Mount Holyoke College

Date: Apr 02 2015
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
Minimal space for creativity, or for interdisciplinary studies. Neither is this a place for intellectual stimulation or curiosity, amongst very grade-oriented students who only care about getting a job, & who pretend they're confident, smart, & got their lives all sorted, while often broken inside in many ways. Professors don't guide you to your interests here, especially if your interests are interdisciplinary; ambiguity makes most of them uncomfortable.

Creativity, or their movement for change ? Limited. An alum asked President Pasquerella about creative outlets for students, & other alums present sensed that she clearly did not understand that question, & only talked about the museum … Myopic visions.

Plenty of false advertising, which I fell for ..

. Diversity: MHC gives much financial aid to students from Pakistan, China, Nepal & other countries, to market their diverse culture. While diverse in countries, the students they choose are very similar, & culture aside, all one of a kind. Grade oriented, often afraid to ask what they truly want in life (one girl even said, no one's ever asked me that before), & fake friendliness.

. Special major: discouraged if it's not career-oriented. In more than 2 years, the Special major dean never saw a student design a major that's geared towards intellectual pursuits.

Professors often unnecessarily stoke students' sense of intelligence, in discussions that are clearly bland, & with facts students state with a false sense of superiority that's already widely known in other schools. Classes seldom encourage you to do independent papers & seek out your specific interests, they are designed in the old-fashioned way of 'lecture, try to discuss, regurgitate, write essays, exams'. I did extensive research for all my classes, & professors, & asked seniors for their favorites, to little avail.

Accommodation & food: if you're the independent sort, or with dietary issues .. avoid coming here. all $13,000 from the financial aid package is taken away if you choose to cook, or live off campus. No negotiation. I tried many times, to be greeted with a cold-hearted & icy 'No' by their head of financial services. I did email the president, since I literally got food comas & a painful belly from the lousy unhealthy food, which affected my work, & that was ignored. Other colleges simply shave $2000 off your financial aid package.

Prettiness of campus wears off .. it's like a Ralph Lauren ad that confines nature to its own notion of beauty. The one merit of this school: part of the Five Colleges consortium.