Mount Holyoke or Bryn Mawr?

College Search & Selection
1

I’m an international student from Italy that would like to apply to both Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke this year. I visited both of them, and loved the campus vibe they gave off! However, in order to increase my chances of getting in to one of them, I would like to apply early decision, but I cannot choose which one I like best. Bryn Mawr feels like a better fit from a general point of view (I loved their traditions, the consortium and the fact that I was relatively close to Philly), but Mount Holyoke offers a better program in International Relations (which is what I would like to major in). I felt that South Hadley however was a bit too isolated for my taste. Help?

Added bonuses:

  • strong campus traditions
  • balance between school work and extracurriculars
  • strong IR department
  • internationality
2

Although Bryn Mawr’s IR program is on the newer side, students have been independently majoring in it for a long time before it was made an “official” major. Thus, related departments have been collaborating on this focus for many years and supporting students in the discipline. Keep in mind you’d have access to all courses offered at Haverford, Swarthmore, and UPenn. These colleges are very easy to get to (Haverford is 1 mile/10 minute bus ride away, Swarthmore is about 30 minutes by bus, and Penn is 30-40 minutes by train).

While MoHo has a great IR program, I don’t think BMC’s is so far behind that, especially with the Quaker Consortium, your offerings wouldn’t be comparable. Ultimately you’re spending four years in a place and you want to make sure it’s a place you want to be! That means where you feel comfortable eating, sleeping, socializing, etc.

I was deciding between MoHo and BMC and loved both, but ultimately chose BMC for the location. I didn’t want to be in that rural of an area and loved being so close to Philly (and just two hours from New York and DC). I know some students enjoy being in more rural places to just focus on academics, but I appreciate the balance BMC provides.

3

Five College Consortium opens up opportunities at Smith, Amherst, Hampshire, and UMass for MHC students. Free transportation between those 5 schools as well.

4

The International Relations major at Mount Holyoke is first rate. Here is some commentary about Professor Vincent Ferraro who started the IR department in 1976. He was named one of the best professors in the nation by Princeton Review. You should also know that Mount Holyoke will provide you an opportunity to do an internship during your student years there. It is relatively easy to get from MHC to anywhere in the US via Southwest Airlines and to anywhere in the Pioneer Valley via the free five college bus. Mount Holyoke students are very politically involved and aware.

Vincent Ferraro

Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics

From the Princeton Review:

Vincent Ferraro, professor of international politics at Mount Holyoke College, uses the issues of world politics to help students understand the importance of knowledge and self-discipline. “Power over oneself is the one and only objective,” he says.

It is no surprise that he shows such passion for what he teaches (“a teacher is always a student”), and he considers teaching to be a truly noble profession. His classes, which include World Politics, Rhetoric of Peace and War, International Political Economy, and American Foreign Policy, are “riveting” and highly dependent on current topics; his weekly quizzes are even based on news articles. He is “more interested in developing YOU as a person to be able to think intelligently in the world than in just shoveling knowledge down your throat,” according to one student.

He’s enthusiastic about teaching (yet “calm and wise”), and always begins a class by giving his conclusion first and then working backwards. “I also try to use a concrete historical or contemporary example for every theoretical point I make,” he says. In one of his classes, “he doesn’t give a final, except that you have to create a website on a topic of your choice.”

“There is no way you walk away from a class with him without learning, gaining interest, and feeling it absolutely necessary to take another class with him! He is understanding, helpful, compassionate, and wicked smart!” raves one student.

Gianna Montinola 3y

Vinnie and I both started at Mount Holyoke in 1976. I met him in an Introduction to Pollitics class that convinced me to switch majors to politics. He eventually became my advisor. In fact, I belonged to the first batch of international relations majors, something he helped create and develop that year. Over the years we have kept in touch and he has been my personal link to the college. I am elated but not surprised that he belongs to this prestigious list. His classes were not only interesting and stimulating, they were ALWAYS INSPIRING.

Gianna Montinola '80

Kirsten Stelk-Frazier 3y

Vinnie inspired my interest in international relations (although I ended up double-majoring in Poiltics and Religion) and has been a major source of inspiration for my own teaching style (I work with middle school students). I love his enthusiasm and dedication to his students, and am not at all surprised to hear that he has made this list. CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes!