<p>Hi all!
I'm an intl student and am currently choosing between MHC(with grant:$19.5k, loan:$3500 per year) and UVA(have to pay $44k per year). Major: undecided, but I want to enter Business school or law school after graduation. Which one would you choose?? Thanks!!</p>
<p>You got $19.5k from MHC and $0 from UVA, so pick MHC. That is the best financial decision, anyway.</p>
<p>Pick MHC, they have a good alumnae connection, plus, because it’s small you’ll get personal attention and overall a more special college experience. At least that’s what I think.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply~~~
Actually I have to pay around 45k peryear for UVA, and 37k per year for MHC( loan included). What do you think? THX!!</p>
<p>UVA, much better academics than Mount Holyoke College…</p>
<p>butterfly_kisses - how so? not an attack or anything, just curious what your perspective is</p>
<p>THX all!~~
butterfly_kisses- any specific reasons?? Thanks!</p>
<p>butterfly_kisses, how would you know that? </p>
<p>They are two COMPLETELY different schools, and you should make your choice based on what you think you want: smaller classes vs. bigger classes, alum connections, professor connections… It’s easier to stand out at Mount Holyoke since there are only 2k of us, but that’s just my two cents. ;)</p>
<p>IMO, Mount Holyoke is the better choice over UVa. While UVa is also a good school, I believe one would get a better education at MHC due to the smaller class sizes. MHC is approx 1/10 the size. If you have asperations for either Law or MBA, MHC is also the better choice as the relationships with professors will likely be stronger, with equal or greater influence in the academic community.</p>
<p>They are two completely different schools and there are many pros and cons to each of them. I should’ve given my reasons earlier, but here they are now.
MHC has the advantage of the consortium and the other things that mtholyoke2010 mentioned.
UVA (not that you should base your decision on this) is considered a “Public Ivy”. It is certainly harder to get into than MHC, which makes it more respectable in many eyes. Additionally, it is more well-heard of and in a better location. About graduate placement, which I would think would be important to you, The Wall Street Journal studied the undergraduate backgrounds of entering students at “elite” graduate programs. UVA had 82 placements (2.6% of class) placed 33rd overall and third among all state-supported universities in elite graduate placement. No other state university on the Atlantic Seaboard (eastern most coast) had greater than 1/3 the number of placements as UVA. There is more history at UVA since it is nearby Monticello, etc. UVA also has many highly regarded graduate programs. Programs ranked in their respective fields’ top 10 by U.S. News & World Report include: Law, Tax Law, International Law, etc. If you want to go to Law School in the future, UVA might be the better option because it has its own law school and has a reputation as one of the ten most prestigious law schools in the nation.
Moving on to Business. There is another forum on here about business schools: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-texas-austin/671931-business-school-best-ut-bhp-notre-dame-uva.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-texas-austin/671931-business-school-best-ut-bhp-notre-dame-uva.html</a> Clearly UVA’s business graduate school is also well-respected. It is regularly ranked as being among the Top 15 business schools in the world. US News and world report ranked it #14 this year. I think this sums up the UNDERGRAD aspect of UVA business very well: [McIntire</a> School of Commerce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIntire_School_of_Commerce]McIntire”>McIntire School of Commerce - Wikipedia)
There is evidence at UVA’s great record with getting kids into law school here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/326689-law-school-harvard-yale-uva-undergrad-representation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/326689-law-school-harvard-yale-uva-undergrad-representation.html</a>
The money issue should certainly be considered in the midst of this economic situation…but the decision is up to you! I am sure whichever school you end up at you will succeed. More than likely, you will end up going to graduate school for business or law no matter which undergraduate college you end up going to.
Good luck!!!</p>
<p>butterfly_kisses, selectivity is not determined by acceptance rate, but by quality of the applicant pool. Is it accurate to say that because, say, Allen College (IA) has a lower acceptance rate, that it is a better school than MHC? Acceptance rate means nothing. Women’s college are already a self-selected applicant pool. Mount Holyoke has excellent graduate school placement and does give you the connections that you would need to get good recommendations, etcetera. Mount Holyoke is a member of the Five College Consortium and has access to several top institutions: Smith, Amherst, UMass, Hampshire. Furthermore, Mount Holyoke is <em>actually</em> a member of the Seven Sisters. Public ivy is a term coined for promotional purposes; the seven sisters arose (initially) as “the female equivalent to the all male ivy league.” There is a lot of history at Mount Holyoke and in the greater Five Colleges, given the age of all of the institutions, and the reasons for which both MHC and Smith were built.</p>
<p>I meant <em>predominantly male</em> ivy league, not all male, sorry.</p>
<p>Thank you all!! Yeah, I know both schools are really good! That’s what makes my college decision so hard. Any info on the employment after graduation? THX!!</p>
<p>mtholyoke2010, my response was not a personal attack. The OP asked me to explain why I thought UVA would be better for what she wants to do in the future (business school/law school). I know that MHC is a great college, I was trying to explain why I thought UVA was a better option though. MHC is well respected, but given what she wants to do MY PERSONAL OPINION was that UVA would be a better opportunity for her.</p>
<p>I got admitted to UVA for Fall08. I decided not to go and I’ll tell you why:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>HUGE (think over 100 to 300) classes for the majority of classes taken before you get to the high level classes for your major. This was not true for all intro and mid level courses, but was for my area of concentration (sciences.)</p></li>
<li><p>Many people needed to take buses to the building their classes/food were in from the dorm. Otherwise it would be a 20+ minute walk, not fun in rain or anything other than nice weather. Not relevant to me but if you don’t have a car at UVA you’d likely need/want one.</p></li>
<li><p>Too BIG. The place is huge, a negative for me.</p></li>
<li><p>Weather. No real snow, no real seasons, too warm the majority of the school year. Fall is my favorite season and it lasts about a week. I hate hot weather. </p></li>
<li><p>Didn’t like the “just a number aspect”. I guess this is related to #1.</p></li>
<li><p>Little individual attention in departments. And high number of people to compete with for research assistant positions.</p></li>
<li><p>TA’s. Lots of them. </p></li>
<li><p>Even though I finally qualify for in-state tuition, it seems like a lot to pay for with few seminar style offerings.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also it’s my understanding that Mt Holyoke has a high admit rate to the top law schools in the US. </p>
<p>I loved Mt Holyoke because it was basically the opposite of my list!</p>
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<p>Butterfly_hisses, easy girl. You’re overacting, and caps weren’t necessary. No one is hard of hearing.</p>
<p>By my reading of the post, Mtholyoke2010 didn’t insinuate in the slightest your response was a personal attack.</p>
<p>I’m not a MHC student or parent, so I don’t have a bias . But Mtholyoke’s post was polite and one of the best synopsis of a seven (or five) sister college I’ve read on any board. Her explanation of selectivity and how some public universities became to be known as “Public Ivies” was additionally very informative and correct. Most individuals don’t realize the aforementioned phrase is a marketing tool.</p>
<p>I’m also somewhat bemused you can comment on the academics of either MHC or UVA, considering you don’t attended either. ;)</p>
<p>Here’s a fun thought: MHC admits 53% of applicants, UVA 37%… Assuming a 50/50 ratio, if males were subtracted from the equation and female applicants remained constant, UVA would have to accept 74% of applicants to maintain current yield…21% higher than MHC. </p>
<p>Needless to say, arguing selectivity-- as measured by admission percentages-- is an indication one institution is superior to another is a Wesson oiled slippery slope. :)</p>
<p>if you’re going to business or law school, don’t get yourself into tons of debt with your undergraduate degree. Also, UVA is seriously overrated. It has a low admissions rate and a pretty campus. But MHC has small classes, sends its alums to great graduate schools, and has the diversity thing going for it. Read the book “Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education” by David Kirp - not a very flattering picture of undergraduate education at UVA.</p>
<p>The seven (well 5) sisters are extremely powerful. MHC has amazing alumni connections, diversity, rigorous academics, and a truly personalized education. I also agree with everything Erewhon said about selectivity. I can guarante that the pool of applicants that apply to Mount Holyoke is incredibly strong. </p>
<p>Overall, I’d say Mount Holyoke > UVA.</p>
<p>Another thought - sure UVA has great grad programs, but in many cases having the undergrad degree from the same school makes it harder to get into the graduate programs. You need to check that out as well.</p>
<p>MHC all the way!!!</p>
<p>also, graduate school will cost you a lot of money, it is not wise to use all your money in undergraduate.</p>