I’m not sugarcoat this, first of all, as a lesbian, asian, international student, I have experienced tremendous pressure and bias during the time of high school and my previous college. I am a transfer student for fall 2015 looking forward to a change of environment, specifically a non-heteronormative scene.
I have also been accepted to Mount Holyoke college which is known for its vibrant feminist scene and inclusive environment, as well as opportunities offered by five-college consortium. However Wesleyan definitely has certain appeals and for which i am having a difficult time deciding which school to go. I will probably major in theater and biology, and minor in film, and Wesleyan has top notch programs for all these three whereas MHC has a reputation for an amazing science facility and like I mentioned before the five college consortium will give me plethora of opportunities of theater auditions, which automatically expands my choices of participation in various aspects of productions. Both schools are prestigious and well known, and both have rigorous academic programs for which I am exited about.
Eventually it boils down to these questions that I cannot predict the answers just by reviewing school website:
- Is there a visible and vibrant queer population in Wesleyan? the answer for MHC is an affirmative yes.
- How heteronormative is Wesleyan? My previous school is very straight and every parties i have attended involved varied degree of disapproval of my lesbian presence and it kind of sucks. Although it has a gender inclusive housing and it claims to be supportive (minimal tolerance from what i have experienced) of LGBTQ, community, it was filled with heteronormative messages and my identity was not celebrated.
- Dating pools anyone???? From what you have experienced and observed, is it rare to see same sex couples on campus? Is it going to hard to find a lesbian to date in general?
Again I am torn between Wesleyan and MHC, although I personally like Wesleyan better for its academic programs and reputation for grad schools, I felt like MHC is a place where my identity is celebrated. Anyone has any insights?
P.S. there are no financial concerns for both schools
Just to let you know, Mount Holyoke is absolutely fantastic in producing students who go on to earn PhDs in biology. Consult NSF statistics. Last time I checked, it produced on average 10-15 successful PhDs in biology every year, which is remarkable for a small school like MHC. I would hardly think that Wesleyan has some sort of superior reputation to grad schools over MHC.
You clearly prefer MHC in terms of the social life. What good reason is there to go to Wesleyan, then? Mount Holyoke also has a LOT more international students (my friend, who attends the school, told me that the class of 2019 is over 30% international), so you would definitely be able to find a climate more catered towards helping international students succeed, especially after graduation. I can’t stress enough how important this is for international students. My school is not at all helpful in terms of finding employment outside the US, but that’s partly because the career people are helping mostly Americans. Oh well.
Thank you for your reply! I decided to go visit both school next week and see which one i like the best. But it sounds like MHC is a better school for me haha.
As somebody who is also a lesbian and is going to Wesleyan University in the fall, I’d say from my experience with people who already go to Wesleyan, Wesleyan is a very LGBTQIA+ place. It is crawling with LGBTQIA+ folk and there is a strong hookup scene if you’re looking for that kind of dating scene. Also, you have to consider that while MHC is an all-womens college, that does not necessarily promise (even from the website) that it’s a college campus you’ll feel safe on. I visited Bryn Mawr after being accepted and the website made the college appear as if it was LGBTQIA+ central and then I go there and it’s just as heteronormative as my high school in the conservative South of the United States. Definitely visit and get a feel for yourself, but don’t discount Wesleyan just because it’s co-ed.
I am glad you are going to visit both schools. It’s too bad that the whole student body won’t be there, though, to really give you an idea of what the schools are like. My D is on campus at MHC now, and if you’d like to talk to her please send me a message. She is always happy to talk to prospective students and can definitely speak to the issue you are concerned about 
Thank you QueerUniDeer that is very helpful. I got accepted into Bryn Mawr as well and after the campus visit i did not feel like it is the right place for me. I am also from a south religious school haha and none of students have been to Wesleyan,i mean any LAC in new england area, and it is very frustrating to evaluate the school solely based on internet searchings. And thank you again, your comment definitely points out a much clear direction to me.
With the inclusion of the consortium colleges, especially Smith, there are significantly more available students in the dating pool.
International195 made an excellent point. MH is almost unparalleled regarding the success of science majors who pursue advanced degrees.
The fact that MH has markedly more international students than comparable LAC’s is, in my opinion, a significant asset.