Mount Holyoke College Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Jazmin

I feel as though this is an impossible task, but here it goes; my classmates are wonderful, beautiful women who are kind and absolutely brilliant in their studies; they work hard and let nothing constrain them, especially expectations.

Katherine

My classmates are extremely intelligent, dedicated, empowered women who have taken their education and lives into their own hands.

Ariel

Most students are active and interested in what they are studying or related passions. As a side note, most of the women are politically liberal.

DJ

From what I view I feel that Mount Holyoke students wear 4 types of clothing to class on an everyday basis. The most common is the jean, t-shirt and sneakers combo, I feel that the majority of students wear this to class everyday. The second most common is athletic wear, either they play sports or just feeling like wearing sweatpants for the day I say that this is the second most popular. The third would be more dressy, shoes, skirt or dress, blouse, cardigan,make-up, styled hair (that's not loose or in a ponytail) I personally know some MOHOS who dress like this everyday. The final would be pajamas but I only see this with students who have early morning classes.

Stephanie

Very diverse student body, and I'm not just saying that. Somewhere around 20-25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are international students, with relatively large populations from China, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Perhaps it's because of that demographic that the student body is hyper-aware of global politics (International Relations and Politics are two of the biggest majors at MHC alongside sciences). It's impossible not to interact with different types of students, and the school is not overly cliquey. Students wear anything from sweatpants to riding crops to a blazer to class, anything goes. MHC gives out TONS of financial aid every year, which is the reason many students choose the school over others - this aid is both in merit and need-based scholarships.

Catherine

My classmates are diversely talented, deeply passionate, and remarkably dedicated, but they are also down-to-earth, realistic and approachable.

Kelsey

All of the groups on campus are great. It's awesome to have that much diversity...though sometimes everyone just needs to chill out. It's very easy to get a group of people up in arms over a simple question. It's almost TOO progressive, like people are forcing themselves to be offended most of the time. Though even with that, you will never find an all around kinder group of students on any other campus. The students tend to dress up. We like to look good. Mount Holyoke students are from everywhere in the world. There are two distinctions that you sometimes come across with students. There are the very wealthy girls, and the not wealthy girls. They're all very easy to separate, but they interact with each other. Even if the wealthier girls tend to have a very sheltered view on life. The students are almost always extremely liberal.

Maia

The student population is mostly white. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it's not uncommon for a small liberal arts college. The admissions staff does, however, try to bring in people from different backgrounds. The problem is, according to some people, that the College claims students of color and international students as an achievement, and they lump everyone together. As a student of color, I felt that I would have a lot of resources and support, and I have not been proven wrong. The administration does really listen to concerns. There are cultural houses on campus and cultural events. Many faculty of color are often willing to take students under their wings (although there aren't that many of them). All in all, though Mount Holyoke is good at recruiting people from lots of different backgrounds, there should be more of an emphasis of inclusion within the student community. If there were, the admissions staff would not have to try as hard. I have not heard of any serious racial incidents on campus, mostly just little misunderstandings. Most Mount Holyoke students are from the Northeast. A few, certainly not the majority, come from wealthy backgrounds. Some of them got here on merit, I'm sure, but others are not that bright and there is a consensus that they were accepted because their parents paid the entire cost of admission. Most people here get some sort of financial aid. Unfortunately, not many people here are from working-class backgrounds. That's probably partly because MHC is no longer a need-blind school. That being said, most people I know are happy with financial aid. Students are generally very nice to each other. Unfortunately, there is a lot of self segregation, but this phenomenon does not always occur on racial lines. Some people just realize they have common interests and they bond. Groups don't tend to be super exclusive, though. Students do generally care about a lot of different causes. Unfortunately, sometimes they don't make the effort to support those causes. Worse still, they join causes and don't make connections between similar groups. Not everyone is aware of every issue, and, honestly, you can't expect everyone to be. As far as LGBT culture on campus goes, there is a consensus that sexuality is fluid. There are some people who don't even bother to define it. Not everyone on campus is queer, though. They're a minority on campus, but they're very visible.

Gloria

The students are very helpful to each other and everyone is opened towards each other's unique backgrounds from cultural, sexual orientation to academic backgrounds

Marion

Students on this campus form a community. We are very open and accepting. We have a huge international and LGBT community and I am proud to say that students from all over the world and of all religions are welcome here. This is a place for open, accepting, tolerant students - definitely not for close-minded or biased people, especially not if you are biased towards a certain religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Ariel

I love the diversity of it! There are many internationals, students of color, and students from all economic backgrounds. It is a wonderful combination. Most women are very outgoing and friendly, which makes everything feel very "homey." Most women are active and interested in numerous things either intellectually or socially. By far, most of the women are liberal! There are a select few who are conservative, or are uninterested.

Sasha

MHC is a very liberal school, and very accepting of everyone despite race, religion, sexual orientation, and/or socio-economic status. I have friends from all over the country and even all over the world. We have a little bit of everyone here, and I think it would be very hard to come here and not find someone that you get along with.

Claire

Brilliant, accomplished, dedicated and friendly.

Sally

They are interested and engaged in the world around them, well-rounded with various interests and hobbies, and eager to meet new people and explore new things.

Nicole

They tend to be either really outgoing or really reserved. People are really friendly and easy to talk to. Everyone cares about their grades but they're not too competetive about it. There is an extreme amount of diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender presentation, and even what country they live in. You can pretty much be who you are and find somewhere to fit in. They are all women, which can seem wierd but once you get here it's a really cool community to be a part of.

Shandra

They are engaged and interested in what we're learning.

Stefanie

Most of my fellow students are passionate, intelligent, very progressive-minded, and competitive.

Susan

Friendly, smart, motivated, fun!

Courtney

My classmates were some of the most intelligent, reliable, independent women I have ever met.

Catherine

My classmates are some of the hardest working women on the planet, and they will certainly be the ones that change the world for the better.

Ryan

People do not like to talk about how much they'll earn one day - they like to talk about what their passions are and which part of the world they want to save or which issue they want to solve. It is overly idealistic and romantic, but it fosters a sense of community service and world citizenship. if anything it is preparing us for an increasingly globalized world, but sadly sometimes we lose perspective of the NOW, we are in AMERICA, and we need to solve IMMEDIATE issues in our own home. people tend to downplay the U.S. as we have a strong international flare.

Shannon

Engaging, curious and motivated young women with the desire to make a difference.

Emilie

Its really nice because everyone is so different, but similar at the same time and no one judges anyone else based on gender, race, ethnicity, beliefs, or sexual orientation

Kaitlin

Everything from super preppy girls carrying prada purses to cape-wearing, world of warcraft-playing nerds to neo-hippies.

Miriam

Mount Holyoke women are generally intelligent, passionate, and interesting people who have what it takes to create change in the world.

Andy

Mount Holyoke is a very diverse campus, and not one for a close minded or conservative person. The students at come from all over the globe and from all different backgrounds.

Barbara

Mount Holyoke is a pretty liberal school. As an independent/conservative I expected to be walked all over as I was in high school. The people here, however, are much more open-minded and willing to listen to differing opinions. We even have facilitated discussions of particularly sticky questions. It is encouraging in today's world to see so many women who are so different come together and develop strong friendships. A large percentage of them are from overseas which makes things even more exciting. At times we can be very casual, some of us less so. Really, you can where whatever you want. One of our favorite topics to discuss over dinner (btw, you can sit anywhere) is what steps we are taking to improve our world. What can I say, we dream big.

Maudie

If you don't like being around women, don't come to MHC (duh!). Also, if the idea of being around people who are different than you makes you uncomfortable, MHC may not be the place for you, because the student body is diverse in many ways and intolerance is... well... not tolerated!

Meredith

Mount Holyoke students come from many racial and cultural backgrounds which I must admit I love. However the vast majority of them come from upper middle class to down right obscenely wealthy families. This causes an interesting issue with the level of maturity and interaction. Although the girls are 'worldly' many are sheltered and prejudiced.

Dale

I come from a cosmopolitan area and am used to a great deal of diversity but generally at Mt. Holyoke you'll find the same kinds of girls over and over again. Over-achieving, socially inept, high stress, possibly gay, almost certainly out of shape women who have brilliant ideas but are afraid to look you in the eyes when talking to you.

Rosie

The MHC student body is amazingly diverse. The amount of openness towards differing backgrounds and lifestyles is, in my opinion, matched by few, if any, campuses that I have ever seen. Moreover, students don't single out their counterparts and stick to small groups; everyone mingles and has friends from all over, and of all different types. Nevertheless, MHC does tend to be in the middle- to upper-class income bracket as a result of its exclusiveness, and so poorer students may at times feel underrepresented.

Christina

MHC is very diverse and really supports diversity and acceptance. There is a large percentage of international students, and students form all over the country. It is a mostly liberal campus, but there is a sizable contingency of conservatives. People from a wealthy background are defiantly most prevalent due to the colleges need for funding due to a decreased interest in women's colleges. However there are certainly people from every economic class.

Allie

love to debate and think. Mainly liberal. Fashionable for the most part. Students are very outgoing. Diverse community. Those who aren't open minded and don't like change wouldn't fit in. Mainly liberal students.

Shelby

there is definitely a lot of diversity on our campus. i should start with they LGBT crowd...they're pretty open, and it can take some getting used to....but honestly, it made me more open to the world. i came to mount holyoke a conservative homophobe, and i am still conservative in some ways, buuuut now i accept everyone and realize that there is a brought sexual spectrum in which to classify people. there are definitely rich people on campus, but there are also a whole bunch of people who's parents are not so wealthy, and also a bunch of people who are there on financial aid or work study. students at our school are mostly liberal leftists.

Monica

Diverse for sure and very varied! Mostly liberal. Preps, Lesbians, Artsie, Indie... you name it we've got it!

Nina

Many LGBT students on campus. It has really helped me open up because at home I never encountered stuff like that. The student body is really so diverse and it's nice to have such a mixture. Majority of students are activists of some sort and are interested in social change on many levels. Students are from all over the world.

Charlie

Tensions can grow high sometimes between different groups of people; racially, religiously, and financially. I mean let's face it Mt. Holyoke by modern terms, is a very diverse campus and were not always going to agree, but we try to understand and learn from each other and that's the most important part.

Dorothy

For the most part, students here are liberally minded feminist women from generally the Northern half of the country. However, I am an exception to that and have managed to find my niche. If you don't fit in with the larger group, be it racially, religiously, politically, etc. there are a myriad of cultural, political, ethnic, religious, etc. groups on campus for you to join and find someone like you. It's a women's college, so students wear whatever makes them feel comfortable with themselves--anything from feetsie pajamas with rockets on them paired with cowboy boots and a felt vest to an outfit straight out of a Talbot's catalogue and a set of pearls goes--the same with the financial background of students. I wouldn't be there without my merit-based partial scholarship, but one of my roommates was full paying (and so were both of her sisters--both at MHC) and the other roommate was on a full scholarship that was entirely need based. The mix there is wide and even the terms of each financial aid package are varied--one may have required work-study hours, another optional hours, and still another required to abstain from work-study completely.

Melanie

I suppose a person who is unaccustomed to/ unwilling to accept diversity would be uncomfortable at Mt Holyoke. For many, its a culture shock seeing so many women from different backgrounds in the same place. While there is a strong New England presence on campus, there are women from the South, West, Midwest and many many international students.

Arianna

Everyone at Mount Holyoke is really unique and different. There is so much diversity that everyone feels accepted there. There are many international students and they really bring something different to the campus. One of my best friends is South Korean, and I feel like I've learned a lot about her culture. Mount Holyoke students come from everywhere. Students aren't just from one part of the world.

Brett

very diverse but there isnt alot of mixing on campus, dispite what the school says.

Kristen

The student body at MHC is very diverse. We have people from all over the world. I love that I get several different cultural point of views in my learning environment. There are also all sorts of personalities on campus. We have preppy girls, jocks and people who really don't fit into any category. At the end of the day I feel that we all appreciate one another and get along nicely.

Whitney

Oh lord, this has been a touchy subject lately. I think Mt. Holyoke is the most accepting place possible, but some students like to claim otherwise. Clearly at a school like ours there is not going to be any outward discrimination, but people focus on the little things and blow them out of proportion. As for politics, well, students are excessively liberal (said by a liberal herself). They don't like to hear both sides of an argument, clearly stunting any kind of intellectual debate. I think this is a common problem at liberal colleges though, and in my opinion is better than the reverse.

Angela

Everyone is super diverse. The student body is unique. The only type that might feel out of place would be the super-rich, super-conservative girl shopping at Coach for flip-flops.

Emily

I love the Eliot House. I go there for a weekly Tea Ceremony, Zen Meditation and an Interfaith lunch, every Wednesday. I learn about different religions and ways of practice.

Kaitlin

Mt Holyoke students are from everywhere. We have a huge international population, but the states are also very well represented. I think considering the diversity, we get along pretty damn well. It is pretty hard not to interact with different kinds of people, although international students do tend to clump together. But really, can you blame them? Students are predominantly left, and you might feel a bit uncomfortable if you are conservative, though we do have a small population. I mean, if you think homosexuality is a sin, you probably don't belong at mt holyoke. (and personally, I woulnd't want you here.) I know my parents were worried that the lesbian population would be really "in your face" and cliquey, but it is so not true. One thing I have learned is that you can't tell a book by its cover, and when I meet someone I'm totally okay now with not knowing what orientation or even what gender they are. Why confine ourselves?

Jess

The campus prides itself on being racially diverse, although it is less so than some public universities. Still, for a school of it's size and location in western Mass., it is pretty diverse - walking around campus I always hear people speaking in different languages. The school has a lot of religious/racial pride groups and events, but they aren't particularly well known on campus unless you seek them out. Students obsessed with partying or big cities tend to feel kind of out of place, since the school is overall pretty academically minded, although there are certainly plenty of parties. Most students are from the East coast, although a good few are from the West coast. Not very many are from the middle of the country - I get really excited when I meet someone from Colorado or the states in the area because it's pretty unusual. Students come from all kinds of financial backgrounds, although as a private institution most students do come from middle or upper middle class families. Students politically tend to be between moderate and extremely liberal, and most students are aware of politics and have at least a small idea of world events.

Dani

The school is very accepting of anyone LGBT. However, different racial groups tend to clique together, and most people come from wealthy or upper middle class backgrounds, and do not really understand those of us from more working class backgrounds. If there were four tables, one would be the lesbian clique, another the snobby, rich predominantly white girls in J.Crew with Amherst boyfriends, another would be international students, and the last would be the awkward, gamer, D&D types. Students here are definitely predominantly leftist, but most are apathetic unless they belong to an activist org.

Hannah

The student body is one of the most diverse as far as colleges go. No one feels out of place because everyone is accepted. All types of students interact with each other but I do feel that people are more likely to find friends in their own racial and socio-economic back grounds. Part of being at Mount Holyoke is getting over others' differences and hanging out with people you wouldn't normally.

Mireille

I love having a diverse student body. Within the first semester of school I made friends from all over the country and the world. I would never have had access to these intelligent women if Mount Holyoke wasn't invested in creating a diverse campus. Everyone dresses differently, speaks differently, and believes different things. It is refreshing.