took or expect to take time off from my career when my children are young. opt59 1 opt59 2 opt59 3 opt59 4 opt59 5
[If you took or expect to take time off]
I was able to or I expect to return to a successful career after taking time off.		 opt60 1 opt60 2 opt60 3 opt60 4 opt60 5
I do not plan to pursue a career outside the home so that I may focus on parenting. opt61 1 opt61 2 opt61 3 opt61 4 opt61 5
I support or expect to support a partner who stays home to care for our children. opt62 1 opt62 2 opt62 3 opt62 4 opt62 5

We are interested in understanding how your Smith education affected your career and family decisions. Please use the box below to tell us the most important effect Smith has had on you as you make decisions about balancing work and life.
 [TEXTBOX] comm1

Thank you for responding to the foregoing confidential questions. The next questions will be used to update your alumnae record at Smith, and are not confidential. As with any question in this survey, you may choose not to answer. However, your responses will be helpful to Smith in allowing us to better understand the work and achievements of Smith alumnae.

Please tell us about any advanced degrees you have earned or are working toward.

Degree Year earned or anticipated Check if degree completed Institution Area of specialization
opt71 opt72 opt73 opt74 opt75
opt76 opt77 opt78 opt79 opt80
opt81 opt82 opt83 opt84 opt85

If you are currently employed, please tell us your current employer, job title, and a brief description of what you do? If you have more than one job, please provide information about the one most related to your desired career path.

Employer: opt86
Job title: opt87
Brief description of job: opt88

Please indicate whether your current job is related to any of the following (check all that apply):



Thank you for your assistance. Please use the space below to elaborate further on any of the questions above (it is helpful if you refer to the questions by number) or to comment on any aspect of the college or university. Your comments are of great interest to administrators at your school. They will be reported to officials confidentially.
[TEXTBOX] COMMENT_TEXT