<p>I am deciding between going to Mount Holyoke College or Simmons? Which one should I pick? Here are my pros and cons for each one.</p>
<p>MHC Pros:
Reputation
Academics
Diversity</p>
<p>Cons:
Location</p>
<p>Simmons Pros:
Amazing hospital internships
Boston
Sold Academics</p>
<p>Cons:
Not as great of a reputation </p>
<p>Assuming no huge difference in affordability, I think you go with the better school. In this case, that’s Mount Holyoke.</p>
<p>
Are you intending on applying to medical school?</p>
<p>No, I am interested in Simmon’s social work program. They are known for their great field education as well as social work internships. If I went to Holyoke, I would be majoring in psychology but if I went into Simmons I would major in social work. Hope this helps! :)</p>
<p>Also, if anyone else has an opinion on which one to pick, I would love to hear their feedback!</p>
<p>It really depends on what kind of education you’re looking for; they’re different kinds of schools. Simmons has a preprofessional focus and has majors and programs that you won’t find at a traditional liberal arts college, such as social work, nursing. business, physical therapy, etc. Mt Holyoke is a traditional liberal arts college; it has majors and programs that you’ll typically find at a liberal arts college but not at Simmons, such as anthropology, classics, religion, theater, etc. Neither approach is inherently better. If you want to focus on a career in social work, with the option to get an accelerated masters within 4 years, then Simmons might make more sense. If want the ability to take a broader set of classes or aren’t completely set on social work, then Mt Holyoke might be a better choice.</p>
<p>You have to take gen ed requirements at both schools. You’ll get excellent liberal arts courses at both. So, no big concern needed there. </p>
<p>Thank you for more responses! I really appreciate the feedback. Your description photodad is why am I stuck between the tool schools. I think both are great in their own ways. I am just torn between prestige and location.Mount Holyoke is in the middle of nowhere so I am worried about internship opportunities for psychology, especially since I do not want to get a BS. But at the same time, Holyoke does have a variety of interesting related programs: nonprofit management, public policy, etc. This is so difficult!</p>
<p>You would generally do your internships over the summer or during January, so the location of the school doesn’t really matter that much. Mt Holyoke just started a program like the one at Smith where they’ll pay you a stipend if you find an unpaid internship one summer.</p>
<p>Photodad, in your opinion which school has a better psychology program?</p>
<p>I can’t really give you more than a guess. With a popular major like psychology, in lieu of any other information, I’d assume that the strength of the department parallels the strength of the the school as a whole. Looking at the number of faculty, and the number and variety of classes should give you some idea of the quality and focus of each department.</p>
<p>Tenstudent, a significant percentage of students change their major and/or career choice. Both my daughters and many of their friends did. For the sake of argument, if at some point you decide that psychology/social work is not the course of study you want to pursue, which school/location do you feel you will be the most happy? Also, if you do major in psychology at MHC and pursue social work, you’ll have to obtain a MSW or DSW. I can’t speak for Simmons, but MHC has an excellent reputation with the upper-tier graduate schools.</p>
<p>
The stipend is only available after sophomore or junior year. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of your help! When it comes to your own opinion, what do you think the strengths and weaknesses of both schools are? Anyone else please feel free to comment!</p>
<p>Just apply to Simmons as you said you wanted an urban area. Mount Holyoke is VERY rural and you would be better off for your job choice at Simmons. You might get a scholarships from Simmons too.</p>
<p>If you want the prestige, it’s Mount Holyoke for you. </p>
<p>dyiu13, you mention that Holyoke has better prestige. I am curious in what your thoughts are in other factors like internship opportunities, social life, etc. If you want, I would love to hear own thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of both schools. Thank you for your contribution on this post! 
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<p>It would be easier to do internships because Simmons is in Boston, but Mount Holyoke does have more prestige. However, with your scores/gpa, I feel that Simmons would be a much better fit academically. If you want boys, it will be easier to met them at Simmons due to its location. I belive that Simmons has a center for social work too:<a href=“School of Social Work Programs | Simmons University”>http://www.simmons.edu/ssw/</a>. Both are great schools though!</p>
<p>Really, I would recommend heading for Simmons in social work. There’s an outside chance you might switch career goals, but I don’t think so. You need the city. The school has excellent faculty (some more so, some less, as anywhere). You will not get short-shrift on the gen eds (PhDs need to work, you know, and Boston is lousy with good teachers). You could do exchange, like out to Mills for a semester (year?). It’s a robust school and offers a consortium. Its student body is New England-centric, but Boston isn’t so much. I think a future social worker, who admires and desires concrete, real and deep experiences with the vast scope of a city’s population would be happier at Simmons. But, if you really need a generalized level college prestige, Simmons might not be your cup of tea. However, in the SW world, Simmons is pretty high up there. </p>
<p>Add: Internships - Solid. And Simmons students do have the advantage of having access to fall and spring internships or related opportunities because they’re in town and the internship market then is local. In summers, the internship market turns national. </p>
<p>Social - Hmm. Not sure how one could be bored in Boston/Cambridge or on the Fenway/on campus. Maybe some current students could better describe the social groupings on campus. Like, perhaps nursing students stick together a bit more because they’re sharing such as intense program. </p>
<p>Have you visited both schools WHILE there are students around and school is in session? I think that would be very wise to do. These schools have very different feels and you will probably find you feel a lot more at home in one or the other. That sort of “fit” can be just as important as the other aspects you are talking about. Do you prefer the sense of community at MHC or the pre-professional focus at Simmons? I believe Simmons has a lot more in-state and non-traditional (ie older) students than MHC.</p>
<p>MHC also has a program for older students (Frances Perkins scholars??). Also, MHC isn’t sitting in the middle of a cornfield. So. Hadley is small, but Amherst, MA is a free 20 min bus ride away, Students visit the other 4 schools in the consortium for concerts, speakers, sports (at UMass), etc. Amherst and Northampton are among the best college towns in the country (be careful in Northampton—the many hipsters do NOT look before crossing LOL!)</p>