Questions about Mount Holyoke?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Mount Holyoke College
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Hi Everyone,

Congratulations to those admitted to the MHC Class of 2019!! I am a senior and work in the Office of Admission. If you have any questions about Mount Holyoke, I would be happy to answer them or refer you to someone who can. Four years later, I am still so glad I chose Mount Holyoke, and will be a very proud alumna. I hope you choose MHC too!

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Here’s a story you might enjoy. D graduated from MHC a couple of years ago. She had to be in the Pioneer Valley for some reason last fall and stopped in to visit the campus. As she walked around, she realized that she was crying because of how much she missed going to school there!! I find it heartwarming how she has such affection for her alma mater.

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Hi there! I was admitted to Mount Holyoke last week and I am hoping I can attend.

I do have some questions for you about the school :slight_smile:

  1. How are the dorms? Is there a website I can find more info about them/pictures/roommate matching process, etc?
  2. How is the food? I know Mount Holyoke is in a rural area, so are you basically limited to on-campus food choices?
  3. If you don’t qualify for work study, how hard is it to find jobs in the South Hadley area or other jobs on campus?

Thanks!
StitchPony

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@MAdad I can already see myself being just like your daughter :slight_smile:

@stitchpony, happy to answer your questions.

  1. The residence halls are amazing! My first year I lived in Mead and loved it. Here is a good thread about dorms: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mount-holyoke-college/1682657-dorm-rooms.html and here is a page on the MHC website with all of the residence halls: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/reslife/residence-hall-descriptions
  2. The food is really great -- we five different buffet style dining halls nestled within our dorms, as well as a cafe style option in our campus center that is open from 11am to midnight, so there's always somewhere you can eat. With six dining halls (six menus!) to choose from, there are more than enough options, and I often find myself wanting to go to more than one dining hall. I especially like Prospect which has a "Culinary Special" that features a different delicacy each day. I especially love when they do personalized omelettes, dessert dillemma, grilled cheese showcase, and tostada day.

Though Mount Holyoke isn’t in a big city, we do have sushi, froyo, a burrito place, a chinese food place, and a five star restaurant right across the street, so you’re not just limited to on campus food. There are also awesome places in Northampton and Amherst that are accessible by bus.

  1. If you don't have work study you can definitely still find a job on campus. Jobs in Admission, Res Life, the Speaking Arguing and Writing Center, and other departments are open to students with or without workstudy. There are also shops across the street that employ students. Students can find jobs on JobX, MHC's online campus job portal.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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Do people actually take advantage of the five-college consortium, or is it just a nice thing to have but a bit inconvenient? I guess I’m really talking about UMass–I love Moho, but UMass has a lot of courses (foreign languages and upper-level classes) I’m interested in. Is it easy to get there and take classes (like one class a semester)?

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GB1904, languages are an area where the consortium is actually quite useful—not every school offers every language. D took a science class at Hampshire and a history class at UMass easily. Amherst kinda looks down its nose at Five College students I am told, and Smith, across the river, is a little more work to get to. Having a male or two in one’s classes at MHC was not unusual.

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Dear @MHC2015, thank you for being so kind and offering to answer our questions. I was accepted to the class of 2019 and I would really like to attend MHC but my parents would not be able to meet the EFC. I am an international student and I really appreciate the aid that they are willing to give but even after the grant, the fees are a stretch for my parents. I emailed SFS as soon as I saw my financial aid package and explained to them our situation and they said they would get back to me during the second week of April. Is there anything else I can do? The wait is killing me and I feel so tempted to reply a yes to my offer but I know that we won’t be able to afford it. :frowning:

Also I just found out yesterday that my father included some assessts in my CSS profile that he is yet to inherit but it will eventaully belong to him, just not at this point in time. What I should I do?

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@madelief You should DEFINITELY tell SFS about the inheritance issue. If he included assets he does not actually have yet, that could have raised your EFC. If the correction is made, perhaps your EFC will become affordable, at least for now. Of course, once he does actually inherit those funds, the EFC would go back to what it is now, assuming no other financial changes. But I would definitely contact them about that right away. Good luck.

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Thanks for answering questions. My daughter was admitted, and couldn’t be more excited. I have 3 questions.

First, is there a rental program for fridges and microwaves? I’d prefer not to lug those back and forth across country.

Secondly, is there any kind of shuttle between the airport and residence halls? MoHo’s website lists some car services, but was curious if this is what most students do.

Lastly, and this is looking down the road a bit, but if someone is a CA, how does that impact their Work Study? I was a CA (although we called it RA) back in college and loved it, and have encouraged my daughter to look at it for herself in the future.

Thanks again - and so proud of the accomplishments of all the class of 2019!!

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I can try to your questions…

  1. I’m not 100% certain but I don’t think there’s a fridge rental service. I think most people bring them from home or order them to pick up at the local Walmart or Target on arrival. I wouldn’t worry about it too much - your D will find out her roommate over the summer and perhaps she’ll be an east coaster who can bring the fridge. (My D brought one since her roommate is from Uzbekistan!) Also- every floor has a kitchenette with a microwave. None of my D’s friends have MWs in their rooms. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/reslife/packing
  2. WIll you be flying into Boston (Logan) or Hartford?. There isn’t any super-easy way to get to South Hadley from Boston. The Peter Pan bus will take you, but you usually have to change buses 2 times and it takes a while. Fine for her visits home, but if you’re accompanying her for move-in weekend you may want to rent a car at Logan Airport. Or use the shuttle (Valley Transporter), but it’s even pricier than from Hartford. We’re New Englanders so we haven’t had to deal with this too much, so maybe some West coast parents will chime in. You can also ask over on the Smith and Amherst boards, which might have more activity. Here’s the ground transportation page from Amherst, which may help: https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/deanstudents/international/new_international_students/new_language_assistants/travel_and_arrival_information_for_language_assistants_international_students/ground_transportation_from_airports_to_amherst
  3. My understanding is that a CA job is usually in lieu of another work-study job. You have to get permission to take another job, and you are only allowed to add a few hours a week. Work-study allowances are usually $2100/year. The CA stipend is $1600/year. Note that first-year work-study students are required to take at least one food service shift and there’s a lot of demand for those jobs. My daughter didn’t realize how tough it was going to be to make her $2100/year allotment and she’s been having to live on less pocket money as a consequence of not setting up enough hours right away!
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Thanks for the tip, Stacey on signing up for those shifts. I’ve done some googling and the flights into Hartford look a little cheaper, so that will probably be our option. Really appreciate the links, too.

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^^
My daughter attended Smith when we lived on the West Coast. Do not fly into Logan. The traffic can be horrendous going through Boston and on I-90 west. In addition to being much closer, traffic is considerably less of an issue going to and from Bradley. Students at MHC, Amherst, Smith, etc. use Bradley almost exclusively, so rideshare is much easier.

If renting a car, do so far advance and with no cancellation fee. You’ll receive a much better price. If the rental fee happens to be lower closer to your arrival date, you can cancel and rebook at the discounted rate.
Smithies can rent refrigerators. None do. You can usually buy a fridge for <$100,00 at Target or Walmart.

Have your daughter enroll in Zipcar before she arrives. Zipcar is a great back-up when a car is needed, and when the cost is shared, very reasonable.http://www.zipcar.com/mtholyoke

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Hello all

My daughter has been admitted to the MHC class of 2019. Thanks to all who are kind enough to answer questions on this thread.

My questions:

  1. What is the nature of the vocal music performance program at MHC? Is it mostly classical voice or are there also instructors for jazz, musical theater and pop voice? Do MHC students interested in vocal performance training typically take their classes at MHC or do they take them at the consortium colleges?
  2. What's the atmosphere like for students interested in premedical studies? I know it can get very competitive and oppressive at some colleges.
  3. Where can one get MHC graduates' placement record into medical schools and PhD programs in biology/biochemistry/molecular biology/psychology?
  4. For MHC students who want to meet students from other consortium schools, how easy is it to do?

Thanks!

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@MyOdyssey I’ll take a shot at some of your questions (from a parent’s perspective)

Regarding #4: it’s easy to meet students from other schools. My D has made friends with students from Smith and Hampshire, either by attending parties or academic/cultural events at other schools, or maybe just on the bus or through other friends. She has friends who have been dating students from Amherst and UMass. The free bus makes it easy to get around.

Regarding #2 - my D is a bio major. She’s not premed but several of her friends are. She has found the atmosphere to be entirely supportive and collaborative, not at all competitive or oppressive.

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Of some help:https://www.mtholyoke.edu/iresearch/outcomes

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@DragonMom2 Congratulations to your daughter! MHC is wonderful. I’ll try and add to some of the discussion here:

Question 1) D’s roommate brought a fridge. We originally ordered a microwave to pick up at the local Best Buy but girls decided to just use the hall microwave so we returned it.

Question 2) We are in the South and our D flies in and out of BDL in Hartford. Normally Southwest but she just recently took a Delta flight when she needed to meet us in Florida. Definitely much easier than Logan in Boston. Nice thing about Southwest is you can book the flights ahead of time and then change them for no fee if the dates and times don’t work. Just have to pay the higher fare if there is one. D doesn’t have a car on campus so she has taken Valley Transporter back and forth to BDL which runs about $60 each way with tip. (Very professional and safe.) MHC also sometimes runs cheaper $25 airport shuttles at break times. Or she catches a ride with a friend if they are also heading to and from airport. You do have to reserve with VT early if it’s around a break as they do get booked up with all of the five college students in the area. Although they sometimes run bigger buses during break times to accommodate the crowds. Has generally been a pretty easy travel experience for her.

Question 3) As others have mentioned there are limits as to how much additional work study you can do if you decide to go the CA route. Also you do have to move fast regarding signing up for work study shifts! Have your D prepare a resume during the summer months so she is ready to go when she gets to campus.

Best of luck!

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Some answers to logistics questions.

  1. Airport – Bradley (Hartford CT)
    Pioneer Valley transport van. $45 door to door. MHC runs a discount bus $25 to both Bradley and Login at breaks.
  2. Mini-frig --purchase online thru homedepot / costco / walmart and deliver direct to MHC. On rt. 9 (Hadley) you’ll find a bed bath beyond and other chains to purchase dorm supplies.
  3. Dorm rooms – spectacular. More like a vintage hotel.
  4. 5 college – after the first semmester students can enroll in 5-college classes. My 2nd year daughter, takes a five college class each semester. History at Amherst, PE (outdoor adventure / kayaking etc) at Hampshire, Econ at Umass The free bus makes it easy.
  5. Vocal Groups – Ds good friend is involved. Seems like a nice group of girls. Incredible winter concert. Call MHC and ask to be connected with one of girls. I’m sure they can provide details.
  6. Food – multiple dining halls on campus. Plus, “blanch” for sandwiches and salads, grab and go if you miss the dinning hall. A few aces to eat across the street in the village. Surprisingly yummy and reasonably priced Sushi.
  7. Pre-med – MHC offers all sorts of funded research opportunities.
  8. Aside from the world class education, opportunities for study abroad, funded internships, day to day interaction with focused women from every walk of life; the best thing about MHC are the dorms and 5-college opitions.

    Congrats to all. Keep posting questions.
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Mount Holyoke sounds like the best school ever. I’ve fallen in love with the college just by connecting with the accepted students on facebook and exchanging emails with the administrators.
Do you know any traditions at Mount Holyoke? Bryn Mawr said a lot about their May Day and Laterns etc,. but I don’t know if there are equivalents at MHC.
I got the impression that the menus at the dining halls also do not have too many dishes with beef and lamp. Is it correct?

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@Flylies There are some incredible traditions at Mount Holyoke! Here are a few that I know about-

Milk and Cookies
Every night that has class the next day, students are served a snack at night as a study break/social time.

Class colors and mascots
In 1909 the colors and mascots were finalized. Each year has its own: the red pegasus, yellow sphinx, green griffin, and blue lion. This system has persisted to this day, and marks everything from our key holders to our library banners to the decals on the windows of the college store. Each class proudly displays their class color at class-related activities such as Convocation and DisOrientation, and it is an integral part of our identity as Mount Holyoke students. In the library is a staircase which, by tradition, the various colors can only go up one side or the other.

Mountain Day
When fall weather sets in, speculation begins about the date for Mountain Day. One of the College’s oldest traditions, Mountain Day provides an unexpected break from classes and other obligations, and many students spend the day enjoying outdoor activities, in particular, hiking on Mount Holyoke in Skinner State Park. The early morning pealing of the Mary Lyon Hall bell announces to the campus that it’s Mountain Day.

May Day
Complete with maypole and dresses on Skinner Green (I think its part of Pangy Day.)

Laurel Chain (beautiful!)
The Laurel Chain is one of the most recognizable and most beloved traditions of commencement week, as it marks the transition from the student community of Mount Holyoke to the life of a proud alumna.

Elfing
Today, elfing occurs early to midway through fall semester. One date is set across campus for the start. Typically, the first part of Elfing is covering the firstyear’s door with newspaper or something fun, so that when the firstyear innocently awakes, she’ll open the door to startlement. She’ll usually find the first of her little elfing gifts as well. The firstyear, or, in Elfing, the Elfee (as in the one being Elfed), receives these presents over the course of the week from her Elf who, of course, goes by a false name. After Elfing, the sophomore reveals her still-secret identity.

Pangy Day
Pangynaskeia, a word loosely defined as “cultivating the total world of women – physical, intellectual, and moral,” was one of the names that Mary Lyon was considering for her new seminary before the name “Mount Holyoke” won out. In 1979, Pangynaskeia (now commonly called “Pangy Day”) debuted as a Mount Holyoke College tradition celebrating this “total world of women.” Pangy Day includes the all-college picnic at the Amphitheater and then moves up to Skinner Green for a “fun free for all” with more music, games, the Ritual Maypole & Spiral Dance, face painting, ice cream, and more. There is a mass distribution of daises at the Pangy Picnic by the Environmental Action Coalition in the spirit of May Day to encourage everyone to join the festivities on Skinner Green.

Convocation
Convocation is the traditional opening of the College each year. On the afternoon before the first day of classes, the faculty and student body gather in the amphitheater to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year. This is the first formal College event that new students attend. Each class wears it’s color and many wear costumes.

Disorientation
DisOrientation is one of the more eagerly awaited of the traditions. The seniors plot and scheme in secret full class and hall class meetings. Firstyears are often tipped off by the signup sheets (firstyears must sign up as willing members, and there is no repercussions for opting out of participation) At an appointed hour, seniors across campus quietly gather in the hallway of the uppermost floor of their residence hall, wearing their academic robes and, often, accessories in their class color. The chant goes up, a repetition of “Holyoke, Holyoke, Holyoke,” and the seniors gather the firstyears, who often try to hide out of startlement and a hopefully irrational fear inspired by the many pounding feet and loud chanting. Once gathered, the firstyears are often given costumes or some DisOrientation regalia to mark them as belonging to their respective hall. The groups of seniors and firstyears gather for a boisterous opening of DisOrientation, with hall songs and chants and general loudness. After some parading around campus, students return to their halls to discuss the seniors’ plans for their firstyears – tasks, activities, whatever the hall’s seniors decided to do to mark Dis-O. The week is full of these specific events, until a culmination party ends the week of DisOrientation.

Then there are some unofficial things the students do. Something about Mary Lyon’s grave on Halloween, I think… and various charming ghost stories and such. What can you expect from a college that has been around since 1837!

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Staceyneil - For movie night during Orientation they always show Dirty Dancing and everyone always yells and screams near the beginning of the movie when the father says “Baby is going to Mount Holyoke in the fall”.