<p>Like many people, I was hesitant to attend Mount Holyoke because of its isolated location and its single-sex student body. I had never in my life either contemplated going to western Massachusetts for college or attending a single-sex school. Unlike many people, I heard about Mount Holyoke before I learned about Wellesley or Smith or any of the other sisters. I am happy to say it was somewhat of an instant love affair. </p>
<p>Why a women's college? I, like many of my peers at MHC and other women's colleges, am straight - so I was hesitant to attend a school where a coed social life seemed near impossible. This, I am sure, will be relevant to many people, not just those seeking admission to Mount Holyoke. There is an incredible sense of solidarity at Mount Holyoke (and Smith, which I am somewhat familiar with due to its proximity). I imagine the same would be true at other schools as well. We are encouraged to work together and to build a sisterhood. It's somewhat trite and sounds a lot like it comes directly from admissions material, but it's the truth. Women at Mount Holyoke and Smith benefit from the Five College Consortium. We are women's colleges, but we still have males in our classes and at our parties. Any current student at MHC and Smith can attest to that. Despite the presence of males, the single-sex composition helps us gain confidence. Many women who did not speak in classes much in high school are now top debaters in their classes; there is no fear of being judged (or not as much fear, anyway). I thought that to have a real college experience, I would have to go to a "real" (aka: coed) college. I was wrong. I was under the impression that the purpose of college was just to intermingle, party and make friends of different sexes. I have plenty of friends of the opposite sex at Hampshire, UMass and Amherst. I have a lot of fun at Mount Holyoke, even though most of my time is spent with women. Unlike what some might think, it is not a "catty environment." We are very friendly. It is easy to make friends, and everyone is very welcoming. With Women's Education Worldwide, Mount Holyoke and Smith are jointly trying to encourage women from women's colleges across the world to come together to change the world. Mount Holyoke encourages students to try new things and is very strong in the "hard sciences." I was not scared to take science at Mount Holyoke; I am not scared to try new things. I am not a science major, but I have tried classes without much hesitation. Many of my friends are biology majors, chemistry majors, physics majors; some of them are also dance double majors - and dance is a 52 credit major. The best thing about women's colleges: the residence halls. The bathrooms and the dorms are very clean. If nothing else sells you, that might. The Five College Consortium makes it easy for us to still have normal college lives. </p>
<p>I came to Mount Holyoke expecting to just take classes. I had leadership positions in high school and several internships, but nothing that I actually enjoyed. I decided that meant I just wasn't meant to lead. At Mount Holyoke, I learned that all of us are born leaders. It just took an extra push and now I can say I am very happy with the decision I made to get involved. I know that regardless of where life takes me, I will look back at my time at Mount Holyoke as the time that really shaped me as a person. I have discovered my passions; I have done things I never thought I could. I have made excellent friends.</p>