Mount Holyoke College

Date: Mar 29 2013
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
I think MHC is a great fit for a certain type of student. If you're looking for life similar to that of a small boarding school for girls, this place is for you. I went into college desiring a place where internships across all fields (esp. entertainment market research- my dream field) were easily accessible to students, whether it be freshmen or graduating seniors. Instead, I experienced difficulties pinpointing the exact resources and connections I would need to help me land career advice and/or a job at a major agency, unlike peers at top state schools and well-known private universities.

I honestly believed I expected way too much from my first semester at MHC. I attended an alternative public high school program on a college campus for my last two years, so I learned to be independent, disciplined and assertive. My teachers and professors NEVER held anyone's hand, stopped in the middle of discussion to define a word, etc. It was assumed from every student (at the tender age of fifteen, even) that they would show up for high school classes, pass their college classes and carve out a specific path for themselves. Several of my HS classmates acquired enough credits to attain both an associate's degree AND a HS diploma by the age of seventeen or eighteen, even. In high school, I immersed myself in a huge, impersonal campus culture and extended myself to some of the most amazing, interesting, driven, smart people (old and young) that any high schooler could ever encounter as a classmate. I learned to befriend intelligent, high spirited, silly guys AND girls- however, I find that the more I extend myself to those around me, the seemingly more awkward and intolerant they are of my outgoing, weird, silly personality. While most girls I've encountered here are incredibly studious, passionate and caring, I find that many also seem a bit too serious for my tastes in friends. If you attend a small school, be warned- if finding your niche seems to be a recurrent problem (as it is with me), you're stuck with these same girls all four years. Looking back, I should have been aware of how similar small colleges' social atmosphere can be to that of a high school.