<p>hey! i'm an international student, and i'm really fascinated by MHC and likely applying RD (2019). </p>
<p>i never thought i would be interested in girls' colleges, but after some research i really like the incredibly inclusive sense of community, activism (kinda got that vibe) and liberal vibe from them (most also have this great international focus!). i have smith and MHC on my list, mainly also because i love the idea of the 5 college consortium! -- just wondering if they are indeed as they seem to be (to me)? :)</p>
<p>what is the academic culture like at MHC? how rigorous is the workload / courses / class discussions, not in quantity but in quality? :) and is it more collaborative rather than cutthroat competitive? do people take classes at other colleges often? (in the social sciences / humanities!)</p>
<p>also what's the international financial aid like? i heard it's pretty generous? my stats are 2290 / 790 and 780 for 2 subject tests / un-ranked but at least top 10% / generally As / unique ECs -- possibly a chance for a merit scholarship? i don't know haha! </p>
<p>thanks! :) i don't know anyone who's gone / is at mhc soo yeah !! thanks a lot! :D</p>
okay I’m a first year at Moho and I can try to help some from personal experience so far
Activism wise, yeah, we got that. A month ago a couple hundred kids shut down the highway in front of the school in solidarity with Ferguson. Everyone is always trying to raise awareness about gender, sexuality, civil rights etc. It’s so different from the “real world” in that people actually care about all these issues.
Academically, superficially I don’t find it that rigorous but it varies student to student. I came from an academically rigorous high school where I took all honors and APs and Moho so far has been a step down, but I know it kicks up when you get into the 300 level classes. In terms of “quality” instead of “quantity,” it’s amazing. Yes it’s collaborative and unless you’re in a lecture-style or math class almost everything is discussion based, even an intro level biology course I took. Kids know what they’re talking about especially in humanities and you learn a lot from each other, just as much as you learn from the professors. It’s definitely collaborative in that sense, and in that people are generally willing to help others with workloads and form study groups and all. There’s some stress culture but people don’t base their opinions of each other on GPA or anything (which is how my high school was…).
People do often take classes at other colleges. I think it’s 90-something percent of kids who do by the time they graduate? You generally wait until you’re at least a sophomore or junior though.
I know nothing about international aid but I hope that other info helped somewhat!!
MHC encourages students to expand their individual comfort zone (especially in the first two years) by exploring a wide range of circular offerings. For example, if your strength is history, in addition to history classes, take some math or science. Challenge yourself. This is your chance.
After the first semester students can x-register for 5 college classes. Some students even pursue a 5-college certificate (like minor). The registration system is straight forward and the free PTV bus system is reliable. The 5-college experience is one of the top selling points of MHC.