<p>D is now trying to decide between these schools. She visited and loved them both. She has a scholarship at MHC and she loves the vibe here. Has any current student chosen MHC instead of Wellesley? Why did you make this choice, and are you happy?</p>
<p>I am choosing MHC instead of Wellesley college. I am a transfer student (and therefore older) so my criterias are probably different from your d's. I visited both, I had interviews with both, I recieved almost full scholarships from both (including Smith College), but I found Wellesley to be very....snob. I do not know if you will have a problem with that, but it was not a right fit for me. Also I attended classes at both colleges and I was very dissapointed with the level of immaturity and lack of tolerance (international,political, religious, economical) that most of the Wellesley women showed. I am someone who is fluent in four languages and in my family all three monotheistic religions (and some more) exist and I just could not handle that kind of tension. Also, Wellesley takes pride in its diversity, but the truth is that I did not see any: most of the students were upper class, white, wealthy and of course legacies. MHC was very different from Wellesley and they accept you as you are: as a human that is not perfect and they cherish your uniqueness and assets. Needless to say both colleges provide superb education, but MHC fitted me the best (and to think that it was NOT my first choice; Wellesley was). All the best!</p>
<p>My D has two friends at MH who got into Wellesley and Smith but chose MH.
I know one is "off the charts" in math and was valedictorian--She had her choice of several schools but was drawn to the feel of MH over the others (she also "loved the vibe" there) for many of the reasons mentioned above. I spoke with her for a while and know she is very happy with her choice. My daughter didn't look at Wellesley so didn't really compare them, but I know she REALLY likes MH. For such a small school, MH is a powerful international community with a lot going on. I heard Suzan-Lori Parks speak in NY at the Museum of Natural History event a few weeks ago. She did a great job of describing her experience as a student there and why she was so enthusiastic about it. She said the day she was visiting the school, some random student just looked at her and said "You will love it here".. she knew in that moment that that would be true for her, and it was. Both schools are great choices and in this case, your D loves them both so it is a bit harder for her to decide what is best for her. In the two cases I know of, the preference was clear.</p>
<p>Thank you for your wonderful comments! D sent in her MHC enrollment deposit yesterday, and this morning I showed her your posts. They were lovely validation of her excitement in going to Mount Holyoke. We, her parents, are delighted by her excitement and happiness with her decision.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your daughter's decision....and welcome to the MHC "family"!</p>
<p>Congratulations and welcome to the MHC family! For the last four years my only thought was transferring to Wellesley, but I am so in love with MHC after I visited and researched about the college. It is going to be a great journey and she did a great choice! Congratulations! Go MHC!</p>
<p>Operamom - please post next year and update us! My D is really looking forward to looking at MHC this summer/fall. It would be great to hear about her experience.</p>
<p>khsstitches--we will be sure to update. I am so grateful to everyone on CC for the thoughtful advice that has taken me through two admission cycles. Thanks to all of you!!</p>
<p>And welcome, khsstitches, to you and your D!</p>
<p>Yay for Operamom's daughter! I'm glad I didn't need to tell my Wellesley horror story lol. I was going to take the time to write the whole thing out if she was still undecided :). </p>
<p>I mentioned it in an earlier post, but your daughter (and all other accepted students) should join the Mt. Holyoke Class of 2012 facebook group, if she hasn't already. There is already a cute community building. A collection of current students are on it also. We're all ready and willing to answer any questions, so come on down! :) </p>
<p>BTW, I apologize for advertising another site on here (kinda tacky, I know); however, it would be to her advantage to ask questions in a community with more members, of course. There are some lovely pictures up in the group's gallery for you to scope out also. =)</p>
<p>PS: I keep saying "accepted students" are welcome on the facebook group because I don't know how the community feels about prospie or parent members; however, if anyone would like me to upload and post some of the pictures or ask the group any questions, just send me a message and I'd be happy to do what I can. </p>
<p>HORRAY AND CONGRATS TO ALL INCOMING STUDENTS!!!</p>
<p>Frazzledmaybe, Can you PLEASE write your "horror Wellesley story"? Please, I need to show it to some Wellesley students that emailed and offended me why I did not choose Wellesley. But I want to share a short story: when I had an interview at Wellesley, there was this student from Eastern Europe who was applying as a transfer student as well. She had a 3.85 GPA at her community college and had completed 74 credits. She had been in USA for 3 years, during this time she was physically abused by a family member and could not leave because then she would lose her education. She had attended a private high school in her home country, based on the British sytem, with 14 classes a semester and with lectures from Cambridge and Oxford University-the only problem she had was that she had Cs in Math, Physics and Chemistry-but these were not just A-level high school classes, they were classes that were taken by grad students in Oxford. As EC activities she had worked with war refuges, taught ESL to 138 students, worked with victims of female trafficking (sex slaves), worked with victims of domestic abuse, two internships, Red Cross, survived a civil war, witnessed a girl kill herself because of gender discrimination etc. I thought that I was never going to have a chance of being accepted at Wellesley with this brilliant young woman applying there. Guess what: Wellesley did NOT accept her. She is going to attend MHC in the fall. This says a lot about Wellesley: what diversity do they talk about? What emancipation of women do they dream? Who are these women who are going to change the world according to them (women who have never known what suffering is, or women like her who know what it means)? The fact that she was not accepted (and therefore her wit and strength were not cherished) shows a lot what Wellesley really is.</p>
<p>The Seven Sisters(5) are what they are......simliar but only peripherally. It's obvious from this post that some women choose Mt. Holyoke over Wellesley,while a review of the Smith page leads to a bashing of both. What's to prove as a student if you feel it's right for you? And as parents,why bash the others if you're daughter thinks she's in a great place?</p>
<p>The differences between these wonderful schools are to be celebrated. D found so much to love in each of the schools that admitted her--she would not have applied if she had not been sure that each was a fantastic choice for her. As we visited, it was encouraging to note that everyone from admissions officials to faculty to students at each college enthusiastically provided information to help D determine the best fit. Not once did we hear negativity about another school even when D was asked and honestly responded with her decision list. It was very difficult to decide between MHC, Smith, Bryn Mawr and Wellesley. From our visits, we know that many smart young women were faced with similar decisions. </p>
<p>I am grateful to hear the opinions of all the students who took time to comment on all the threads where we posted. We know graduates of all the colleges, and they all had wonderful educations which have led to fulfilling lives. D has been grateful to have had such wonderful choices resulting from this stressful year of college applications. Her main regret is that it was necessary to choose. </p>
<p>She is, however, delighted to be a member of the MHC Class of 2012! See all you first-timers at orientation!</p>
<p>I agree Operamom,my daughter is in the MHC Class of 2011. I'm happy;she's happy and no one has any regrets. In fact, I'm thrilled that she seems to be in the place that's right for her.</p>
<p>2011, 2012....and I have a possilbe 2013 lurking in the wings.....the more we look at MHC the more it seems like a good fit. Thanks for the helpful posts.</p>
<p>Diplomat, in my experience, neither Wellesley nor Smith want real diversity. They only want their stats and reviews to LOOK like they want diversity.</p>
<p>Basically, I applied as a transfer student from a cc. I went to a community college because I left normal school in the beginning of 7th grade, due to chronic illness. I was hospitalized a dozen times, for periods up to 8 months at a time, to give you an idea. The education I received in the hospitals was fairly useless. As I'm sure you can imagine, schoolwork was nowhere close to a top concern in these hospitals. I never had homework, never really had grade-level assignments, etc. I explained the whole circumstance in more detail within an essay I sent along with my apps. </p>
<p>My health improved later, and I excelled once I went to college. I had a 3.9 in the honors program, won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award (the highest award given by the state), and won various awards for foreign language, writing, psychology, leadership in different clubs, etc. To put things in perspective: It is very unusual for a student to get even one award in a cc as large as the one I attended (over 12,000 students on my campus), but I was a very big part of the extracurricular scene there, as I had leadership positions in several clubs. I also had a VERY large number of community service hours, my art and poetry had been honored/recognized, etc. I had won contests for speeches and for singing (in Italian and in english), and worked as a clown part time (as well as a few other odd jobs). My math SAT score was well within their ranges and my english and reading scores were very far above their averages (math should have been irrelevant anyway, considering my listed major and potential profession). I don’t mean to come off as conceited, because I am not anywhere close, but my application was very good. I had fantastic on-campus interviews (interviews are a very strong area for me), my essays were very strong, I showed interest and in-depth knowledge of the colleges, and I had great recs (my profs let me read them). The Dean of Students even threw in a personal rec along with the "letter of good standing" required from my school (she normally doesn't do that, but she knew me because of my involvement). </p>
<p>I won’t go on about the struggles I went through growing up, but I can guarantee you (without any fear of exaggeration whatsoever) that I’ve overcome more than most people have in a lifetime. Obviously only so much can be shared in an application; however, I tastefully shared enough to make it clear that my life did a complete 180 and that I was immensely grateful for every chance I received to improve myself and my education. </p>
<p>Anyway, back to the point:</p>
<p>Due to many reasons, I decided not to transfer right away. First, my lack of education and a personal situation at home made an earlier transfer unfavorable.</p>
<p>Second, I took many credits outside of my diploma path, but was encouraged to finish my associates degree. About a year prior to sending in my apps, I read that some schools had a policy about not accepting more than 2 years of credit. I became nervous and called a school I was considering, but the person I spoke with assured me that it wouldn't be a problem since I'd be coming from a 2 year school. I also spoke with advisors from my school and they again encouraged me to finish my associates. Everything in my life led me to the conclusion that the best option was to stay. </p>
<p>Clearly, some of the people I spoke with were misinformed because about 2 weeks after I sent in the first of my apps I received a call from Wellesley. I was told that they reviewed my transcript and determined that I was ineligible to transfer because I had “too many” credits. They don’t allow applicants to relinquish credits, so I was out of luck. </p>
<p>In a panic, I called the other colleges. The best part is that when I called Smith’s registrar, they told me not to worry about the credits because they were from a two-year college. Paranoid as I am, I called the Smith admissions office just to make sure. Well, Smith’s depts aren’t on the same page because the adcom office said that the credits WERE a problem. They were very rude, far ruder than Wellesley, to give Wellesley some credit. </p>
<p>Essentially, Wellesley (and Smith) penalized me for educating myself “too much.” Let me explain further: I would have needed to attend for an extra 2 years regardless because I only took classes at the 100 and 200 level. Obviously my classes were still all only up to the sophomore level because I was coming from a community college. Additionally, most schools don't apply credits to the major. Therefore, I would DEFINITELY need 2 years to finish. </p>
<p>I wrote letters to Wellesley and Smith explaining that I would certainly take another 2 years, regardless of credits, and I explained my interest in the colleges and the above information about the 100 and 200 level classes. I was told that it didn’t matter. I was even told to simply go to a state school where I could graduate in a year. The contempt that I was shown was ridiculous. And it was fairly insulting that they would suggest that I look into a state school to “save time” when anyone who had read my letter would have seen that my point was that I would need to take 2 years regardless. More importantly, had they seriously reviewed my application, they would have seen the effort that I invested into finding the “right fit” colleges. The women’s colleges to which I applied are polar opposites of my state schools. </p>
<p>So, I wasn’t even permitted to apply simply because I had too many credits... Imagine not being told that you were rejected, but (after sending in the apps) being told that you’re INELIGIBLE to apply because of some silly red-tape rules. </p>
<p>To be fair, Wellesley and Smith are very wonderful to many students; however, my experiences have shown me, without a doubt, that MHC is the better college. Mount Holyoke TRULY wants a diverse student body. They won’t be illogical because they don’t care enough to look past silly bureaucratic boxes. </p>
<p>/end novel :)</p>
<p>Oh, frazzledmaybe! Thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad that you found MHC. Mount Holyoke is lucky to have you as a student!</p>
<p>Frazzledmaybe,thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You have no idea how encouraging this is for me: I was not accepted at Wellesley and I am the girl that Diplomat talks about. I have a similar story with you: transeferring form a cc, 3.9 GPA, I am fluent in four languages, Political Science and Philosophy major, SATs were very good except for MAth (i have been out of high school for four years, and I did not even had the same program as US high schools)private high school in my home country, survivor of domestic abuse during my years at cc, I won full scholarship to attend my high school, 14 classes a semeseter (very advanced level); great 3 college professor (All PhDs and Fullbright scholars) recommandations (I have copies of the recommandations b/c they give me strength when things do not go so well and I have marks on my face), one amazing counselor recommandation- I have done a lot of community services here even though it has been EXTREMELY hard (plus a part job cleaning houses), the first one from my college to ever do an internship, president of a very large club at cc (my college has 20.000 + students). Phi Theta Kappa member and I have won a few awards, but I have taken classes for four years at cc, a few of them I had to retake because I withdrew due to my family situation. My application was very strong; my essay was about discrimination against women as an international phenomena and my personal experiences with it (how my professors in my home country thought that women are ignorant or how I am considered an immoral woman b/c of what I am studying), I had an on campus interview and to pay for the ticket to go there I had to sell a bracelet that my father gave me for my birthday. I was very disappointed with the interview: the lady asked me about my volunteer projects, looked at my transcript and said that she is amazed why I dropped 3 classes in one semester and repeated 9 times that I was most likely not to be accepted b/c it is very competitive. The interview lasted 15 minutes. I have been torturing myself for the last two weeks since I received the decision (rejected) and I can not stop thinking what would have happened if I did things differently- but I did more than my best with what I was given. Needless to say, the lady that interviewed me for MHC was very different from Wellesley and I am going to attend MHC in the fall (lets be friends)! Wellesley and Smith are the only ones that did not accept me from 9 colleges where I applied (including Georgetown, Columbia University, Hollins University, University of Pennsylvania). Reading your story gives me strength that It was not me who was not good enough, but probably the way they function over there. As my counselor says: Wellesley is a famous school, but they keep their noses up too high: if you are different from them, not a legacy and not wealthy, you are not going to get there. GO MHC- the more I read about it, the more I know I am going to love it there and fit much better than at Wellesley. Sorry for the second novel in this post.</p>
<p>You're welcome, operamom. Thank you for your kind words. </p>
<p>Scholarfeminist, I am willing to bet that many other students have had similar experiences with Wellesley. If we found each other on this tiny thread, common sense points toward a larger true number of people with similar stories. It is very sad that they are unwilling to act on their own mantra of diversity. Diversity is not limited to a minority box checked on an application. Moreover, the type of diversity that is welcome should not be limited to what can be quantified and used to improve USNews rankings scores... I'll stop before I go on a rant about the worthlessness of the rankings lol.</p>
<p>I do think that we will be very happy at Mount Holyoke. Mount Holyoke certainly has the most beautiful campus I viewed during my search, and the students are well-spoken and incredibly friendly. We will be part of a truly diverse, open, tight community! </p>
<p>Feel free to send me a private message and I'll reply with my contact info. :)</p>
<p>I realize that this thread is a few weeks old, but as a current Wellesley student I feel the need to comment because the comments here are so incredibly negative and I believe, unfair, against Wellesley and Wellesley students, in many ways. </p>
<p>1) The notion that all Wellesley students are "upper class, white, wealthy and of course, legacies". This statement is slightly ridiculous. According to Princeton Review, about 60% of Wellesley students are on financial aid and 60% of MHC students are on financial aid. According to Princeton Review, 47% of Wellesley students are white, 26% are Asian, 7% Hispanic, and 6% are African-American. Also according to Princeton Review, 52% of MHC students are white, 11% are Asian, 6% are Hispanic, and 4% are African-American. Even allowing for those students who did not report their race, Wellesley compares well to Mount Holyoke in terms of ethnic diversity. A quick search has not turned up the percentage of students at Wellesley who are legacies, but of the few I know, I can give you every assurance that they are every bit as intelligent and deserving of their spot as any other Wellesley student. I am sure that there are some who are not, but I am every bit as sure that you could find those students at MHC as well. Furthermore, the extrapolation that Diplomat makes from attending apparently one class that was not to her liking to claiming that "most" Wellesley women showed a high level of immaturity and intolerance is incredibly offensive. Of course I don't know what happened in that class, and I won't be so foolish to claim that those students might not have been immature and intolerant, but neither I nor any of my friends exhibits said immaturity and intolerance, and I don't think that a majority of Wellesley students do, either. I also do not think it is fair to judge an entire student body from one class. </p>
<p>2) The rejection of frazzledmaybe and Scholarfeminists have been bandied about as proof of how awful, short-sighted, and bigoted Wellesley is, when it actuality, it seems from reading both this and the Wellesley board that both were rejected for simply not meeting Wellesley's requirements for transfer admission, which is that only incoming Sophomore and Junior students can apply (students who have at least 2 years left to complete on their degree). frazzledmaybe argues that Wellesley is the lesser school because it is illogically will not "look past bureaucratic boxes". She is certainly entitled to her opinion; many people would argue that it is illogical in this day and age to maintain an all-women's student body but the Wellesley College administration disagrees with this and refuses to accept any number of truly spectacular male applicants with stories to rival any on this board because of their status as male. Again, a person may disagree with the policy not to accept students with more than 2 years of college credit just as a person may disagree with the policy not to accept male students, but the fact that Wellesley maintains both policies is not proof that Wellesley does not value diversity or only admits privileged applicants. I believe--as an actual student at Wellesley--that neither is true, and the statistics back up my assertion at least at the most basic level.</p>
<p>Additionally, I would note that this requirement is enumerated in the first paragraph on the first page pertaining to transfer admissions on the Wellesley College website, a page that is not particularly difficult to find. I agree that Wellesley erred if it did not make this requirement known to you, if that is indeed what happened, but the information is readily available and mistakes are possible anywhere. That doesn't excuse Wellesley for making a mistake, but again, it is not indication of Wellesley's total lack of character as an institution. You are upset that Wellesley and Smith disagreed with your assertion that you still had two years left on your degree, but they both did still disagree. Having only taken community college classes and/or having only taking 100 and 200 level classes does not prove that you were only a rising Junior, as one could be a rising Senior at Wellesley who has not taken any 300 level courses and can still be on track to graduate on time. I can understand that this was upsetting to you, but it does not prove that Wellesley or Smith's are lesser schools than Mount Holyoke--only that they have stricter transfer rules. </p>
<p>As to the notion of whether or not Wellesley wants "real" diversity: in my one year so far at Wellesley, there have been numerous forums for discussions of all kinds of diversity in which members of all communities are welcome. Wellesley isn't perfect; no one worth listening to would claim otherwise. I know very little of Mount Holyoke, besides the bare facts, but I would guess that it, like any other school, has its fair share of people who are neither as open nor as tolerant as others would like. This is not me trying to bash Mount Holyoke, or claim that Wellesley is "better" than it in some subjective way, but to simply point out that anecdotal evidence and a few bad experiences are not enough reason to throw <em>any</em> school away or claim that <em>any</em> student body is as a whole intolerant or unaccepting of diversity. Unfortunately there are intolerant people everywhere and although it is true that there are some at Wellesley, I can assure anyone reading this board that these students are not coddled or wordlessly accepted without challenge, and that most Wellesley students do value real diversity.</p>
<p>Advantagious, I DO have two years left to complete on my degree. I am a transfer from a community college (i.e., a two-year college). Yes, it is technically possible to graduate with very few 300-level courses, but community colleges tend to not have many major-specific courses, so it would have been literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to graduate in less than 2 years. More importantly, I made it abundantly clear that I was aware that I could only transfer two years of credit. What logical institution cares if I have more than two years if I can only transfer two years? The fact of the matter is that Wellesley's admissions officers refused to look past a technicality that wouldn't even affect how long I'd need to attend. </p>
<p>I disagree that Wellesley only admits privileged students, but I maintain that their red-tape prevents them from accepting diversity that doesn't help their stats. If I were a few years older, I'd be eligible to apply through their older person's program, so it is a joke to say that there is some real reason for my ineligibility based on extra credits that, again, wouldn't even affect the two-year residency requirement. There IS a reason for not accepting males (this is a false analogy that you presented), and that is maintaining the all-women's environment and commitment to women's education. </p>
<p>Also, if you had carefully read my comment you would have seen that I called colleges about the residency requirement and was told that it did not apply for community college students. Almost all colleges have this requirement, so it was not something I only viewed on Wellesley's site. I even had an interview at Wellesley with an Adcom who saw my transcript and knew that I had more than two years of credit, yet nothing was said to me BEFORE I applied. Wellesley, like Smith (which I mentioned told me two different things within the very same day), needs to keep their people on the same page. </p>
<p>I understand that you want to defend your college, but red tape is red tape regardless of whether you have college loyalty. Of course Wellesley is a wonderful college, and I believe I pointed out that it offers many women wonderful opportunities; HOWEVER, it does not value true diversity more than silly rules. That is not arguable with stats, since obviously they wouldn't have rules to prevent better stats.For the record, I don't think anyone was trying to say that Wellesley should be thrown away as an option. We were only saying that in this area MHC (or at least the administration) is superior. Obviously there are close-minded individuals EVERYWHERE, so we would be fools to claim that MHC had that over Wellesley or vice versa. Wellesley had a student body open enough to be among most of our top choices, after all. :)</p>
<p>PS: Wellesley DOES accept male applicants if they happen to have female genitalia. Just saying. :)</p>