<p>Hello all! I need a little input, and I thought this might be a good place to ask.</p>
<p>I'm 27 and am finishing up two years at a community college in the midwest. I'd like to major in English and I'll be applying to transfer schools this fall. Mt Holyoke is high on my list.</p>
<p>These are my concerns:
--I don't have a car, and can't really afford one. How difficult would it be, realistically, to get around South Hadley and the greater area with no car? Getting to/from the airport? I'm afraid the lack of public transportation will make life in South Hadley impossible for me.</p>
<p>--I won't be able to visit MHC before I apply. It seems all reviews online (of every school I've looked at) are either very positive or very negative, and it is difficult to get a clear idea of what it's really like. What do you need to know before you go? Was there anything you wish you'd known? I'm especially interested to hear from Frances Perkins scholars, if there are any out there.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, in advance, for any help you can give me. Any little piece of information or advice would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>MHC students have benefit of the free 5 College bus system for transportation to Amherst and Northampton. I didn’t have a car at MHC until my junior year, and was fine. MHC is a 15 min. ride from a large shopping mall, (Holyoke Mall at Ingleside - google it) and I’m sure you will make friends with people who do have a car on campus. There’s a bank, little restaurants, a great bookstore, etc, right across from the campus, and large grocery store within walking/bike riding distance. If you bring (or buy one when you get to campus - think “tag sale”) a bike with a basket on the back or whatever, you’ll be fine. MHC is not as isolated as some posts might make you think, and is bordered by the cities of Holyoke and Chicopee. In terms of transportation to the airport, my experience was that students would post notices offering rides for a small fee or free, and friends without cars never had any trouble finding a ride when they had a flight to catch. Plenty of students at MHC are from all over the place, and need to fly, so I would say if they have worked it out, you will be able to, too!
The FP Program is wonderful, by the way, and although I was a traditional student, I got to know many FP’s through classes and the dorms. The benefits of studying with FPs and getting to learn about the life experiences of FP students was really valuable to me. You might also want to look into the Ada Comstock program at Smith. Pretty much identical.</p>
<p>I wanted to add that when I write of FP students, those I became friends with were 32, 37, and 45! At 27, you won’t at all be an “older” student at all!</p>
<p>And remember the TV movie “Mrs. Washington Goes To Smith”, with Cybil Shepard.</p>
<p>You can easily live without a car at MHC (or at any of the 5 colleges). My D survived w/o a car this past year. And she took a course at UMass, and visited Smith, Amherst, and Hampshire for various performance events.</p>
<p>With last winter’s 3 feet of snow that froze and stayed on the ground for 2+ months, I think having a car at MHC (that must be dug out after every snow storm) is not such a great thing.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine. Daughter dug herself out every winter and you’ll be spared that. Also she drove students to Bradley (Hartford airport) every Thanksgiving and Christmas so you should have no trouble getting rides to the airport.</p>