I was willing to give the OP the benefit of the doubt, because it is frustrating to be a low-income student dealing with an extremely restrictive budget for college. However, since they have shown no interest in any of the advice offered and have ignored many, many posts debunking their original assumption, I think we have come to an impasse. OP, MHC is not for you, not because of whatever political opinions you hold but primarily because you seem to have a startling inability to learn and adapt your perspective when presented with new information.
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Do you know what “recruit” means in this context? It means they are making people in China aware that MHC exists and what it offers and encouraging them to apply. That’s it. You are local, you know about the school. You don’t need to be recruited in that sense.
Any useful advice anyone has given has been totally ignored by OP, I don’t get the point here either.
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OP cannot take in new information and process it, and use critical thinking skills to assimilate this new information. She will struggle at ANY school as a result. Not trying to be mean, but am very frustrated with the OP repeating the same points over and over and over despite information contradicting her original positions.
We do not have a six-figure income, D received good financial aid from Moho, had a wonderful experience, and even made friends who were NOT AMERICAN!!!
Mod, please shut this thread down—it serves no useful purpose.
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@phoria, so you a believe that because a college has a religious affiliation the students, administration, etc. must automatically be xenophobic? And all Muslims are terrorists?
I don’t know anything about Bob Jones, but I do a bit about Liberty. Liberty enrolls 900 international students from 80 countries. Liberty is far more ethnically diverse than MH
If you want add some breadth to your education, read The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose. Besides being informative, it’s very amusing. Roose is a Brown alum.
http://www.kevinroose.com/tud/
Something else is going on. I’m guessing the OP was accepted at MH but didn’t receive enough FA to attended.
So, of course, it’s the fault of the Chinese because they received the aid that she deserved.
@crewdad. As I stated I am looking at colleges. I have not applied anywhere yet. I began by looking at colleges close to home only to find that mt Holyoke never visits. A look at statistics shows that mt Holyoke has more internationals than virtually every other LAC and has a bigger aid budget for them than any other LAC. Mt Holyoke admissions bragged in an article that it gets enough applications from Chinese students to fill the freshman class. For pointing these things out, I have been called a xenophobic trump supporter. I am not. ( had I been old enough to vote I would have picked Clinton). I have also been called racist and anti Asian even though I pointed out several time that I am mixed race. My mother is foreign born and Latina, my father mixed race, white and black. Just because I used Chinese students as an example, based on the article, I have been called anti Asian which is a lie. I will not be posting anymore.
You don’t seem to understand that colleges don’t “recruit” students, they do outreach and information sessions. Athletic coaches “recruit”; admissions representatives provide information and may conduct interviews. The whole point of the school visits is to reach out to students who would not likely have an opportunity to visit the campus or attend an on campus information session. And visits are scheduled by high school staff, usually guidance counselors – it’s not like the admissions staff just randomly shows up. So if they has never been a person from Mt. Holyoke visiting your school, it’s probably because no one on your school’s staff has ever asked.
So simple question: have you tried figuring out who the regional rep at Mt. Holyoke is for your area, and contacting that person and asking if she can come to your school?
Because that is how these things are arranged.
^ @carman817 I read @calmom’s post above and in less than one minute I found your MHU adcom who is Erin Pierce, Assistant Director of Admission. Her details are on the website. I am sure that she would welcome a call from you as she covers Western MA. Good luck.
I am a landscaper and my wife is a part time substitute teacher, we are exactly middle class, we visited Mount Holyoke in my pick up truck with 158,000 miles. Mount Holyoke was the best option for my daughter, about $2,000 more than U-Mass. But I am sympathetic to the OP. Money does matter a lot more than most college lead you to believe. I had the same feelings when my daughter got wait listed at Skidmore and her stats suggested it was almost a safety. We felt she lost out at some schools to athletes or full pay students when she clearly had better academic qualifications. In your case, you may lose out to a foreign student in place in our case an athlete or rich kid, and that does suck, and no one can tell you for certain that is not the case. Mount Holyoke did not come to our public high school in Eastern MA, and at the full day open house they did make note that they go around the world recruiting students. That being said, among the most selective colleges in the country, only UCLA has more middle class and lower income students that Mount Holyoke. Peer schools Colby and Kenyon are in the top 10 worst for having the fewest percent of lower and middle class students. Middlebury is also in the top ten worst, and they claim to be need blind.
To the OP, I’m rooting for you, I see a lot of myself in your post, you don’t give up, and that will serve you well. You have two choices, you can complain, or set high goals and persevere. I’m like you, I complain, then set high goals and persevere.
If you’re referring to the article in the NYT, let’s be clear. It is not a ranking of the lowest percentage of lower and middle class students at all. It is a ranking of the ratio of number students from the top 1% to the number of students from the bottom 60%. That is not the same as saying they have the least number of lower and middle class students. They may have a lot of those students, but they also have a high number of the very wealthy as well. It may be how Middlebury affords to remain need blind.
urbanslaughter, I would take Middlebury being need blind with a grain of salt. They accept half of their class early decision and early decision favors wealthy students. Their percent of students who receive any financial aid is strikingly low compared to similar schools. Your point on the NYT article is noted, although it doesn’t really change the point I was trying to make.
Since urbanslaughter likes to be clear, similar schools my daughter was interested in. Students who receive financial aid.
Middlebury 44%
Hamilton 50%
Vassar 60%
I could have been clearer, I am thrilled that my daughter is going to college with brilliant woman from all around the world, and that is partially why she chose Mount Holyoke. But if the OP is herself bright and apply’s herself and has the academic credentials and the only difference between her and another student is that she was born poor, without family support, that sucks that Mount Holyoke may not be obtainable for her. I think she feels overlooked.
Corpfinguy96, I think your making the OP’s point without knowing it. Athletes time, usually includes a parents time and a car for transportation, which for kids like the OP don’t have.
Sixteen percent of Holyoke’ s last entering class are Pell Grant recipients. I’m pretty sure not all of them live within twenty minutes of campus or flew in by jet to take a campus tour. OP needs to pull up her socks and stop looking a gift horse in the mouth.
@CrewDad I’m referencing the overwhelming popularity of Trump at those two schools. Bob Jones is notorious for having banned interracial dating until a decade or so ago and for their landmark case about school segregation (they wanted to stay white-only).
Liberty University was referenced because, again, overwhelming popularity of Trump. I’ll be sure to check out the book, however, it sounds interesting.
I have plenty of friends in the United States who applied to Mount Holyoke and got in, and the school met they financial needs well. If they didn’t get enough US applicants, then where the hell do the 70% of their students come from?
Now, talking from the point of view of an international student who will apply to U.S. colleges: I found your post extremely offensive, because of the fact you seem to despise the fact that within the student body 30% of the students are completely capable and smart international people. Do you think we apply to the U.S. just to take your spots? Your money? (That it is not even the governments money, but whatever). I will apply because I wouldn’t be able to study the two things I love the most if it weren’t in the United States, because in my country the education is extremely bad and I have been working hard since I’m in middle school to study abroad (I attend a boarding school in Asia, I’m Latin American), to get a proper education so I can go back to my country and make a real change. That you are poor? I am poor too, and it never stopped me from applying to different schools and trying to get what I wanted. I didn’t even speak English properly until last year. We apply because we want to excel in life and we really want to get the most out of the experience. For us, having a scholarship/that the school admits us and meets our full financial needs, is a privilege, if we apply it is because we really want to be there and because we will do our best to give back to the school and the country that is giving us the opportunity.
Just for your information, when they “recruit” in Asia it is because the school requests it. In my school we, the students, have to reach out to the officers and we have to convince them to come. Most of the time, they reject our invitations. So maybe instead of complaining you should go ahead and try to get a representative to your school? You won’t do much from behind a computer screen. Practice your leadership and try to make a change if you don’t like something, maybe then you will catch a school’s attention and get accepted because of your potential, but those who complain and don’t move a finger to be change-makers? Those don’t achieve much.
Also, that Mount Holyoke gives more financial aid that other schools to international students is completely wrong!!! There are other colleges that are more generous to international students. Mostly to UWC students. University of Oklahoma, Luther College, The College of Idaho, Wartburg college. An international friend of mine got full ride to Wellesley and Mt. Holyoke didn’t give her as much financial aid. So do more research.
As an American living abroad I think I can speak to the original poster’s questions about “recruiting” abroad. First, MHC is one of hundreds of colleges that have admissions officers travelling around the world to spread the word about their schools. We live in India, my daughter goes to an international school here. Last year there were admissions officers from Ivy League schools, from less well known schools, and from schools I have never heard of. They tend to travel in groups of about 4-5 schools and I can guarantee this is not a luxury expedition. They work hard - hitting as many schools in as many major cities in each country as they can. The talks are honest - no promises of huge aid packages or “free rides.” Instead talks about the facilities, the opportunities, etc.
Going to different countries and meeting international students is a part of the admissions job in almost every major college and university at this time.
WHY? Part of the reason is that for the most part international students are full pay students who can be used to subsidize the education of non-international students. I also believe that increasing the knowledge about different schools around the world and improving their name recognition helps current and future students in the international job market. Then there is the admission rate game we all know about. The more applications you receive…the lower your overall admit rate will be. This is part of the reality of admissions in the US at the moment. I also think they are looking to attract the best and brightest from a variety of backgrounds and cultures - because it is good for the school and the student body to have that diversity of backgrounds.
OP - international students are part and parcel of every major college and university. They are not taking your seat and they are not taking your money. These schools have financial and diversity reasons for recruiting abroad. You would be best served by increasing the strength of your application, applying to schools that are need blind and meet full aid ( you will find a number of them). If your stats are great - you may be surprised by the offers you get. However if your stats are mediocre it is not the fault of the international students if you don’t get any offers.
Best of luck.
@carman817 MHC is “need aware” for international students, so it is much harder for them to be admitted than US candidates. MHC doesn’t throw money at international students. And as for accepting “full pay” internationals, that is done at all US colleges.
As for getting screwed for aid, if you are a US citizen, admission is still largely need blind and if you are admitted, they will meet 100% of your financial aid.
You seem incredibly bitter for someone who has not even applied to the college. Why? You also seem to have a very parochial view of the world. Many international students come from English-speaking countries, and their English will be the equal of years. Others attend international schools and have sat the IB. That makes most traditional high school curricula look like a cake walk.
All said, since you are so antagonistic towards MHC, I suggest you focus your attention on other colleges.
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To the OP, I haven’t read all the comments, so I’ll try to answer your question without alot of sidetracking. Im really not sure Why MHC doesn’t recruit locally. I can guess it’s because they probably assume local kids are aware of valley colleges and can come easily for tours/info sessions etc. Out of state kids don’t have that luxury. My daughter graduated last year. She had a pal from the local MA area. MHC doesn’t “discriminate” against local kids, in fact I remember hearing something about a special program for lower income MA residents. Yes there are some outrageously rich international students as well as some some crazy rich US students–girls that arrive with a caravan pulling show horses and furniture suites (yes you can bring your own dorm furniture LOLOLOLOL). But that’s the exception. I would say most students (over 50%) are from middle class back grounds and receive some sort of FA or scholarship. Most of the parents I met at graduation were equally excited to see their daughter achieve an amazing accomplishment and be free of the enormous tuition burden. MHC was wonderful experience for my daughter–life shaping, actually. Best of luck to you.