<p>Hello,
I was recently accepted to Mount Holyoke and am seriously considering attending. Right now, it's between Mount Holyoke, Boston University, and Northeastern University. From what I've seen, I really like MoHo a lot, but have yet to visit (I should be visiting soon). My biggest concern is about campus live at MoHo, I'm not a partier, but I love the idea of going out a lot to go out to eat/ see plays etc. What is the campus life like at MoHo/ in South Hadley?</p>
<p>See my post of today in “Boys?”
Bottom line, there is always something going on on weekend nights at one or more of the 5 colleges which are all a free bus away from one another. HOWEVER, if you want city life, choose BU or NE. S.Hadley is not even close, even including Northampton and Amherst. S.Hadles has a few nice restaurants, a six screen movie theater, a book store, some nick-nack shops, some clothing shops, a hair salon, 2 banks. Amherst has LOTS of restaurants. Northampton has everything but it is a town, not Boston. Check the events calendar at MHC for what ever you are interested in to see what’s up when. Also, MHC is nothing like BU or NE academically. If you want to hide in class, don’t go to MHC. Classes are small and the profs know your name, and actually care. I went to a big school with big classes. There’s no comparison. I wanted to hide back then, I regret it now. I think my D is getting a much better education at MHC than where I went (MIT).</p>
<p>I agree 100% with concerned Dad. There’s no comparison. The academic experience at Mount Holyoke is first rate. If you want to get to Boston, there are plenty of rides available and a bus goes through town several times a day. It’s about a two hour drive. You can always walk to the center of South Hadley and see friends at various eateries. The restaurants range from fine dining to grab and go. The Odyssey Bookshop is a New England institution. So, if you don’t feel like eating in the dorms or Blanchard, there’s a selection of places in town to choose from. If you want an obscure book, you can get it. You’re going to spend most of your time studying, in discussions with friends over meals and in clubs, sports, and activities. There’s plenty of party activity on and off campus on the weekends. I would not even consider BU or Northeastern if I were lucky enough to get into Mount Holyoke.</p>
<p>As a current student and member of the Office of Admission:</p>
<p>Mount Holyoke in my opinion is in a great location. Amherst and Northampton are within a 20 minute drive. Amherst is a great town where Hampshire, Amherst, and Umass are located. There are amazing restaurants there and concerts are sometimes held a Umass. Northampton is actually a city, not a town. It is an exciting environment with lots of great shops and many ethnic restaurants. There is also a theatre there and many concerts available throughout the year. I love going there for a night out.</p>
<p>Boston and NYC are also withing driving distance (Boston an hour and a half and NYC two and a half hours). The school has several bus trips throughout the year to these cities. It is fun to do a weekend away with friends to get that “big city” experience if that’s what your looking for.</p>
<p>As for South Hadley it is a very chill town. The residents are very friendly and the Village Commons is a place where students and residents tend to mix. There are several restaurants across the street -mexican, chinese, american, etc. There is also a two theatre movie theatre that rotates movies every two weeks so that new films are constant. Even though it is not the most active of towns it is nice to be able to be able to focus on the MHC community and academics while on campus, but also have the oppurtunity to get out and experience new atmospheres close by.</p>
<p>There is also always something going on on campus on the weekends -from a capella jams to dances to lectures, basically anything you can think of. But the social life is really what you make of it. You can chose to be as involved or not as you want to be. Some students like to party more whereas others appreciate a movie night in. It all depends upon what you like.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend a visit to MHC. It is the best way to see if it is the right fit for you.</p>
<p>Though I’m not a student, I live pretty close to South Hadley and know the area very well. Amherst/Northampton has a THRIVING arts community, so if you’re into seeing plays, I can guarantee you will find artsy things to do just as easily as you could in Boston. South Hadley in itself isn’t that thrilling, but it’s a short bus ride away from all the necessities and things you could want. I’m not sure if I’m going to enroll at MoHo yet, but I can easily say it has the most beautiful campus I’ve visited.</p>