<p>here is an article related to the transgender issue:</p>
<p>When</a> She Graduates as He - The Boston Globe</p>
<p>also, have a good friend at Bryn Mawr who is a lesbian and get some info from her. There is a lot of talk about what to do, and interestingly many alumni, straight and lesbian alike, don't want people who consider themselves to be men, to be allowed to attend. This is an area of real ambivalence for lesbians who are proponents of acceptance.</p>
<p>As far as the Smith administration is concerned, this is a non-issue:</p>
<p>“Questions about what it means to be a woman or a feminist are not new to the college discourse, whether at Smith or many other leading institutions,” writes Maureen Mahoney, the college dean, in an e-mail. She adds that Smith recently opened a Center for Sexuality and Gender as a student resource and for years has allowed students to request the name they desire on their diplomas. “For the most part, these are issues of diversity, and diversity has clear educational benefits. As one of our student leaders noted in an address to her peers, what she learned at Smith is, great minds don’t think alike.”</p>
<p>MHC2011 --</p>
<p>You may be correct about the career paths of Smith alumnae, though, I my day, alumnae from all Seven Sisters were well-represented in all professions. Smith alumnae have been mroe visible or appeared to "dominate" becasue Smith graduates such a large class. In any event, Smith students are certainly intense and outspoken - - and as one alumna recently responded, when asked what Smith is know for, "Smith produces powerful leaders."</p>
<p>Allthosethings, I'm not sure the alumnae "don't want people who consider themselves to be men" enrolled at the college. My sense was more that it just didn't make sense: if you want to live as a male, why attend a women's college? (I assume the issue for the transgender students is one of safety; even if the students/alumane are angry or upset, they are far less likely than men to resort to violence.)</p>
<p>nyc-yes, I think that may be more accurate. The way my friend put it was that if they really want to live as men, and to be taken seriously, they cannot attend a women's college. </p>
<p>Clearly changing one's gender is an extremely difficult and at times confusing thing. I would imagine they don't, at least for a while, feel like one or the other, and yes, it probably feels safer on an all woman campus.</p>
<p>nyc, I think that's probably very true about why Smith alumnae are more visible; I hadn't thought of that before. It's something like 3,000 students there each year and 2,000 students here, so even though we're a lot older as an institution, they've had more opportunities to put women out into the world.</p>
<p>We have a few transgendered students here at Mount Holyoke and the community is very supportive of them, even defensive, but I think that's also probably because our lesbian community isn't as vocal here as it is at Smith. There's a LOT of tension between FTMs and lesbians in general, so it makes sense that they'd be more worked up than we are over it. But I can't speak to the environment at Smith in particular, just within the queer community at large, so I'm not entirely sure if it applies there.</p>
<p>There's a popular saying among the consortium schools: Holyoke to bed, Smith to wed.</p>
<p>Yeah, only today we would call that an outmoded partriarchcal heteronormative stereotype.</p>
<p>according to urbandictionary.com:</p>
<p>As a politically liberal all women's school, MHC has a reputation for having a vocal gay population, but is viewed as a kinder, gentler alternative to the militant, manly lesbianism of Smith College. MHC is also seen as more friendly to males with the yearly dances "Undressage" and "Vegas Night," where the girls parade in lingerie.
This is a school for overachievers.
The Historical expression among Harvard boys was, "Smith to bed, Mount Holyoke to wed."</p>
<p>Sounds like urban dictionary is being edited by some anti-Smith Moho elements....</p>
<p>Obviously this is a ridiculous stereotype, but it was actually "Smith to bed and Holyoke to wed."</p>
<p>A 1963 Harvard Crimson article mentions the saying: The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: Mount Holyoke College: Isolation and Maternalism</p>
<p>And it's funny you say that, SmithieandProud, because Moho's urbandictionary page was trolled by a Smithie... One who ended up trying to transfer from Smith later on, ironically enough (information courtesy of a little googling). So I think both colleges have their anti-moho/smithies trolls.</p>
<p>:-) Well, you never can tell about people I guess...</p>
<p>i agree that it’s all about the atmosphere. i have dreamt of attending Smith for years, but after my interview and meeting with a local who went to Smith(she transferred to NYU after 1 sem), i realised it was just a concept in my head that i was in love with. </p>
<p>obviously i didn’t let my decision sway because of these two chance encounters, i guess it merely reinforced the doubts i had - Smith is highly competitive and the students there are driven with a goal in mind. Not to suggest that MHC isn’t but I just get the vibe that MHC is more homely and supportive - a place where you are given time to nurture and be nurtured - whereas you have to be totally prepared to go to Smith.</p>
<p>After pouring over a plethora of reviews regarding Smith, I am left apprehensive. The concensus seems to be that the food is gross, the campus has too many rules regarding partying, and the houses are unkempt. I know these things seem trivial, and really shouldn’t be the make or break, but when you go to a college, your paying for the entire <em>experience</em> and I don’t want it to be the same as my life now. Also, how vibrant is Northampton, exactly? What kinds of things do they have? And how easy is it to hop on the PVTA? How are the library hours and dining hours? I heard there also quite restricting…</p>
<p>ignore the above :)</p>
<p>Okay, a MoHo here. Everyone finds reasons to go to one but not the other, for any number of situations. However, to dispel a few things said here:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Mount Holyoke is by NO MEANS less academically-rigorous than Smith, DEFINITELY NOT. We’re not neccesarily more rigorous (I haven’t taken any classes at Smith yet), but we’re certainly equal! I came from a very academically competitive high school, graduated 17th in my class, and I’ve found Mount Holyoke to be VERY challenging. </p></li>
<li><p>Despite being ranked lower than Smith overall in USNWR, we’re ranked 5th in the country for Overall Classroom Experience. There may be the perception that Smith has a more “academically rigorous” program, but Mount Holyoke has classes that are engaging, interesting, supportive, and that make students WANT to come to class. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d rather go to a class that’s going to keep my interest for the entire time, instead of leaving me bored and taking notes for the heck of it!</p></li>
<li><p>To be truthful, while Mount Holyoke has a very active and open queer community (of which I am a member and a leader), Smith’s is MUCH more prominent and prevalent. That can be a draw for some, and a drawback for others. Obviously there are plenty of straight women at Smith, and the queer community is pretty visible at Mount Holyoke, but that has been my impression. Again, a more active/visible queer community can be positive for some and negative for others.</p></li>
<li><p>No, South Hadley doesn’t have a hopping nightlife scene or extensive entertainment resources. However, there are plenty of very tasty restaurants (Johnny’s, Yardehouse, Autentica, Main Moon Chinese) and a movie theater right across the street from Mount Holyoke. And really, I have NEVER felt deprived of things to do, whether it’s hanging on campus, seeing a movie across the street, or hopping a bus into Amherst or Northampton (again, totally free to Mount Holyoke students).</p></li>
<li><p>Unlike Smith, Mount Holyoke doesn’t require you to stay in the same dorm, living with the same group of people, for your entire 4 years. Mount Holyoke’s dorms are ALSO gorgeous: many were built prior to 1900, and are cozy, beautiful places to live.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Basically, the deal with Mount Holyoke is that you either adore it or you hate it. I, for one, absolutely ADORE my school, and can’t imagine myself anywhere else. Hope this helps clear up a few issues.</p>
<p>for # 5, I believe you are mistaken. I haven’t stepped onto campus yet as a student BUT Smith does not require you to stay in the same dorm for all 4 years.</p>
<p>I second what Composer said.</p>
<p>Sorry, my mistake on that, I thought I remembered from when I toured Smith, and from earlier posts on this thread, that you DO have to stay in your same house with the same people all 4 years. Misinformed, sorry again.</p>
<p>Correction: at Smith you can stay in the same house all four years, but you don’t have to. My D has a friend who, as a senior, will be in her third house.</p>
<p>Most choose to stay with the house they are in by the end of their freshman year. My D switched houses midway through her first semester, and others swap as well. If I remember correctly, my D was part of a huge swap that spanned four houses and eight people. The housing office must have gone crazy with that one.</p>
<p>Embord, I’m glad you love where you are. We have a friend of the family who goes to MHC, and she loves it.</p>
<p>Most students love one or the other, but not both. Because this is on the Smith forum, most of us are cheerleaders for that college. We know it best.</p>
<p>Personally, I think Mount Holyoke is one of the most beautiful colleges in the Northeast. For my D, however, it did not measure up to Smith. For others, it is the reverse.</p>