<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I am interested in Woman College, but do not want to apply more than two in my list. Since Smith and MHC have lots of similarity, I would like to choose one of them to apply. Could anyone offer me some advices to compare the two schools in the following area,</p>
<ol>
<li>Rate to get into graduate school immidiately after graduation</li>
<li>Employment rate after graduation</li>
<li>Academic rigor</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>What are you planning to major in?</p>
<p>About Mount Holyoke : “Six months after graduation, 86 percent of the class of 2011 were working or in school. Of those students, 19 percent were attending graduate/professional schools of their choice. Typically, 75 percent of MHC graduates enroll in graduate/professional school within ten years.”</p>
<p>The first two, you can Google. The third is subjective - depends on your major/classes you take. </p>
<p>I’m still in high school so have not much room to speak. However I have visited both, and I like Smith better. It’s got an open curriculum (no core curriculum requirements), which Mount Holyoke cannot say. I think that the campus is much more beautiful. While both campuses are gorgeous, I like the buildings at Smith better - the inside of a few of Mount Holyoke’s buildings seemed like retirement homes at times. Also, Smith dorms are far, far superior to Mount Holyoke’s radiator-filled dorms.</p>
<p>My daughter got into both. Smith didn’t offer her any merit aid. MHC gave her a very generous merit scholarship. I think she would have preferred to go to Smith (she loved the housing there as Marinozai said) and be surrounded by Northampton, but now she’ll have the monetary flexibility to go on to grad school. And she can always hop on the consortium bus and go to Northampton - or to any of the other colleges - for additional social aspects.</p>
<p>Yes, I will say that Mount Holyoke is less selective than Smith and I have known many students who have gotten merit aid from Mount Holyoke and not from Smith.</p>
<p>Just how rural is Mt Holyoke? Are there places in walking distance from the campus at all, as there are at Smith? In addition, do MH students make use of the consortium and actually take classes at other campus locations? Do Smith students do so? Finally, which college has greater access to things off campus for those that really like to spread their wings, would want to engage with students/activities from other colleges and have a decent social life with men (as friends and for dating) as part of the college experience?</p>
<p>I can answer your first few questions. South Hadley, Hokyoke’s town, is a nothing town whereas Northampton is much more lively.</p>
<p>Marinozai re: 'South Hadley, Hokyoke’s town, is a nothing town ': Sigh…that is what I was afraid to hear.
HSG</p>
<p>My daughter attends Mt. Holyoke and LOVES it! She looked hard at both Smith and MHC and after interviewing at both schools chose Mt. Holyoke because of the excellent academics and much friendlier and more welcoming and diverse environment. </p>
<p>To set the record straight, MHC is NOT less selective than Smith…both schools had a 42% acceptance rate in 2012 according to the College Board stats. While Northampton is definitely a draw for students, (and what initially drew my daughter to Smith), she felt the town was close enough (15 minutes away) to MHC. Now as a student, she has found there is plenty of entertainment between Amherst, Northampton and the Commons across the street from Mt Holyoke. She is never starved for entertainment and attends parties at local colleges with men. Your social life really is what you make of it.</p>
<p>As for academic rigor, she attended an extremely competitive high school and has found MHC totally challenges her intellectually. She has wonderful academic opportunities outside of the classroom and was a research assistant as a First Year! She, like most MHC students, plans to go to grad school. </p>
<p>Last, we saw the dorms at Smith. They are nice. But a major turn off for our daughter about the Smith housing was when the Director of Residential Life admitted that the overcrowded housing conditions at Smith forced the college to house students in dorm living rooms. Whereas at MHC, the dorms at MHC are absolutely PALATIAL. Most upperclass students have singles. Her first year dorm was a Victorian building that had been completely renovated and updated with a first floor living room, computer room and separate game room with game tables and flatscreen TV. Her own room had huge dormer windows, hardwood floors and a walk in closet. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Keep in mind, the 42% acceptance rate is not as high as it sounds. Applicants to womens colleges are self-selecting; those who see themselves as a good fit apply and get in–if it’s not for you, you don’t apply, so there are fewer rejections. Applicants weed themselves out before applying.</p>
<p>Hope that makes sense!</p>
<p>Ok, so to begin, students aren’t sleeping in living rooms anymore. That happened a few years ago because of over-enrollment, but now, even the students in temporary housing have rooms, and they can stay in them for the whole year if they want. Rooms in general are very nice, too. My room’s quite large, and we have two walk-in closets. I love it. </p>
<p>As for the town, it’s really nice to have Northampton within walking distance. It’s very convenient, and the town is lovely. For such a small town, it’s really lively and full of things to do. I love having a drugstore half-a-block away from my house, it’s really convenient, and the town itself is a 5 minutes walk away. Of course, that’s also because I live in Lower Elm, but the other areas of campus are also close enough that they can go there by walking too.</p>
<p>As for academics, both schools are great and very rigorous, but I like that Smith has an Engineering department. </p>
<p>Finally, both schools are among the most diverse in the country, although MHC does have a higher percentage of internationals. As for being welcoming, I haven’t felt unwelcome at Smith for even a second. There are students from all years in my house, and they’ve been great to us. I don’t get why people think Smith’s unfriendly. I’ve yet to meet a Smithie who wasn’t friendly and ready to help. I’m sure there are some (just as I’m sure there are some at MHC and every single campus in the country), but I haven’t met any yet. </p>
<p>I don’t think you can go wrong with either school, so I would just visit both and see which one you like better.</p>
<p>The comparison between these two schools is inevitable and unending. I do think Guitar500 has it right; you can’t go wrong with either school and you really do need to visit both because culturally the two are subtly different and in the long run this can make a much bigger difference in your college experience. I would caution any potential student (as I did my own daughter), not to choose a school based on the quality of a dorm or the location. These are such superficial qualities. In fact, choosing one of these two colleges over the other based on location when the two are just 10 miles apart seems downright silly. It’s true that the academic excellence and reputation of a school and an extensive alumni network can give you a good launch, but I can tell you, having hired kids from both schools for entry level jobs over the years, both offer these qualities. What will stay with you for a lifetime, long after you’ve forgotten what your dorm room looked like, is the relationships you’ll form. When all consequential things are equal, including affordability, go with the college that attracts students you would most want to have as your life-long friends.</p>
<p>The comparison between these two schools is inevitable and unending. I do think Guitar500 has it right; you can’t go wrong with either school and you really do need to visit both because culturally the two are subtly different and in the long run this can make a much bigger difference in your college experience. I would caution any potential student (as I did my own daughter), not to choose a school based on the quality of a dorm or the location. These are such superficial qualities. In fact, choosing one of these two colleges over the other based on location when the two are just 10 miles apart seems downright silly. It’s true that the academic excellence and reputation of a school and an extensive alumni network can give you a good launch, but I can tell you, having hired kids from both schools for entry level jobs over the years, both offer these qualities. What will stay with you for a lifetime, long after you’ve forgotten what your dorm room looked like, is the relationships you’ll form. When all consequential things are equal, including affordability, go with the college that attracts students you would most want to have as your life-long friends.</p>
<p>Ditto the last post. What you want to take away from a great college experience is a terrific education and lasting friendships. Ultimately, the location of Northampton (being 15 minutes away) ended up being a non-issue for our daughter. Both Smith and MHC are worth visiting to learn and/or feel which one is the right fit for you. </p>
<p>My daughter had the good fortune of proximity to visit both schools twice and in different seasons to determine the one she liked best before she even applied. However, if you can’t visit, schedule an interview with a college rep or an alum. It will help you so much to understand the schools better.</p>
<p>Hello! So I am an international student and I got into Mount Holyoke ED2 with financial aid. I also got the 21st century scholarship. My family contribution (with health insurance) is about 8.5 k. I can only afford 6 k per year. I tried negotiating but the financial aid department wasn’t very flexible. I don’t know what to do now because I really want to attend MHC. Is it possible to save (summer jobs/internships) about 3 k per year in MHC so that I could contribute towards my family contribution? Are there any outside/inside scholarships for international students that I could apply for after I enroll? Also, how much is the funding for the summer internship (and how long) worth that I am to receive as a 21st century schoar?? Please share your financial experiences with me at MHC. Thanks!</p>