<p>OK, I've never been able to get a straight answer out of anyone with this question, but:</p>
<p>What are some of the main differences between Smith and Mount Holyoke?</p>
<p>Is it the environment? The types of people? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Check out "Featured Discussions." I think that this topic was discussed at length.</p>
<p>Size: Smith has about 2600 undergrads and Mt. Holyoke has 2100.</p>
<p>Location: Smith is in Northampton, a much livelier town (more restaurants, concerts, etc.) than South Hadley. When I took a class at Mt. Holyoke, I had a little while before catching the bus and asked students where the nearest drugstore was so I could buy some toothpaste and things while I waited. They told me that other than the (outrageously overpriced) college bookstore the only option was to take a bus to Wal-Mart!</p>
<p>ACT/SATs: Required at Smith; optional at Mt. Holyoke. Middle 50% at Smith is 1720-2060. Couldn't get the numbers at Mt. Holyoke in the same format but it looks like roughly 1860-2130 (of course these numbers are higher than Smith's because people with low SATs didn't submit theirs to Mt. Holyoke and had to submit them to Smith).</p>
<p>International students: 7% at Smith, 16% at Mt. Holyoke. </p>
<p>Financial Aid: both are "need-aware." both pledge to meet 100% of your family's need (as they calculate it). both offer merit aid to a fairly small percentage of the population. However, Smith couples much of its merit aid with paid research assistantships (STRIDE and Zollman). Mt. Holyoke's is based more on leadership than academics and cannot be used for study abroad (Smith's can). </p>
<p>Graduation rates: The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education study found that Smith had a graduation rate among black students of 88%, putting it at 11th in the country (graduation rate for white students is 84%)...some of these people may transfer and get degrees elsewhere. Mt. Holyoke didn't make the top 20 list but had an 85% graduation rate among black students (79% for whites).</p>
<p>Economic diversity: 25.8% of Smith students in 2006 received Pell Grants (a good indicator that their families have low incomes). This is a substantial increase since 1993 and nearly the same as in 2004. At Mt. Holyoke, 18% got Pell Grants in 2006, a decline from 1993 and from 2004. </p>
<p>Sports: Mt. Holyoke has a varsity golf team (and its own golf course) and Smith doesn't. Smith has a varsity ski team, an indoor rock wall, and a boathouse where students can borrow canoes or kayaks and Mt. Holyoke has none of these things.</p>
<p>Majors: Smith has engineering and several Asian languages that Mt. Holyoke doesn't. Mt. Holyoke has Film Studies and Critical Social Thought (don't know what that is) as majors. Overall they look pretty similar.</p>
<p>Special programs: Smith will give you a stipend to do an unpaid summer internship--not sure if Mt. Holyoke has that. It also has an elementary school on campus, which is pretty great if you're in education or psych classes that involve student teaching or observation (or if you want a fun work-study job!). I'm sure Mt. Holyoke has special programs of its own but I don't know much about them.</p>
<p>Mt. Holyoke also has a large riding center and equestrian program. Smith has a stables and an equestrian program, but they're much smaller than Moho's.</p>