<p>I am looking at Smith and MHC and like what I have learned about both. I will be applying as a third year transfer with a studio art major and in need of generous fin aid. Anyone have any useful comparisons I should consider (especially about academic work load, campus life, the surrounding area, and the general college experience? Thanks.</p>
<p>Smith is located in Northampton, a pretty nice town. Mount Holyoke is in South Hadley, and it’s much more isolated.</p>
<p>Smith has Friday tea, Mount Holyoke has milk and cookies.</p>
<p>Smith has no distribution requirements, Mount Holyoke does.</p>
<p>That’s all I really know about the differences between the two schools. I did take a class at Mount Holyoke, and while the professor was very nice there were about seven Smithies in the class so I didn’t get to know any Moho students. (It was a class that’s offered at Smith and Mount Holyoke in alternating years and I needed it to graduate.)</p>
<p>Does MHC have a house system (like Smith), or more traditional dorms and dining halls?</p>
<p>I know MHC has multiple dining halls, but I’m not sure how many or how it’s set up. Their campus center is also nicer than Smith’s, IMO.</p>
<p>At Mount Holyoke, students eat in dorms (there is no central dining hall), but not all dorms serve every meal. It is also possible to eat at the campus center – but it’s not a traditional “large dining hall” for the entire campus. All dorms serve some kind of breakfast (full breakfast in some, continental breafast in others.) Lunch centers…only some dorms serving lunch…were instituted more than 30 years ago. Recently, they moved to a few dorms serving dinner. Hopefully someone on the MHC thread can provide more information. </p>
<p>Most students at MHC do not usually stay in the same dorm for the entire time, because there is a lottery system for choosing housing each year.</p>
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<p>Milk and crackers.</p>
<p>I’m an incoming first year, so I don’t have any experience as a student at either school yet, but I was deciding between the two last spring. I visited both campuses several times, and for all that they are two pretty similar schools, I think the student bodies are relatively different…the best advice I was given was to visit campus and see for myself.</p>
<p>Also, I can pass on a PM I have from a MHC student comparing Smith and MHC (and Wellesley) if you’re interested. I had specific questions so it might not all pertain to you, but if you want it, let me know…</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>Well, something’s amiss with that view because Smith consistently scores high in PR’s “Dorms Like Palaces” rating. And while I take all things PR with a grain of salt, having seen dorm rooms at a number of colleges, the housing at Smith is pretty nifty.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that at times the food can be monontonous…I’ve never heard “gross.”</p>
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<p>You’re being modest. Smith is rated #1 among the best colleges.</p>
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<p>[Best</a> Colleges: College Rankings from Princeton Review](<a href=“http://teens.aol.com/college/best-colleges]Best”>http://teens.aol.com/college/best-colleges)</p>
<p>Best food is Bowdoin. Have to agree.</p>