I am an international student and have been accepted to Mount Holyoke and Vassar Colleges for admission this fall! Both have offered me similar financial aid packages. So, that’s not a defining issue to help me decide. Being an international student, I cannot afford to travel and visit the campuses, so I would be really grateful if someone could help me out. My parents have left the decisions on my shoulders and said that they are going to respect wherever I choose to go to. But, I’m confused!
In my head, I want to attend a place where there is not only academic learning but, community based learning too! Both MoHo and Vassar offer this possibility! I have previously attended an all-girls high school and really loved the ‘sisterhood’ experience and helping each other grow and coexist. Mount Holyoke does give me this vibe, but again it’s all virtual. I realize that we readily accept what colleges advertise and they advertise what they want us to see. So, I fear that the ‘vibes’ which I feel right now, because they are only virtual!
I do not what subject I want to major in, but I plan on minoring in Educational studies. After graduation, I intend to apply to Law Schools! Does any one have any experience with the pre-law advising at MoHo or Vassar? And, generally what reputation do MoHo and Vassar have for sending its students to Law schools? Is Vassar highly regarded by prestigious law schools?
Vassar is ranked 12th and MoHo is ranked 35th. While I’m not worried about the rankings, I just wanted to know on which criteria are these rankings based off? How are Vassar and MoHo compared as far as academics are concerned? I really really like the traditions that MoHo still follow, decades after decades. It gives a very homey feel. How much does Vassar value traditions?
I have read all over CC Posts and everyone has mentioned how people at MoHo are so friendly and the campus just feels like home! And many people have tagged Vassar as the same. It just makes me more confused.
Can anyone share their experience (good or bad) at either college? It would help me a great deal!
Also, If I attend MoHo, what is it that I will miss out on Vassar?
And if I attend Vassar, what is it that I will miss out on MoHo? (Apart from it being an all-female college and the 5 college consortium)
@twoinanddone Yes! Reaching either school would be easy! Both colleges will be making shuttle transport available from the airport. So that’s good!
I want to go to but don’t know if I will indeed go to Law School. As of now, I have it all planned. However, I don’t know what the circumstances will be then. But I wanted to be keep that option open, just in case!
Vassar is a great school, so your concerns are easy to understand. In brief, Vassar is intellectual in atmosphere, with architecture that is generally “collegiate impressive” (though in places oversized).
In contrast, MoHo would seem to be a touch more community oriented (a quality you’ve prioritzed). Their academics are wide-ranging and rich in content, and the school’s campus aesthetics are tough to beat.
Honestly, I hope you will continue to consider your choices as long as it takes for you to select the right one, @ABCPen31.
Since you asked about rankings, I should note that the topic in general is both controversial and somewhat complex. For practical purposes, you may want to see whether your choices overlap by obvious attributes (such as in student profile ranges). This might suffice to indicate approximate academic equivalence.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply @merc81 ! I appreciate it a lot!
In terms of grad school admissions, would you happen to have an idea about which one of both have a better ‘reputation’? I like to believe that grad school admission officers would rather see our contribution to a college environment and the growth there rather than the ‘ranking’ of that specific college. But how much does ‘reputation’ play in grad school admissions? As in, in which college are the academics considered to be more challenging and rigorous?
Thank you once again for your time and patience @merc81!
I have to believe the biggest factoid behind their respective USNews rankings is the same combination that separates most of the LACs: admits per applicants (selectivity) and spending per student (often a proxy for endowment per student.) But, screw that. I doubt anyone is ever going to ask you, “Gee, why did you pick Mount Holyoke over Vassar?” or vice versa. At some point, the rankings just get in the way.
For what we can reasonably consider to be academically overlapping schools, I’d say that comparative reputation should not be a factor for your purposes, @ABCPen31.
US world report list it’s ranking criteria. Selectivity is low on the list. More important retention rates, graduation rates, student teacher ratio and ever peer assessment. Mt. Holyoke is very rural and Vassar students really do go into NYC though I suppose there would be opportunities to go into Boston at Holyoke . I personally think vassar’s campus prettier but my opinion.
Both great schools. Congratulations. I really like them both. One D almost chose Vassar, and my youngest almost chose Holyoke. I kind of wanted the one who passed on Holyoke to choose it. It was one of my favorite visits, and I always wanted one of D’s to attend a 7 sister school.
Couldn’t tell you about the rankings. I don’t waste time trying to figure them out. I tend to think of schools in general categories of academic competitiveness and match, as @prezbucky often writes, rather than obsessing over why one school is # 4 and another school widely viewed as a peer sits at 16. Tiers make more sense to me.
In any event, you have two great choices. Nice job.
What a great choice to have. I think it comes down to co-ed or all-womens because all other comparisons are nearly equal (although I’m not sure about law school admissions). You are part of 5 school consortium at MoHo and some people push that as a positive but I’m not sure that’s worth considering as everyone I’ve talked to said they might take one or two classes elsewhere and the transport between schools is not as easy as indicated.
The schools are very similar. Do you want a single sex or coed environment? This would be a major difference. MoHo is part of the 5 college consortium so there will be guys on campus, but Vassar will have a higher percent of males overall, if that matters. As a VC grad I am biased. Great school!
Two great schools! The coed environment at Vassar might be a nice change. Vassar has an educational studies major as an option also so if you really like your education classes - there is flexibility to major in it at Vassar. Take a look at the actual classes you would be taking. Also it is probably easier to double major at Vassar because there are less distribution requirements. Strong dorm at Vassar used to be all female - check into that if you are more comfortable with a female dorm. Mount Holyoke would be a great option also. Both campuses are gorgeous! I know people who went to both schools and were very happy. Congratulations!
Two great schools! The coed environment at Vassar might be a nice change. Vassar has an educational studies major as an option also so if you really like your education classes - there is flexibility to major in it at Vassar. Take a look at the actual classes you would be taking. Also it is probably easier to double major at Vassar because there are less distribution requirements. Strong dorm at Vassar used to be all female - check into that if you are more comfortable with a female dorm. Mount Holyoke would be a great option also. Both campuses are gorgeous! I know people who went to both schools and were very happy. Congratulations!
congratulations. my D (also an international student) had the same choice 2 years back and she chose Vassar. it’s a notch above in terms of academic reputation, rigour and resources. i think the 5 college consortium is a bit of a marketing gimmick; dont know how many students actually are able to use it to the fullest potential.
where rankings are concerned, my approach is to ignore them if you’re comparing two closely ranked colleges - say #12 vs #6, but if you’re comparing #12 and #35 then you have to pause to think about why there is a difference.
in terms of lifestyle, campus, social environment, i think both schools are equally good and i know she would have been as happy had she chosen Holyoke instead of Vassar.
I have a soft spot for MoHo. Both my kids applied there, though neither attended for various reasons. I think you sound like you would really value MoHo’s community. They are also serous about academics there. It seems like a particularly strong fit for you.
From Vassar’s website: Vassar’s acceptance rates for law school are significantly higher than the national average. Last year 96% of the seniors who applied were accepted; the national average was 78%. Among the schools they are attending: Yale, Stanford, NYU, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania.
Congratulations on two great choices! You really can’t go wrong with either one. Both have strong academic reputations and excellent reputations for getting graduates into graduate programs. Both have strong networks of alums and Holyoke even has a mentoring program to help with that next transition. In terms of which is better based on the rankings…you can honestly take heart that no admissions officer at either a grad school or law school would favor one over the other. Both are excellent, go with your heart you can’t make a bad decision here. Best of luck to you!