Mount Holyoke College Top Questions

A lot of the major events on campus that students go to are when the school invited speakers to talk about their experiences either within the working world or in life in general. In the past MHC has had speakers like Martin Luther King and Katherine Switzer, In addition Conferences are held often at the school that students choose to attend, like The Women in Public Services Conference, Historical Talks, and Research Presentations.

If a MOHO is awake at 2am on a weekday she is either doing two things 1. writing a paper or studying for a quiz or 2. hanging out with friends in her room or common room space.

The great thing about a small Division III school is that for many teams you can join without too much experience, like crew, swimming, and a few others. Club sports make up a huge part of campus, especially rugby and dressage. I am heavily involved in Student Government Association here, so of course I love it :) We get a lot of freedom. There are theatre performances almost every week through clubs or the department, and dances held that are open to the Five College community (including creepy guys, but hey, you get that anywhere). I tend to go off campus to meet friends at Amherst on the weekend, though there is a nightlife on campus - only on the weekend though. Mount Holyoke prides itself on SO MANY traditions - just look them up on the site, too many to list, but they rock. There is no greek life, though UMASS has plenty of that and you can go visit, I guess.

Biggest groups on campus (ones that you will notice right away): Crew, Rugby, all of the equestrians. Rugby is the loudest group of people in any given area of campus. They're also some of the nicest. I usually leave my door open if I'm in the room. I forget to lock it most of the time, and have never had a problem. You can leave your shower stuff in the bathroom most of the time, and nobody will screw with it. The dating scene is what you make of it. If you're looking for someone, girls you're surrounded by, or if you want a guy, you just take a 10 minute bus ride. It's not that difficult. A lot of girls are on okcupid as well. The traditions on campus are probably what really /makes/ the school. Orientation 101, Convocation, Elfing, Diso, Las Vegas night, J-Show, Faculty Show, etc.

When I was reading reviews as a prospective student, a lot of people were saying that there's nothing to do here, that South Hadley is How Sadley. My experience has been completely the opposite. How much you enjoy yourself here seems to be dependent on what your expectations are and how you personally define social life. As for me, I find that there are so many things to do any given week on campus. I'm not really a party person, but there are parties on campus every few weeks, and there are constantly parties at other colleges in the area (accessible via the free bus system). MHC is well known for Las Vegas Night in the fall, and Drag Ball in the spring. The latter is soooooo much fun. There are constantly speakers, student-run events, student organization meetings, and shows on campus. If, for some reason, none of this interests you, there are a world of events in the Five College consortium. The cultural shows and events are particularly exciting. The only one I got to attend was African Caribbean night, but there are also Korea night, Hawaii night, Chican@ week, and VariAsians, for example. If you're into sports, there are plenty of opportunities to play! We have common sports such as basketball, tennis, and soccer, but we also have rugby, ultimate frisbee, squash, and horseback riding. There's even a group that's trying to make quidditch official. As a Division III college, sports are not the priority of most students. They're just for fun. Plenty of women's colleges are known for their traditions, and Mount Holyoke is no exception. A common theme with many of them is that they involve reflecting on youth while preparing to move forward in life. Milk and Cookies (M&Cs) is one example. It's essentially snack time. Every school night, there are snacks set out in the dining halls or kitchens. The selections change every night, and they include cupcakes, granola bars, tortilla chips, fresh fruit, and, of course, cookies. Mountain Day is another good one. It's a surprise holiday. One day in the fall, the clock tower chimes more times than it should. That is the signal that classes are cancelled for the day! There are buses that periodically travel to Mount Holyoke (the mountain, not the school, of course)! You climb the mountain, and when you get to the top, the president of the college is waiting with ice cream! The Big Sister/Little Sister tradition is my favorite. Members of the junior class and the first year class get paired up to be sisters. This is not a formal or enforced tradition at all. You can decide who your sisters are on your own, or you can ask the junior class representatives to pick one for you. The relationship can be as deep or as shallow as you make it. I chose my own. I technically have two big sisters, but I consider all of my close friends to be family at this point. All in all, deciding what to do can sometimes be a challenge, and sometimes I have too much work to do anyway. But if there's something in which I'm particularly interested, I'll take a break from my work to enjoy myself!

Mount Holyoke has a lot of student organizations on campus, and if you still can't find one you like, you are encouraged to create your own! We definitely are not a party school, those who do want to party go to UMASS Amherst, which is a free bus ride away! Mount Holyoke is part of the 5 Colleges Consortium (Smith College, Amherst College, Hampshire College and UMASS Amherst). They are connected via a free bus service that runs 24/7. Students can cross-register for classes and social activities.

My closest friends are my roommates and those who live on my floor, except for a few exceptions. I feel safe and comfortable here. I am not involved in the party scene, but there are plenty who are! Mostly, I hang around with friends just talking or watch movies or go to the campus parties. You can do whatever you want to do on the weekends although Sunday is STUDY DAY!

There is so much to do on campus. There are endless amounts of service orgs, sports teams, singing groups, theater opportunities etc... and if you don't find something you like at MHC you can take advantage of the 5 college consortium! I have met my closest friends in my dorm and at chorale. In terms of social life, I love just chilling on campus with friends on weekends, or going into Amherst for dinner. Before I got here I thought I'd be spending all my time over at Amherst, but I enjoy staying on campus so much more!

sports are fun, clubs/activities are important if you want to stay active and feel included, and most likely if you are straight you will travel to UMass or Amherst on a weekly basis. I partied 3 times a week on average - Thurs, Fri, and Sat. The older crowd (juniors/seniors) may even go out on Weds nights (bar night). MHC parties are fun too, if you enjoy drinking and dancing with your girl friends only, but do watch out for those off-campus creepers.

Mount Holyoke is a very politically active campus, so there are many groups designated to politics, but our organizations are by no means limited to that. We have many different clubs, organizations, groups, and teams on our campus.