Holyoke Community College

Date: Jun 27 2014
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
HCC was a stepping stone for me. I had extremely below average grades in high school and wasn't ready to attend a four-year school when I started here. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and it still took me a full year of being here to figure out.

RESOURCES

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Before I even begin the review, I want to say there there are MANY resources here that I was not aware of. If you have intentions of transferring to one of the small liberal arts colleges in the area, FIGURE THAT OUT in your first semester, and stop by the Pathways Program room. They will help you pick classes that will tailor to those schools and will support you in every way when you apply there. I only figured out recently that I wanted to attend Smith, but it's really too late to do anything about it since I waited until most of my degree was completed. HCC has a math center, but make sure you MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! I can't tell you how many times I went in there without one and had to wait upwards of an hour for a tutor to free up. The library staff is very helpful if you can find anyone. Sometimes they're there, and sometimes they're not. There are many places in the Kittredge and Frost buildings where you can get help. Lots of help if you are looking for a job off campus, or if you need to edit your resume. If you look around, there's no excuse for failure.

FACULTY

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I have had absolutely horrible professors, and professors who I have taken multiple classes with. USE RATEMYPROFESSOR! And pick your own classes. Your advisor will tell you what to do, but just ask for the PIN to access your class changes online, and pick your own classes based on the professor. It will make a world of difference. About half of the faculty in my department have been great, while the other half are so-so. Take a class with Bruseo or McMaster. Both make you think, and are challenging professors. But they're also extremely helpful and willing to work with you.

FOOD

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I've found the food here is generally garbage. They make decent soup. There is a Subway run by the school, so the prices are different and they don't accept gift cards. Same with the Starbucks.

BUILDINGS

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They are doing a lot of remodeling, slowly but surely. Many of the buildings are just acceptable, but they work. The first floor of the Donahue building, and the Kittredge building, both are really nice. Bathrooms are generally just passable. Lots of concrete everywhere.

PEOPLE

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You have a large range of people here, from older adults getting an education, to kids just out of high school. You are truly stupid people who's parents are making them come here, and you have people who just couldn't afford a real college who earn a 4.0. I've found the people generally pleasant. Most of my classes were small and we are generally socalized.

Overall, my time here was generally positive. This school allowed me to get my act together and transfer to UMass through MassTransfer. While not my first choice, still a good choice for my major.