I suspect that when you attend the admitted students event that you will be convinced that this is the college for you. May I be the first from your grandmother class of 1970 to welcome you to Mount Holyoke? When I first saw Mount Holyoke in the spring of 1969, I knew it was a very special place and that I wanted to be part of it. The feeling has never left me for what is now almost 50 years. I have never regretted my decision to apply early decision and to commit to Mount Holyoke for one minute. You will love it.
@dc20016 @txserenity I absolutely loved Mount Holyoke after visiting to be completely honest. The community was so nice,welcoming,relaxed,and helpful. I also loved learning all the traditions the college had. The class I sat in on was such an upgrade from the classes I have inhigh school, I got to attend a poetry slam welcome to all college students a part of the 5-college consortium, we had a sleepover in Torrey Hall’s common room on the first night I was there and watched movies and played games(might I also mention that there was loads of food available). I got to sleep in a student’s dorm room in MacGregor, and it was nice to know that if I were to go there I would most likely have a double(which is preferable to Skidmore’s dreaded triples). The campus was beautiful.Overall, it was a truly incredible experience and I felt so comfortable there and was honestly sad to leave and return to bustling NYC.Unfortunately,due to financial reasons, I most likely won’t be attending MoHo(I’m like 80% sure). Mount Holyoke expects me to pay roughly 12000 a year(which includes the 1000 I have to pay by August 1st) whearas another college I was accepted to(Skidmore) gave me a pretty awesome fa package,to the point that I wouldn’t be in any debt after my 4 years and would have an extra $500 in my pocket. However, with Mount Holyoke most of that $12,000 a year would be in the form of loans and as someone interested in going to graduate/med/dental school I don’t want to be in debt from undergrad. I am considering calling them up to reasses my package,but I honestly doubt it’s going to match Skidmore’s. However, I have a few more days to decide until my personal deadline, so who knows perhaps I will choose to be a Blue Lyon, we shall see. I’ll try to post on here again when I actually make a decision though.
To anyone who reads this in the near future and is considering applying to MoHo from what I could tell it is a great school(of course you should probably visit for yourself and then you’ll see what I’m talking about) and I do not regret applying there. Initially, it was a school that my counselor added to my college list and I thought “oh,whatever”, but after submitting my application I began to look into all the school had to offer and MoHo eventually was in the top 3(meaning the colleges I was the most excited about) out of the 18 schools I applied to. And then when I was accepted(and I got a rejection and a wait list from my top 1&2 schools) it became my first choice and going to the accepted students weekend thing made me like the school even more. 
And concerning Mount Holyoke’s financial aid, my mom wouldn’t be able to help out either because she makes under $20,000 a year(in fact she’s in grad school right now,so yeah…)
Dear Tookme10mins:
I know this sounds far fetched but please (1) appeal your financial aid award at Mount Holyoke and (2) Do not worry about leaving College with some debt. In the grand scheme of things over a lifetime you will be MUCH HAPPIER if you attend the school you love even if you have to take on student jobs while there (I was a lifeguard and an assistant to a professor). The package that Mount Holyoke put together for you is one that the College thinks you can work with. I once mentored a Mount Holyoke student who came from a family that could not help much and she made it to graduation (I attended). You will not regret the decision to go to the school you really know is right for you rather than Skidmore which is just offering more money. I’m keeping all fingers and toes crossed for you.
@Tookme10mins, my D was in much the same position as you are right now. She had four “finalists” this time last year including MoHo, Smith, Dickinson, and Skidmore. MoHo and Dickinson came in $14K more per year than Skidmore and Smith (really her 1st choice) came in $18K more per year. In the end she chose Skidmore and is very happy there.
When comparing Smith and Skidmore ($12K vs. $30K) we, as a family, had to decide if that extra $18K/yearly was worth the name, ranking and overall education in spite of the financial burden and stress that would follow that choice. Could we have done it? Yes, difficult for the first year or two and even more so in the 3rd and 4th years. IT would have required the full $27K student loans by D and most likely a parent loan for myself. Don’t forget that college costs more each year… There are other factors to consider as well. A tough one was that D was awarded the STRIDE which entails a research component at Smith and was early-write. They were showing her the love in all ways except financially.
MoHo is a beautiful school with great academics. So is Skidmore. D has had great luck with both the science and math departments at Skidmore and was chosen a Schupf Scholar and will work a 10-week Quantum Mechanics research project this summer with a stipend and free room and board as well as have monies available to her for the next four years for travel expenses, etc. to conferences relative to her studies. So, probably similar to the STRIDE that Smith was offering.
It is our hope and belief that D will graduate with limited student loans but still have the same opportunities available she would have had through MoHo/Smith/Dickinson such as summer research, study abroad, good internships, etc. If rankings are important to you, Skidmore is no slouch. They continue to climb in the rankings and this year posted a 28% acceptance rate, down from 37% in 2015. They are building their STEM departments but at the same time have a great focus on diversity and the arts. Of course there is the co-ed vs. all girls’ dilemma…
What you are looking at today is about $50,000 more over the four years but with rising costs, it could be more like $60,000 (Skidmore assured me that the grant would increase to cover tuition increases, not sure how MoHo works). Will that restrict you in other ways such as getting home for long weekends or study abroad? Will you be able to enjoy your four years or will you be struggling so much that it will feel burdensome? I wish you the best of luck in your decision. Its a tough one I know, I feel for you. Make sure you keep us posted
Do appeal your financial aid - it’s weird that MHC gave you so much less than Skidmore, since from what I can tell they’re both need-based awards. However, especially since you’ve expressed and interest in medical school, it’s really, really important to keep yourself out of debt for undergrad, since you;re almost certainly going to need to take out a lot for med school.
@FireflyLights , I also thought it was “weird” that Skidmore’s financial aid was so much better, so much so that I met with them personally to go over the figures and make sure there was no mistake.
OP, we did suggest on another thread that you appeal your FA. I can’t emphasize enough that you should do this – you have NOTHING to lose, and you might get an improvement in your package so you can attend MHC. Please call them today – let them know you loved your visit, but are having a hard time with the finances, and that a comparable school has given you a better FA offer – ask if they can review your FA for you. Don’t use the word “match”, but saying that you are having trouble with the finances, really want to attend, but have a better offer from a comparable school and are struggling with the cost. People make these calls all the time – don’t feel like it is not something you should do. The worst that can happen is that they can’t improve your package. They can do it in just a couple of days usually – so call them after school today if you can!
Since Skidmore is offering the OP a place in their HEOP cohort, this is not regular financial aid. It is a spot in a state-funded opportunity program which is run by private colleges. OP was extremely fortunate to be selected.
Mt Holyoke is a fantastic school and personally I would turn somersaults if one of my Ds were to go there. And yes, normally need-based financial aid would be more generous (at least, in our family’s case – 2 of my kids interviewed at Skidmore, and I have run a lot of net price calcs!) But I would not advise my D to take on $46 K of debt rather than accept this golden ticket. Esp since Skidmore is not enough of a “lesser” school to justify passing up this opportunity.
HEOP will provide not only complete financial aid but also weekly mentoring with a personal advisor, funds for books and expenses each semester, private tutoring if needed, guaranteed help for an extra semester or year if needed to meet career goals, travel funds for study abroad, and health insurance. And…it is an opportunity program that will “follow” OP. She will have the opportunity to apply to SUNY graduate schools for a tuition-free grad degree. If OP can shine at Skidmore, depending on her GPA and rec’s, she can end up with a tuition-free masters or PhD.
For low income kids with no safety net, it is an amazing opportunity.
Wow, that is an incredible offer. Can’t imagine passing that up, especially considering the ongoing assistance of tuition-free grad school. OP, there’s a saying “fall in love with the school that loves you”. In this case, I think its great advice. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about Skidmore, I’d be happy to give you honest answers, both good and bad.
Tookme10mins, I don’t understand how MHC determined that your EFC is $12,000 when your family’s income is low enough to qualify for the HEOP program. As Intparent and others have suggested, please immediately request MHC to review of your FA award. I also strongly recommend that you scrutinize your aid application line by line with a FA officer to verify that your financial information is correct. Something seems amiss. It’s possible that there’s an error.
http://heop.org/guideline/
You should be very proud of yourself. You have two great choices.
@CrewDad I think what may be amiss is what we put on the CSS profile and the IDOC. Mount Holyoke asked for my moms 2015 tax returns which said our income was like 35,000 because it was. But,that was because my mom was finally offered a full-time position at the college she was working at,around March of last year. However,my mom felt like she still wasn’t being paid well and decided to finish getting her doctorate degree. So left her job and started grad school this past September. While she does get money/work study from the school it’s not a lot and amounts to some number lower than $20,000 a year and I guess that’s because the average grad student is not a single mother tying to support/feed 3 people(including themselves),paying for piano lessons,bills,transportation fees,groceries,etc. My grandmother does help out every now and then though(mainly with grocery money and piano lessons).
Another reason I think they expect me to pay so much is because they asked for my father’s 2015 tax returns too,which means they assume he pays child support,however he does not(my mom chooses not to report him). My sister and I do still communicate with him and he does occasionally give us money for our birthdays/Christmas and I do think he would agree to contributing,but I honestly don’t think it will be much.On top of that my father is married so they probably included his spouse’s income,and thought “oh,since all these people will be able to contribute,this is a fair financial aid package.”
In regards to Skidmore, my counselor called Skidmore and explained our financial situation. She told them about the realities of our situation and how my mom has recently applied for food stamps,etc.which is why they probably still accepted me into the program. However,she did not do this with Mount Holyoke because I was not applying through HEOP(not that they have heop anyways)
I hope that cleared things up.
@NEPatsGirl @momcinco @intparent @CrewDad @FireflyLights, and anyone else that I may have missed,thank you so much for the time you guys have taken to give me so much good advice/information. Normally, I would have gone to my counselor for help,but unfortunately she is out this whole entire week and spring break(for me) starts on Friday. I have carefully read over everything you guys have said and have made a decision. I will send an email to Mount Holyoke to ask them to consider an appeal for my financial aid package tomorrow(I have been working on it,since this evening) and follow up with a phone call,which I will make tomorrow. Hopefully, they will get back to me with an answer by next week,and if they decide not to change it or they still expect my family and me to pay more than we can,I will go to Skidmore. Even at this point I feel like I will most likely go to Skidmore(even if Mount Holyoke decreases the amount I do not think it will be as good as Skidmores),but I want to at least try with Mount Holyoke before I officially decide to attend Skidmore. Thank you again for all your help, I will be sure to post an update on which college I will choose.
Good plan! Honestly, I think Skidmore will end up working out well for you if you go there. But since you love MHC (and I get it, I love it, too!), this is worth giving it a try. If it doesn’t work out, at least you won’t be wondering whether it would have or not. However, if they don’t get back to you by May 1, I think you will need to deposit at Skidmore so you don’t lose your spot there; if MHC came back after that with a good enough offer, you would lose that deposit. Good luck!
Thank you!
^^
Include in your email and phone call a gentle reminder that you have a limited number of days remaining until Skidmore’s deposit is due. I’m confident the FA officer will work with you. Good luck.
Okay thanks.
And a kind of embarrassing revelation about Skidmore’s fa package that I just learned/realized a few minutes ago, I was accepted into a science/math program that they have,which is why the package was so good. However,everything is covered for the first 2 years and then during my 3rd and 4th years, a reduced student loan package will cover my demonstrated need. It’s kind of embarrassing because I’m just now reading this(there were so many papers in the acceptance folder and at the time I wasn’t seriously considering Skidmore so I kind of looked at the paper briefly,but didn’t really read it). Just to get a clear idea of what my last 2 years there would look like financially(if I choose to go there) I’m going to email them and ask if they can perhaps give me an estimate of what those loans may look like. Sorry for the incorrect information…
And another correction, for the 2015 tax returns sent to Mount Holyoke,due to my mom’s full time position it actually said our estimated income was $67,000 not $35,000. So, if Mount Holyoke was basing it off of that number and my dad’s estimated income and expected us to contribute $12000 a year I actually don’t think the fa package was that bad,assuming my mom was still working full time. So I now have confidence they would understand.fingers crossed.
Good luck Tookme10mins! It sounds like you have a lot to sort out, but you are thinking it out. I wish you all the best as you make this decision. As others have said, act fast. Your changed figures will certainly generate a new family contribution for Mt Holyoke – be ready to fax or email anything they need to see.
Your decision sounds like it will end up being between two great choices.
I hope you will let us know how it goes, and no matter what you decide – you must be a great student to have gotten this far, and you are doing an amazing job of sorting it out! Thanks for including us.