Mount Holyoke College Top Questions

Most of my professors know my name, but I tend to be pretty vocal in class and pursue extra help when I need it. My favorite class is either French or Astronomy. Yes, students converse intellectually outside of class and some do tend to be competitve about their academics. I think I'm going to double major in English and French and maybe minor in Astronomy. I really can't decide. There are so many things I want to do. Mt Holyoke's academic requirements are just right. They push you to try new things, but are also considerate of students entering their semesters with a particular academic passion. Difficult ot say whether Mt Holyoke is geared towards getting a job or simply for learning in itself. I'd say one can take it either way.

Academics at the school are tough and some classes push you to do a lot more work than you'd expect. Class participation is heavily encouraged and often times teachers will know when you are not in class. Some classes are utterly useless but are a must. Some classes are the best thing you'd ever take, but might not have any practical use.

Not too much to worry about but they do give us a lot of work. Come expecting a lot of readings and assingments in general. but there are writing centers and mentors that could help you out a lot with it.

HARD CORE. Grades grades grades. Assignments are killers. Too many papers.No time for life in general. They push you hard too hard.

Grade oriented regardless of what the professors try to tell you.

Its a good amount of work but professors are understanding if you talk to them about things ahead of time. Students are very competitive but that is always good and fosters better results. Econ department on the other hands needs to be funded better and Mt. Holyoke should not only be focusing on funding its science programs because that is not fair on a lot of us.

Papers, readings, papers, assignments, papers, readings...thats academics at MHC. Professors are lovable and cute and I'm really going to miss them a lot. They are the best in the country by far.

i dont talk a lot in class so professors dont know my name in particular but usually they try to get to you to participate in class and put a certain {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of final grade for class participation too. students are very competitive and it is so strange that no one talks about their grades and everyone has their guard up when its brought up which is very different from the way i was brought up

My favorite class is a gender studies class I took with Mary Renda. Shes brilliant and everyone should take her class because she changes the way you think completely. My department holds shows every year which is very popular. We are well kept but the science departments rule Mt Holyoke and everything else is slightly ignored. Education here is not geared toward getting a job. Its all about liberal arts education and really nothing you learn in college is that important except for the experience that you gain so its all good.

Professors make the best effort possible to get to know everyone's names. It is easier to do so in smaller classes, but more difficult in large lectures. Still, many professors encourage some sort of meeting or get together during office hours to get to know each student by name, and some professors have even taken pictures of each student so he/she can learn to match names to faces. My favorite classes are psychology and biology. I love psychology because I find it very interesting, the work load is nice and consists largely of readings and examinations, and my professor this semester, Karen Hollis is a wonderful and intelligent woman whom I admire. I love biology as a subject and find it challenging when it comes to the actual classes, but sometimes it feels too challenging, as if professors expect too much out of students already cramming and working their tails off in everything else. My least favorite class has been calculus. I had a wonderful teacher and did well in the class, but I just don't enjoy mathematics past the algebra 2 level, because it stops making as much sense and I don't see it as enjoyable. Class participation is very common at Mount Holyoke. It is important for students to find their voice in class. Most students seem unafraid to ask questions when necessary, voice opinions, and share knowledge and insight whenever possible. Mount Holyoke students do engage in intellectual conversations often outside of class. Whenever I visit my high school, I admire the differences: students at my high school talk about fights and tv outside of the classroom (and often in the classroom too), but Mount Holyoke students expand on what they learned in class, share political, moral, and ethical values, and have hobbies that allow them to grow socially and intellectually. The education at Mount Holyoke has the dual purpose of getting a job later on and learning. We live up to the classification of a liberal arts college in that a general knowledge is emphasized. We are encouraged to not only satisfy college requirements when choosing classes, but to also study what we want to study, and take classes that we normally may not consider to broaden our horizons. However, we also are well aware of Mount Holyoke's reputation as being such a great college, and so personally, most people do pursue the education here in order to get a good job.

Students at Mount Holyoke are more so concerned with bettering themselves than with competeing against other students. Mount Holyoke women tend to work together to better each other.

i like my art classes. requirements are okay. p.e. should be optional though

Most of my classes had substantive conversation and helpful, provoking reading lists. Most of the professors I had were intelligent and good at being professors (the two do not always go hand in hand). I know I've said my share of awkward-silence invoking comments ("if she didn't read the material, she shouldn't raise her hand..."), but for the most part, the conversation was good.

Classes are great. Most professors put in a good effort to get to know you and are very approachable and friendly. Some students seem overly committed but overall it's a good time.

Great academics, great professors. I love the Asian Studies department, everyone is great and friendly and really knowledgeable about their field. Students study a bit too much for their own good sometimes.

Professors are cool, usually great with deadlines and all.........loads of work, but hey this is college after all.....everyone has a lot of work, always. I think Mt. Holyoke should not limit its kids to only two majors per person. If someone things that she can handle 4 majors while fulfilling all the liberal arts credit requirements then why not is what I beleive. Students should not be constrained from their academic goals.

Yea for the most part. Favorite class was into to Macro taught by professor Moseley he was very knowledgeable and could bring across his point very well Least favorite class introduction to Biology. The teacher was very unreasonable I believe and expected us to know things beyond our level. Therefore the class was frustrating and was one of the worst experiences ever because he just expected way too much from us and after all it was an intro class. Regularly during the week and especially on weekends Sunday is the most popular day. Yes class participation is very common and many times its apart of your grade so you are encouraged to do so. Yes we do all the time we talk about current events, the economy and politics around the world in addition to other things. Yes its very competitive I believe students are always trying to be the best. The most unique class i have taken is the Rise of China seminar its fun interesting and different because it is taught by a group of teachers. My major department is Economics and it a very good department with good teachers and interesting courses.Yes not very regularly but we do see and talk to each other. The academic requirements at MHC are okay. In some sense it is but mainly I think its learning for your own enlightenment, but getting a job is vey important still

Professors are great but too much work load, no time to do anything else or relax, not even during weekends. Mt. Holyoke puts a lot of pressure on its students.

Class participation is quite common in classes because the class sizes here are so small. There are the rare large classes (but these are mostly for intro. science classes, etc.) that don't require participation. It's hard to say whether the education here is geared toward getting a job or for it's own sake. I guess it depends on the class that you're taking. English and other humanities classes and languages are geared toward getting as much out of the class intellectually as you can, and I think that intro. and intermediate level classes in any other discipline are also this way. I think that it's mostly once you get to the higher level classes that professors are "gearing the class toward getting a job". I think they just want to help students do the best they can and to get the best job that they can. I haven't been in any very high level classes, though, so I can't say for sure.

i love all my professors. mostly we have small classes so you get to know your professors pretty well and everything. they are mostly nice to you and great with office hours. students study a lot, a lot of over enthusiasts. class participation is importnat too and a lot of folks talk a lot in class.

Yes. German. Chemistry. very often. yes. yes. Very. Have not had a chance to take one yet but have had fun in almost all of my classes....our professors are awesome. Good professors, good courses, good research opportunities. Yes. Seems kind of hard sometimes but good for you in the end. Yes!!

The classes are small, when you miss class the proffs email you to make sure everything is okay.

People are always studying, but the work load is not overwhelming. In fact, I usually have assignments that I enjoy doing and my professors are always available to help.

Most professors know my name. even in large classes, because they take pictures of you in labs. Most professors are SO quick and helpful in responding with emails.

Professors know my name and even in big size classes (up to 100 students), they make strong effort to know us and not rarely let us know them as who they are (family, activities they enjoy, etc.), Favorite class: Astronomy, least favorite: PE education. Students study constantly!! And they are really prepared for all classes, which makes me realize i need to study more, in order to get along with the level of the classes. Class participation is really common! Anywhere you go there you can listen to academic topics being discussed. Students are not too much competitive, our goal is to claim our education, not receive it as a mere number on a sheet of paper. Until now, the most unique class i've taken is Game Theory (economics); I want to double major in Economics and International Relations, and MHC has great programs for both, including partnerships with universities abroad (junior year abroad); I can see any professor in their office ours; i think the requirements work pretty well here; Here the atmosphere has a learning for its own sake predominance.

PRofessors memorized names within the first week. I was surprised. Students are always always studying.. its great. Favorite class... AMERICAN SILENT FILM AND SPECTATORSHIP! least favorite, Model Organisms bio 145 DO NOT TAKE THAT CLASS! the book was $179 and we never used it. Students aren't compeitive, but competitive with themselves. I had a hilarious talk with my classics professor outside of class about the plural form for octupus. apparently, if you go by the greek suffix (pus is foot) the plural is octupodi!!! The requirements are good because you get to try each field... its geared towards learning for learning's sake but that makes getting jobs easier anyway duh.

My professors know my name and I love that about MHC. I've never taken a class at MHC that I haven't liked. Among my favorites are the ones that make me think provocatively or about something in a new light. Students are extremely competitive--they compete about how much work they have to do.

Many of my professors know my name- for example, my German class here first semester only had 5 people. The amount of studying by students really depends. A lot of girls do spend all weekend studying and they are the "go getters" that get everyting done a week early and get to class 30 minutes early. But there are also a lot of girls that party on the weekends and do everyting last minute. The amount of studying on average is probably higher than at other schools, though, because professors here expect a lot from the students. There are many intellectual conversations outside of class because many students here are politically aware and have very strong opinions.

All my professors know my name, my year, my interests, my major, etc. Professors at Mount Holyoke are one of the most valuable resources you will gain upon coming here. They want to see you succeed and will help you every step along the way. They are fabulous. I loved my genetics class... it was completely intriguing to me, but I have also enjoyed many others, like Intro to Cultural Anthro, Intro to Sociology, Intro to Contemporary France, etc. My least favorite class was a history class called "women of the reformation." It was dreadful. I dropped it. Students are always studying. When they're not studying they're going to debate, German Club, rugby practice, SA meetings, Eq team practice, etc. Women at Mount Holyoke really get involved with activities on campus. Class participation is really emphasized here. We have small classes so you are usually expected to participate. MoHos love to have intellectual conversations outside of class... It's really amazing because they often really know what they're talking about, too! Students are hard-working and diligent, but not competitive. You can always go to your classmate for help. My major is bio. It is one of the strongest departments on campus. It is extremely challenging and time consuming, but if you're really into the material, it is really rewarding. Mount Holyoke has a wide range of distribution requirements. If I could give one piece of advice, don't worry too much about your requirements your first year. Take classes you're interested in , it's better to get an idea of what you want to study early on!

All of my professors know my name. Always. Even in the big lecture classes. Some students study a lot. Other don't. Grades tend to reflect effort a lot of the time. How much a person studies also depends a lot on their major. Science majors and interdisciplinary majors tend to study more. Things over all are just really academic - people like to talk about their classes and they really genuinely pursue the things they're interested in.

Half of them do. My favorite is a gender study first year seminar Women's Public Voices. Least favorite is my current Macroeconomics Theory because I do not feel I am learning anything new. Very often, they are very hardworking in general. Yes, class participation is excellent. Yes they do, but not very often. No not in general, depending on the nature of the curriculum and majors. Game Theory. I am an economics and mathematics double major, I like the econ department because of the professors and I know quite a few of them; but i haven't had a chance to know many math professors yet, so I'm not very visible in the department yet. Not usually, but I spend quite some time in office hours when I was a first year, not any more. I would actually prefer harder classes; almost all of my classes I find somewhat easy, humanities or science. It's more learning for its own sake.

Yes, Professors know my name. Chinese Politics was my favorite, although Physical Geology is pretty amazing too. All my classes are my favorite in their own little ways. Macroeconomics was my least favorite. Students are always studying 24/7. Class participation varies. Politics Department is nice. I like Profs, they're always nice. Academic requirements can be stressful, so get them done early. Education tries to be both--we're supposed to get a good job AND just want to study for the sake of it. Definitely both.

some of them......economics classes with Jim Hartley are my favorite!....Sttudents study a loottt!!...most unique class-folk dancing!....it was a loot of fun!!

Mt Holyoke is popular for its Science departments and my favorite professor, so far, has been from the Biology department too. Stan Rachootin is a total sweetheart. I'm not a science persona at all, and my concentration is Economics and English, but I had to take a class in the science department for my liberal arts prerequisite. I took BIO 145: Nature Harmoniously Confus'd, and it was taught by the most unconventional, hilariously engaging, charming, and adorable professor. Stan taught me how to appreciate the cuteness of a duckweed, helped me overcome my fear of snakes (at least that one time when he brought his son's PET SNAKE, named 'Snakie', to class), and I had never enjoyed science, cells, Archae or E-Coli more. If you go to Mt. Holyoke, you cannot leave without taking a class with Stan or just talking about life in general with him. He's a babe. A lot of students like to study at the college library, which has become a social place to hang out with friends, drink coffee at Rao's, or take a nap in the Info Commons. The work load is enormous at Mt Holyoke. Professors like to believe that students don't have a life and will actually be studying or writing papers all the time. So you will see a lot of people slaving away on their laptops or complaining about their work every single day of the week. One of the coolest departments at Mt Holyoke is the English Department. It is filled with a whole bunch of intellectual professors who know what they are talking about. I have taken classes with a couple of British professors, and they are adorable when they talk about Shakespeare in their English accents. The department offers a wide variety of unique courses, some of which are inter-linked with history requirements or critical social thought requirements. Class participation is a major component of almost all the classes at Mt Holyoke. They even constitute some percentage of the total grade in some classes. Students talk about issues from current ones to prehistoric debates, and Mt Holyoke women are very passionate about matters that they believe in which leads to stimulating class discussions. Such intellectual discussions are not limited to within class room walls. The campus center is teeming with people debating over environmental issues as well as presidential candidates.

Professors know the majority of students by name. My favorite class was my first year English seminar in southern American lit. All the first-years took over the class and we got really into our discussions. I liked that right from the beginning the women in my class wanted to speak out. Class participation is a MUST! Many intellectual conversations happen outside of class, especially over meals. Students are not very competitive. The most unique course I took was Queer Theory in Latin America. Heavy stuff! I am a history and Spanish double major and both departments have incredible faculty. History offers many more courses than Spanish. I wish there were more seminars in the Spanish dept. because they offer really great ones. History is superb, the department unfortunately itself is in an attic! Because I am President of SGA most of my time outside of class is with students and administration, but I do know many professors see their students all the time outside of class. I see mine as much as I can. I think the academic requirements at MHC are very fair. They require us to go to all disciplines as well as expand to multicultural affairs and languages. MHC is geared toward education for the sake of learning. Much of it is extremely useful. I had a philosophy professor who liked to say his class was "use empty" instead of "useful" but it did not make it any less engaging.