<p>I’m sorry, Sophia, that MHC was not able to accept you. College acceptances – especially this year, which is very competitive – often include a range of factors that have little to do with personal qualifications and talents. It might be that youur qualifications and background are too similar to other students already enrolled. The College simply might need to balance out its student body with students who are less similar than those already there. You probably would be successful at MHC – as you will be, wherever you enroll. Best of luck – any college where you enroll will be fortunate to have you there!</p>
<p>This is insane. I still haven’t heard from them. Not even a rejection letter which should have made its way here a few days ago if they sent it out “on or before March 25th”. Grr.</p>
<p>exactly! it should’ve made it here by now.
acceptance/rejection…i really don’t care, just let me KNOW NOW!</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my daughter was accepted but has not received her financial aid package. We provided additional information that was requested at the end of March. We’ve spoken with the finaid office 3 times in the past week and have the sense that no one has looked at my daughter’s file yet. I guess those of us on the receiving end feel more of a sense of urgency about getting info than the folks on the sending end…!</p>
<p>Ditto, boxmaker. I had the EXACT same thing happen to me.</p>
<p>Info in 2-3 weeks? I want to make a decision NOW! :(</p>
<p>hey there,
i’ve applied for transfer admission, but i won’t hear til next week. i was just wondering, there’s a link on my isis page for “exclusive access” the the admitted students site–i know something similar happened for 1st year applicants…if any of you saw it, were you ultimately accepted?</p>
<p>I saw it and was accepted. Before they took it down, of course.</p>
<p>hey ladies (and their parents;)) i’m going to mhc:))))))))
even though my family contribution is way too high, i’ve decided that it is worth and i’ll be taking a private loan so that i can finance my education without burdening my parents
soo happy
c ya there</p>
<p>Congratulations! I’m glad you’re going.</p>
<p>I, however, was not so fortunate as to be able to afford a MHC education.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone, whether you will be attending MHC or not!</p>
<p>Wolfstarslasher –
I called the Financial Aid office with a general question – just seeking a clarification about something in my daughter’s package. The Counselor with whom I spoke suggested that we appeal my daughter’s aid, based on something she remembered from my daughter’s file. Perhaps it is worth a call to see if something could be worked out that might permit you to attend…</p>
<p>I did try that, thanks for the tip though.</p>
<p>i was selected as a spring admit back in 2001 when i applied to mhc (i just graduated last sunday). if anyone has any questions, either spring admission or otherwise, feel free to ask away!</p>
<p>ineedkelp,</p>
<p>How would you describe your MHC experience? If you could discuss academics, social, etc. it would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>ineedkelp – Congratulations! What was your major and what are your post-MHC plans? If you knew then what you know now, what advice would you offer incoming MHC students? Thanks!</p>
<p>hmm… ok, so many things to tell, where do i begin?</p>
<p>i loved mhc and i know i’m going to miss it a lot. there are things about the school that really bug me, but i’m sure that would have been the case anywhere, nowhere is perfect. </p>
<p>the academics are for the most part very demanding, there are a few classes where the professors don’t expect much, such as zen & japanese culture (which is a class that most of the 5 college students take to fulfill the multicultural requirement because, well, it’s easy). if you are on a science track, which i was (i was a biochemistry major and art history minor), you tend to have an overwhelming amount of work. when most of the art history kids are thinking about which movie to watch in the beginning of the semester (mostly they are reading for the class), you are busy with labs (and lots of them!). there are quite a few disciplines that i never had to take classes in, like politics (which is supposedly very demanding), psychology (also a lot of work), and english (which i’ve heard good and bad things about). a year (or semester if you take a 201 intermediate course) of a language is required and the language department is tough, but there are a lot of ways to get help, as there is with every other deparment. we also have the weismann center, which students (who are trained) help you with your papers and tell you what you need to improve. every year there are a few people who feel that mhc is not demanding enough and will transfer. there are also a few people every year that will want to party and end up on academic probation and eventually they either have the choice of improving or leaving. class sizes are small for everything except science (which can have up to 150-200 in a lecture in the 100 and 200 level classes). take a class off campus!! it’s soooo important that you leave the campus, because that’s why most people feel trapped. south hadley is not an exciting town, but the busing system is great, even if it takes 25 min to get to amherst.</p>
<p>the social life at mhc will be the deciding factor for a lot of people whether they stay at mhc or not. i had the worst experience with my freshman roommate, but i stuck it out and eventually switched rooms, sometimes they just don’t make good matches, so make sure you write as much about yourself on those forms they send about housing, and i know they do try hard to match you with the dorms that you pick for first choice. although, i actually got placed in the one dorm i did not want, but i made some friends through my first year dorm that i still talk to, even though i moved away from them sophomore year. there is a vocal and comfortable gay population on campus, which for some reason scares a lot of the straight firsties, but you can choose to be a part or not, i never felt pressured to do something i didn’t feel i wanted to. i eventually even met my current beau through one of my good friends at mhc, so there are ways to meet men as well! the student body is amazingly diverse for lacking men and everyone is very accepting of who you are. you really have a choice of who you want to be, there are so many things to do and join, you generally make your friends through your social scene, whether that is partying, singing, politics or something else. i made most of my friends through choir and ended up moving with them junior year. almost everyone on campus is extremely liberal. there are very few dining halls open anymore, which can really bring down the feeling of community in your dorm, that was a huge complaint by most people this year. they closed all but 4 dining halls in the dorms when they opened the cafe in blanchard. </p>
<p>i’m not sure what else to talk about, but if there are any more questions i’d be happy to answer them. as for what i am doing now that i have graduated, i’m hoping to find a job as a lab technician to gain more experience before i go back to school for either a phd in chemistry or a masters in art conservation. i haven’t quite found my calling just yet though.</p>
<p>ineedkelp,</p>
<p>My D will be applying to MHC. Are there activities in the dorms to bring new freshmen together and integrate them with older students–this used to be the natural function of dorm dining halls. Do people meet their friends for meals or is there random seating with whoever happens to show up? Are meals pleasant social events or just functional getting fed?</p>
<p>there are still some activities that the upperclasswomen do with the firsties to help welcome them to the school. actually, every class gets to interact with the firsties for something or other. in the fall (mostly mid-fall, like october) there are 3 different activities that they get to participate in with the upperclasswomen. first thing is elfing, where the sophomores get to leave little presents on the firsties doorsteps in the wee hours of the morning, welcoming them to the school. usually people try to leave things that their firstie likes (sometimes people will leave surveys for them asking them what kind of candy they like, etc.). the second thing is big sister, where the juniors meet their little sister (a firstie) and get to go to an ice cream social. i know a lot of people who still keep in touch with their little or big sisters. the last thing that firsties get to participate in (but don’t have to if they don’t want to) is dis-o with the seniors. for a week the seniors will come to get the firsties at nightime and do things with them, sometimes very strange things (like going to smith and writing things about our rivals on the sidewalks or signs), depending on the senior. i never got to experience dis-o because i came in the spring and senior year was way too hectic for me. if you look up “dis-o mount holyoke” on google, you should be able to find information about it. if not i can post some links. in general, there are a lot of ways to meet upperclasswomen, one sure way is to JOIN SOMETHING! it’s sooooo important, because it’s a way to find that you don’t have to only talk to people in your dorm or in your class year. some of my best friends were people who were a year or 2 older than me, because i joined the choir and i know orchestra and riding and rugby and sga and just about every other activity is the same way.</p>
<p>as for meals, any time you get a bunch of women in a room together they are going to talk! haha. i loved having lunch and dinner with my friends and especially brunch on sundays. most of the time (excluding that when we would be busy with work or have a meeting or something) we would sit for at least an hour to talk to one another, while trying to eat. even with blanchard around, i still would plan to meet my friends for some meal so we could gossip (of course!). because i was a science major, a lot of my meals were spent eating out of brown bags in the atrium of kendade. it’s called grab-and-go lunch and it’s available in both the atrium and in torrey (the dorm). you go and pick out an alotted amount of food (i think it’s like 5 things, including a sandwich or salad) and a drink for lunch. torrey is better if you have the time, they have more variety. but even still, with a bag lunch i was able to meet my friends or eat with someone in the atrium. i fortunately had friends that enjoyed eating in the dining halls, it is easy to get sick of blanchard because you basically end up eating the same thing every day, even though there is definitely a variety. the nice thing about mhc is that when you go to eat lunch or dinner, someone in your party knows someone you don’t. so there’s always a way to meet new people when in the dining halls or blanchard. i’ve never found that there was a lack of people wanting to get to know someone new.</p>
<p>Right on Ineedkelp!
The key to happiness at MHC is getting involved! The upperclassman and AMAZING, fantastic resources who I always looked up to (I still do!) and the best way to meet them is getting involved in a variety of activities, especially ones you may have not considered joing in high school.
I agree that an adjustment period often occurs simply because it is such a unique environment from what most students have experienced previously, but it’s all about finding your niche and once you do, it’s golden!</p>