maddylyn08

my family has alwayyyys wanted me to go to mhc and follow the family legacy. when i was a baby i had a "Mount Holyoke Class of 2012" tshirt, hahaha. they´re really really excited that i got in, but i´m a little worried about getting the entire college experience?

i guess it sounds bad, but are there guys around? i´m not by any means "boy crazy", but it´s nice to hang out with guys sometimes! my friends are all saying that there will be a ton of lesbians but i think that´s silly. i don´t mind having a higher percentage of lesbians than usual, or a lower percentage of men out and about... but have any mhc students found either situation too extreme?

thanks for helping me out with my naive questions :P

frazzledmaybe

There are guys on campus for classes, activities (students can participate in classes and activities throughout the consortium), events, etc. Of course there are more women, but you will see guys. Hampshire is really close too, and UMass and Amherst are not very far either (the pvta, our free bus, can take you to any of the colleges). If you want to hang out with guys, it can happen, don't worry.

However, if you are really shy and unwilling to step out of your room or dorm, you won't meet them. That sounds like common sense, but it is important to know going in that it may take more effort to find a group of guy friends.

I don't think there are a "ton" of lesbians. Keep in mind that MHC is a place where people feel safer showing their orientations. To me, it feels like more lesbians here just don't feel like they have to hide. There are MANY straight people here also. Many MHC students are incredibly knowledgeable about gender issues and, if you attend, you will see that there are people who fit into and embrace the gender binary, as well as people that eschew sexual boxes or fit into trans categories, etc. We really have a mix of people.

l3abyUnicorn

I am a current Mount Holyoke student and I completely agree with frazzledmaybe. Mount Holyoke really is what you make of it. Some people LOVE it, and I have a lot of friends who HATE it. It depends on the person, I suppose. I meet guys every weekend at parties on campus here and at Amherst and UMass, and I attend a lot of great lectures and symposiums on campus on the weekdays that really broaden my mind.

I've learned so much since coming here, and because Mount Holyoke is so politically and socially active, I've found myself becoming increasingly aware of the world around me as well.

Also, I've honestly never seen this many lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people in one area in my LIFE but it's no big deal. People are generally very friendly here and it's nice to see so many different women.

But of course, there will always be certain people who are constantly shuttling to Amherst in search of men, and they're the reason why when we go out, we go out with a certain "slut stigma" attached. People think girls at Mount Holyoke are easy whores so sometimes it's hard to trust people or meet a decent guy, but that's not to say it's impossible, of course.

It's just up to you (=

frazzledmaybe

Ugh, okay I just want to clarify: All the women's colleges feel that "slut stigma," to an extent. The Senate Bus (the bus that brings Wellesley students to MIT and Harvard) is called the F--k Truck by people at MIT and Harvard. The PVTA (the 5 college bus for Smith, MHC, Hampshire, UMass, and Amherst) is jokingly calling "pushing virgins toward Amherst" by some. Barnard students get negativity from some Columbia students for "slutting up 'their'" men. I don't know about Bryn Mawr, but with Haverford and Swarthmore right there, I'm sure people say stuff about them too. MHC students feel more of this stigma than Smith students, IMO; however, Smith gets more of the "uptight butch" stigma, so it evens out. Both stereotypes are exaggerations to the point where they are essentially untrue. For example, Smith attracts more of the city-dwelling "unfriendly" type. While not all students are unfriendly, it it easy to exaggerate this point when people try to find easy ways to differentiate between the personalities of the two very similar colleges. So, the point I'm trying to get to is that EVERY school has a "student stereotype" and rarely is there significant truth in there.

And I know women with boyfriends in the consortium (most from Hampshire, actually), so it definitely isn't impossible at all! It depends on your willingness to talk to people and go out, mainly, and the rest is just about the luck game that exists in every other place in the world.

I definitely agree with Babyunicorn on the point that MHC is a type school, but if you know your type and chose accordingly then you'll be set.