<p>My daughter has been admitted to both Wellesley and Mount Holyoke. She got the 21st Century Scholarship from Mount Holyoke. Mount Holyoke's financial aid package is all from scholarship and grant, while Wellesley's financial aid includes work-study and loan, which may mean that she has to work 10 hours each week, and it may affect her study and research more or less.</p>
<p>Overall, the difference of cost for us is around 9.5K/year.</p>
<p>My D is kind of introvert. She likes to do research and her goal is to go to medical school after college. She likes MHC and Wellesley is her dream school after visiting both schools. Wellesley has a much higher rank than MHC and it is in Boston. We are not rich and ~40k (4 years) is still a lot of money to us. We can definitely use that money for her medical school.</p>
<p>So my question is whether Wellsley is worth 9.5k/year more than Mount Holyoke? What Wellesley can provide that MHC may not be able to in terms of helping my D to get a better education? </p>
<p>And she wants to major in neuroscience and minor in anthropology. Her career goal is to become a forensic pathologist.</p>
<p>I can’t speak about Wellesley, but I graduated from MHC and can tell you that the sciences are top notch. Many graduates go on to graduate study and medical school. The Five College Exchange and the various Five College programs supplement MHC’s excellent offerings. The current college president is an alum and she is very dynamic. Students work very hard at MHC, but your D sounds up for it. And the alumni network is amazing…I am always running into other alums professionally and socially, and we have an instant connection. We help and care about each other.</p>
<p>As far as location, South Hadley is much quieter than Wellesley, but the town is charming and the free Five College bus helps students get around. Amherst and Northampton are both fun college towns. The MHC campus is just stunning…a wonderful place to spend four years.</p>
<p>As you probably know, Wellesley is not in Boston, but in a wealthy suburban community outside the city. I imagine that your D probably wouldn’t hang out in Boston too often due to the demands of her coursework and the high cost of the attractions. It is a fun college city, though, and many students are understandably attracted to it.</p>
<p>Your D will get a very high quality education no matter which school she chooses. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m a Mount Holyoke alumna, and my daughter was also offered the 21st Century Scholarship last year. We got nothing from Wellesley because they don’t give merit aid. Still, she picked Wellesley (after a lot of agonizing and guilt over not going to my alma mater!) because it seemed like a much better fit for her. She didn’t like the location of MHC as much, and their Christian fellowship, a very important consideration for her, was practically nonexistent. She also thought the music program at Wellesley (she sings and plays the piano) had more depth. </p>
<p>That said, I don’t think the quality of education differs enough to justify the ranking disparity between the two schools. (When I went to MHC, their rankings were comparable.) I think a lot of it is just public perception. Grad schools and employers are certainly going to recognize the value of a Mount Holyoke education, so if your D chooses to go there, she will be fine. Oh, and don’t underestimate the value of that funded internship that comes with the 21st Century Scholars Program–D is now searching for paid summer work and missing out on that is one thing she regrets!</p>
<p>Not that this matters for the OP’s daughter, but for others reading this I’ll add that it looks like Mount Holyoke will be funding an internship for EVERY student, now, not just the 21st Century Scholars. See this announcement from their web site: <a href=“https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/college-establishes-lynk-funds-internships”>https://www.mtholyoke.edu/media/college-establishes-lynk-funds-internships</a></p>
<p>@Massmomm, thank you for your insight. Do you know how Wellesley helps your daughter and all students in terms of internship opportunities? Does W provide paid internship? or is it totally up to students to swim or sink?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Agree with @Massmomm regarding the quality of the education being relatively equal. Wellesley may have more name recognition among the general public thanks to Hillary Clinton (which would in part account for higher magazine rankings) but both schools are well-respected and known by employers and graduate programs.</p>
<p>Tough call. I would say MH if she is 100% sure she is going to medical school, and will get commit to getting straight As in her classes there. Med school + college loans are a nightmare these days. Most of my friends are looking at over 300K combined after graduating medical school.</p>
<p>That said, if she is like most 18 year-olds and changes her mind once in college, she would likely be better off at W. While both schools are well-respected, Wellesley does draw more in terms of recruitment and does have a much better reputation for quality of student these days. Fields, like buisness and academia, that hire or accept relying on reputation more will opt for a W grad over a MH grad, all else being equal.</p>
<p>Regarding internships: my D (graduated last spring) did 4 internships while a student at Wellesley. She received 2 grants from Wellesley that permitted her to live in a different city and take an unpaid internship (and afford to live and eat). If you haven’t seen it already, you may want to review the information on their website about internships:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wellesley.edu/cws/internships”>http://www.wellesley.edu/cws/internships</a></p>