Do you all think that anyone at Mount Holyoke would care to hear D’s story about why she decided to transfer? I feel like there are things they could learn from her experience, but if it’s just going to go into the proverbial circular file, we won’t bother crafting a thoughtful email to the Dean’s office. I would also like her to send quick emails to a few of her favorite professors, but she doesn’t feel like they would care enough given the stress it would cause her to do it.
If putting her story on paper is going to stress her out, why bother? But, I always think an exit interview is helpful for closure, although they are rare because no one wants to hear what they are doing wrong. You might think colleges would sit with each soon-to-be transfer student and ask them WHY?
Actually, the person for whom this info could be most valuable is her high school CC. While your D may have legitimate gripes about MHC, the vast majority of students there are willing to tolerate them and are in a better position to change them than a departing student. If you would feel better if you shared them, of course, it couldn’t hurt.
But if your CC thought this would be a good fit, and it clearly was not, your experience could help others. I recall DS’ CC provided him with helpful info on one school he was considering that she had gotten from a student who had chosen to leave. (It was not something that would have been a negative to many students, btw, but was to DS.)
I think if the reasons your daughter transferred are problems with the school - how it handled things, problems with facilities or professors, etc., then it could be worth it if it isn’t going to stress her out. If it’s that the school wasn’t a good fit for what your daughter wanted or otherwise involves something the school has no control over (I know a lot of people transfer out because of the location), then the email is probably pointless.
Best of luck to your daughter!
@FireflyLights has hit on my reasoning. I agree that there isn’t much point in talking about the ways MHC was a bad fit for D (and, in fact, I think it could have been a good fit and was in many ways.) That said,there were a few things that I think the school could fix fairly easily (generally ResLife related) that could potentially improve the quality of life for some students at no significant cost to the school (and possibly improve their retention rate). I wouldn’t bother at a big public school, but MHC does seem to value the reputation they have for listening to students.
I’d also like her to tell a few professors that she enjoyed their classes. She is registered for another class with one of them in the Fall. I guess D feels like assuming the prof might notice when she doesn’t show up is a sort of delusion of grandeur and I can see her point.
Absolutely agree that there is no point in emailing a Dean to tell then that D was aghast at the lack of tattoo parlors and kombucha bars within walking distance! 
There is also no point in telling her HS counselor about it. I doubt they even remember her name let alone where she went to college!
Oh, Res life. Res life is absolutely and unequivocally the worst run department on campus. I think an email would be worth it; maybe getting a real story which caused someone to transfer would give them the kick they need to start making some better choices.
I also think a few emails to professors would be nice, but not if it would be too stressful and uncomfortable.
It’s always nice to acknowledge a teacher you had a connection with or a good experience with, so I would say yes, your D should consider sending a note to those professors. My Holyoke strikes me as the kind of school who would want to know of issues, so I would let them know your reasoning for leaving.
For future reference and completeness: There is actually a very detailed exit survey with room for essays/comments that is linked to from the website form that you fill out to de-enroll. When it is completed, the reply says you will also be contacted for an exit interview, but no one has tried to contact D since she filled it out in July.
Hey PNWedwonk! Too bad your daughter didn’t like her time at MHC enough to stay on… I’m happy to hear that MHC does an exit survey. I disagree with firefly that res life is poorly managed. I do think MHC should have more support for first year students, more guidance selecting first semester classes, more “mandatory” on-going orenation sessions throughout the first year, more activities specifically geared toward making first years feel at home.
@momneeds2no I don’t disagree with you that first-year support should be more ongoing - they have made strides in that department in the last couple of years. But as someone who lives on campus, reslife is poorly managed. The structure they’ve hit upon for Living and Learning Communities (placing them on single-heavy floors) has sucked up large number of singles, resulting in far fewer juniors getting singles when sophomores are getting them just because they live in an LLC. Then they wonder why a lot of juniors are upset about it. Reslife makes things very difficult for people who live far away; the lack of storage structure or recommendations (beyond expensive pick up and drop off options) and a lack of recognition that flight schedules frequently result in very late arrivals or early departures means that it’s often difficult to pick up or drop off your key. My first year, I was leaving and needed to drop off my key at 5 am, but I was locked out of the building. I was lucky someone (not an employee, a fellow student) was there and let me in. This could have been solved easily with a drop off box outside the door. This year I wanted to pick up my key about 18 hours early, because Saturday afternoon was the only direct flight from my home airport which got in before midnight. No, apparently that was going to cost me $75. There are a lot of relatively minor things like this which have easy solutions - if someone ever thought about it. This is not a controversial opinion on campus. A lot of people have dealt with issues from reslife.
Hey firefly. My daughter also flew independently and arrived at odd hours/odd days. Since her flights were booked weeks in advance she made advance arrangements with reslife /campus security to access her room (one card/key). They were always accommodating. In fact, one year she stayed her room 13 days after move out (5-college program) for no additional fee. The key (pun intended) is to make sure campus security knows you are arriving. As for storage, the five college area has a few different options. My daughter shared a unit in Granby with other gals–about $60 for the entire summer. This is type of info that first years should learn through on going oreiention. MHC needs to better job communicating the ins and outs to first years and thier families. You may want to look into applying as RA, bring your good ideas to fruition. Ive been to many college campuses. Seen many dorms and student apartments. Not one comes close to the living arrangements at MHC. (never seen Smiths dorms but hear they are pretty opulent as well) Seriously, most of MHCs dorm are like vintage hotels: fire places, sunrooms, and grand piano’s are expected. Also MHCs R&B covers much more than typical college in terms of number of meals, flexibilty of meal time and menu options, and sq ft /room, variety of common residential spaces. Here’s another thing my daughter wasn’t prepared for…After graduation, she closed the door to her room and left the gates of MHC in a river of tears. And she wasn’t the only sobbing senior. Take advantage of every second, every opportunity, every chance to walk up the stairs of library, sit in the sun room at the Rockies, linger over sunday brunch…