Would I fit in at MHC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Mount Holyoke College
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<p>Right now I'm seriously considering one women's college, Sweet Briar. When I went for their open house in April, it felt like a school where I would fit perfectly. That said, I have not committed to anything yet, (obviously, as I'm only a junior) and I went to see my guidance counselor last week to talk to her about how my search was going. "Sweet Briar is like Mount Holyoke, I think that's what you're thinking of. Very New England, very preppy. So MHC is always an option." </p>

<p>So my question is, Mount Holyoke...would I fit in? First let me say, I don't care where a college is. I'm from the Main Line, but now we live in the south (obviously) so I'm not exactly tied down to one area. I would say three words to describe me are cheerful, outgoing, friendly. At heart, I'm a preppy girl. I like simple clothes, hate wearing too much makeup, and don't want to spend my weekends in bed with a drunken frat boy. That said, I like being social and meeting new people, both boys and girls. Although I am OK with being around non-mainstream people, I just want to know that the college I go to has enough people like me (very mainstream and preppy) so that I have a "group." </p>

<p>I also have a question about boys at MHC, or lack thereof. Sweet Briar doesn't concern me because Hampden-Sydney boys allegedly love, love, love SBC girls. A friend of mine with ties to MHC tells me that Amherst boys love, love, love MHC girls. But how often are MHC girls really at Amherst? How *****y can Amherst girls get when MHC girls show up for the weekend? (I have friends at Bryn Mawr and they all say, "Yeah, going to Haverford would be nice if those girls didn't hate us so much.") I have nothing against lesbians, but I'm not one of them - I do like going on dates/just generally being with boys. </p>

<p>What say you? Consider MHC or stick with Sweet Briar? </p>

<p>Thanks for answering!</p>

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<p>em2011,</p>

<p>“Fitting in” is highly personal. The best advice is for you to visit, if at all possible, colleges you are looking at while they are in session. You’ll feel the campus “vibe” and respond to it. My daughter put her foot on Mount Holyoke’s campus and felt at home, at others felt that she could “go there” and yet at others, was ready to leave the minute she set foot on their campuses.</p>

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<p>There’s a place for everyone at MHC. I question what your GC said though - very New England and very preppy? I would definitely not describe MHC as very preppy, and it’s only very New England in the geographic sense, not in any of the stereotypical personality kind of way.
I agree strongly that the best thing to do is visit, preferably when school is in session. You’ll see that it is an incredibly diverse institution in every way. There are students who would identify as preppy, certainly, but there’s no real overriding style or personality really. Which is a good thing, in my opinion.
As far as Amherst goes, yes, many students go there for parties and classes and various events. Many students have boyfriends and friends who are male during their time in college, whether from the other schools in our consortium or from farther reaching locations like Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and beyond.</p>

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<p>Based on my (albeit limited) experience with Mount Holyoke, I definitely would not describe it as “preppy” by the generally accepted definition of the term, and I certainly wouldn’t equate it with Sweet Briar in that sense.</p>