UVA vs MHC

<p>I like both of these schools very much. So I find it hard to make up my mind.
help me choose!</p>

<p>I hope you can give me some advice.What is your opinion about MHC and UVA?
help me please</p>

<p>Is that Mt. Holyoke? Good heavens, what different (but great) options! Big vs. small, co-ed vs, women's, southern vs. northern, bucolic vs. college town, big-time athletics vs. single-gender DIII . . . Where do you stand on each of those factors?</p>

<p>I think the education quality of mount holyoke is better than that of UVA. However, as MHC locates in a subrurual place,the social life of it may not be that great. Each has its advantages.Thus I have got no idea and hope you can give me some advice.</p>

<p>My kneejerk reaction is to challenge your statement that Mt. Holyoke has a higher education quality than U Virginia, but I'd like to understand better why you say this. Can you expand your comments?</p>

<p>My impression is that U Virginia is the premier undergraduate public university in the country and offers a combination of high student quality, good breadth of academic fields of study, manageable size, and a social life that is considered among the very best of any college in the USA. </p>

<p>gadad suggests the right questions and your answers to his post would be the best guide to where you would be best placed. What is it about Holyoke that attracted you in the first place and what else, other than your question about educational strength, gives you pause about U Virginia? They are very different colleges and offer very different undergraduate experiences.</p>

<p>What attracts me in MHC is the very close relationship between professors and students. This, in my mind, is the thing which UVA can not give me. But when I see the comments on Students Review, I find some students complain about the boring life in MHC(is it really true?).Thus I begin to hesitate about my choice of MHC.Also,I have no idea if the classes including many students in uva will affect its education quality. What about your opinion? And in your mind, should we mainly consider the school's academics when selecting colleges or the social life is also very important?</p>

<p>I think your concerns about student/professor relationships and class sizes are right on target. This is going to be a problem at U Virginia (and any larger State U) for probably about 3-4 semesters. No question about it and don't let anyone tell you it's not. </p>

<p>You will have to decide what is most important to you. Will feeling more like a number for the first year or two bother you? Will it bother you that you'll be registering for classes from the back of the pack (unless you are accepted as an Echols or Jefferson scholar)? This is a real and classic debate and choice. Not all of your classes will be like this as there are undoubtedly writing seminars and some smaller classes that you can likely get into, but it will certainly be a larger classroom (and otherwise) environment than what you'll encounter at Mt. Holyoke. The question is do you care?</p>

<p>The size issues also have their upside, eg, there are likely many, many more social opportunities at U Virginia than at Mt. Holyoke. And, of course, if you are at all interested in the athletic scene, then U Virginia is a pretty active, entertaining place. Do you plan to join a sorority? A lot of women do this as a way to get socially connected, but also as a way to make a larger university feel smaller and more manageable. And academically, while I don't know the specifics, I would expect U Virginia to offer a greater range of major options and possibly postgraduate employment options as well. </p>

<p>U Virginia enrolls a high percentage of women (55%) and so you might want to try to talk with some of them and try to contrast what they are experiencing with what you'd get at Holyoke. My guess is that the women at U Virginia adore the school (that is what I almost universally hear from all students and graduates, male and female alike) despite some of the size shortcomings that come with the decision to attend. But to each her own and only you can make that judgment.</p>

<p>I know a few people who had the same concern about the social life at MHC. All ultimately decided to go there and are quite happy, and when I've visited there are always plenty of things going on. You can get an idea of what kinds of lectures and performances there are from the Events</a> Calendar, and there are always rehearsals and club meetings going on as well - plus dorm parties and impromptu gatherings. You won't have as many opportunities as at UVa, but you definitely won't be bored. Don't discount the resources of the Five College Consortium, either. It's great to have access to the academic and extracurricular scenes at four other schools, while still being part of a close community with small classes.</p>