Sounds like it is good your kid didn’t pick HMC. Hope she is happy wherever she landed.
I hope your daughter ended up in a great place for her. Mine is now at Mt Holyoke for her freshman year. We are from the West Coast and she was chosen to be a Trustee scholar for which we are very grateful. When she did her overnight she paired with another second year Trustee who happened to hail from the mid west. Mine had also applied to another women’s college on the West Coast. She was well above their stats, very interested in the school (had visited and interviewed). She was shockingly waitlisted. I really have absolutely no idea why this happened. She applied to 17 schools (two Ivies). The Ivies were a bust but the remaining schools all offered her significant merit. I have to admit I was extremely bitter about the waitlist (which came before the Trustee award). But in the end it all worked out and I realized my daughter was lucky to have so many options. Many of her peers at school did not. It sounds like yours also had lots of good options. I hope yours is settling in well.
I also wonder if your daughter tried to appeal her award at Mt Holyoke? I know several who did successfully.
I re- read my response and apologize how it made you feel. I’m not the student or writer my daughter is, thats for sure. I cut lawns for a living, if my post came across that I’m wealthy, my bad. My point was the exact opposite, I barely make enough to cover her cost. We could not afford to get on a plane for college visits.
I believe Mount Holyoke moved up six spots in US News rankings because of the economic diversity. I believe only UCLA has a better outcome for middle and lower income students at a top ranked college.
The Pioneer Valley is a pretty liberal area, not just Mount Holyoke.
I’ve posted before that my twins applied, one ED and one RD. The merit amounts they received differed but with the need-based aid their packages were the same; very good but not the best. My daughter who applied ED went because it was the best fit for her, and the package was still within a range we could manage. The school is not need-blind, and they are VERY aware of fit when they accept students. It’s a luxury larger schools don’t have.
I bring up fit because not only do I personally know of MHC students from Texas, but I also know far, far fewer students apply from conservative states than liberal states. It’s one of the most liberal colleges in the country, so I doubt it appeals to the majority of those Texas graduates. But anecdotally, those who do apply and are a good fit receive very generous merit.
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A few years ago I studied the admissions situation at Mount Holyoke with the goal of making suggestions about schools to visit for recruiting purposes. I discovered to my surprise that there are only a select group of high schools in the nation that produce college-ready students at the level that would succeed at Mount Holyoke. Traditionally, Mount Holyoke students have come from throughout the nation but very few from, say, North Dakota or Wyoming. So, the admissions office concentrates its efforts in the locations where the College has been strong traditionally. I am sure that if the College offered your daughter an aid package, they felt she was capable of doing the work and would benefit from the education. I’m sorry that you did not feel it was a positive experience and hope she enjoys the school she attends.
@pauler80020 what was her stats and ECs?