Smith CollegeParking Summary

Written by Dara Kagan

Dara Kagan

Hometown

Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Major

Government, with a minor in the Study of Women and Gender

View all previous student authors

Many students like to bring a car to campus so they can drive between school and home, and it also makes it easier to take a class off campus. Unfortunately, Smith has very few parking spaces open to students, and first-years are not allowed to bring cars to campus. However, many do and simply park on side streets, as do other students who want to circumvent the campus parking shortage. Just beware: Most city streets here use alternate-side parking, so you must move your car to the other side of the street every morning before 11 a.m. Anyone who forgets to do so will be towed.

To make it more difficult, when the city of Northampton declares a snow emergency, which happens whenever snow is expected, all cars parked on city streets must be moved to the athletic fields—a 20-minute walk from most Smith houses—so that plows can get through. All in all, parking on campus is a hassle, even when you have a permit. But, many students still make the sacrifices because having a car makes it a lot easier to get around the area.