Mount Holyoke College
Programme Details
Minimum mark 60%
Level Undergraduate
Language/s English
Agreement Scope University-wide exchange, check with your department regarding compatibility with your degree programme
Exchange Places 1 full year place for 2024/25
Overview
About:
Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The college's undergraduate admissions are restricted to female, transgender and nonbinary students. Mount Holyoke became a college in 1888 and is the oldest of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of liberal arts women's colleges in the United States which was founded as the female equivalent to the once predominantly male Ivy League. They have a small student population, with approximately 2200 undergraduate students from 57 different countries, but this allows them to have smaller class sizes and more collaboration between students and faculty on academic work and research.
Mount Holyoke College’s 600-acre contiguous campus is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful in the United States with its neo-Gothic buildings, spacious greens, two small lakes, and a magnificent tree canopy. It is home to more than 40 academic buildings and residence halls. The main campus is an arboretum with a diverse collection of trees and shrubs, while a nature preserve spans more than 300 acres and serves as a "living lab" for the community. They also possess an impressive art collection at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, containing over 24,000 works from throughout the world.
Contact:
April Stroud, Dean of International Studies, ahstroud@mtholyoke.edu
Highlights:
In the 2024 edition of the Washington Monthly education rankings, Mount Holyoke College was ranked as the 16th best Liberal Arts College in the United States. The Princeton Review also ranked it as having the 2nd most politically active students, 4th best library, and 7th most beautiful campus in the United States.
Location:
Mount Holyoke College is located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Its closest city is Springfield, which is 14 miles away, and has bus and train connections to major cities including Boston and New York.
Academic information
Courses / Modules:
Courses at Mount Holyoke are worth 4 credits, and a normal amount of credits to take per semester is 16 (four classes).
Students should refer to the course catalogue .
Credit (Full-time Load per semester):
16 Mount Holyoke credits = 60 York credits and 32 Mount Holyokes =120 York credits.
You must take a full credit load while on exchange. Taking insufficient credits can lead to students failing the year. Any alteration to credits/modules must be discussed with your department prior to making any changes.
Teaching Periods:
Fall Semester - Late August / Early September to Mid-December
Spring Semester - Mid-January to Mid-May
Language:
Classes at Mount Holyoke College are taught in English.
Student life
Accommodation:
On-campus housing is guaranteed for exchange students. Mount Holyoke College has 18 residence halls and incoming students fill out a questionnaire to determine which residence they will be in and whether or not they will be assigned a roommate. Please note that you may be required to share a room with up to three other students.
All students are required to take a full meal plan, which provides 21 meals per week when classes are in session. Students are responsible for their own meals during breaks.
Mount Holyoke has Care and Support Resources for information on Health and Counselling Services.
Orientation / Welcome week:
Mount Holyoke College holds a number of orientation events every year, including ones specifically for international students. Some of their most popular events / traditions include Convocation and welcoming new students by offering them a plant from their greenhouse, a tradition which has been ongoing since 1971!
Support Services:
Mount Holyoke College has a range of academic support and resources for students.
Their Division of Student Life also offers care and support resources, including counselling services.
Visas:
You may need a visa to study in the United States. If you are a UK National you must refer to the USA Travel Advice Page and its Living in the USA guide to check on any visa requirements, and raise any queries directly with the relevant embassy/consulate. If you are not a UK national you should check equivalent advice for your home country.
Mount Holyoke College states that students will receive information about visa documents after they have been accepted. Students will need to submit financial documentation, a visa information form, and a photocopy of their passport before they can issue the forms they will need to apply for a visa.
Mount Holyoke have information available on Documents, Visas and Immigration.
Travel insurance:
If you are approved by the University of York to participate in this program, you will be covered by the University's Travel Insurance Policy. This is a complimentary policy to cover you for the duration of your University of York mobility experience. Please refer to the Insurance website for all travel insurance queries. You may be required to obtain health insurance valid during your exchange.
Health insurance:
Students at Mount Holyoke are required to purchase their health insurance plan.
Student experiences
It's been a while since we were able to send a student to Mount Holyoke. This is what Laura (English and Related Literature) had to say about her stay in 2016/17:
‘The campus is so beautiful and with the lake and suchlike, it reminds me a lot of York! In some ways, it has been a lot more different here than I initially expected it to be but it's only small differences from being in the UK. The hardest thing to adapt to here has been the food. Everyone here is on a meal plan and I miss cooking for myself a lot so that took a while to get used to, but the food here is really good!’
‘Another thing that was weird to get used to was the size of the college compared to York. There are only around 2000 students but I like this because it means walking around campus, it is almost certain I've seen the faces before and I recognise a lot of people to say hi to. It has been different to York in terms of class sizes too, they are much smaller (my smallest class has 6 people and my largest around 40) which means there are a lot more in depth discussions of readings which I enjoy.’
‘The biggest culture shock has actually been the workload here in comparison to UK University. At home it tends to be 4 essays due at the end of a module which makes up the final grade. However, here, the assignments and exams are continuous so it was hard to adjust at first, but once I got into a good routine I managed to stay well on top of my workload and as a result I feel I have gained more academically than I would have at home. Participation counts towards grades in some classes too so I have had to go beyond my comfort zone in some classes and speak up in class.’
Top Tips for Studying in the USA
Please note: these tips have been provided by students who have studied abroad in the USA - Global Opportunities recommends that you use these as a guide only and do your own research on what is best for you.
Money and Banking:
"REVOLUT - cannot recommend this enough. Allows for free currency conversions and transfers into US bank accounts."
"I used a Revolute Card which had a really good exchange rates. But I didn't open up a new Bank account."
"I used my UK or French bank accounts and I opened a bank of America account..."
Staying Connected:
"I bought a sim from AT&T [...]. It was a monthly contract that could be cancelled at any time, so it's good for international students. I know some others who either only used WiFi (there's wifi all around campus and it's usually reliable) or who changed their usual contract to an international one."
"Pretty much every exchange student used Mint Mobile. Not all phones work on US frequencies though, so I bought a Google Pixel 3a which works everywhere."
Food:
(Drexel University) "I was on campus and I had a dining plan so I mostly got food in the university's dining facilities."
(University of Denver) "A micro fridge is a worthwhile investment for snacks and drinks outside of mealtime!"
Paperwork and bureaucracy:
(Drexel University) "I contacted and met with my advisor at Drexel regularly. Although I contacted them less often, people in my department and Global Programs were really helpful with any of the issues I might have had."
"Be patient, keep a well labelled folder, email when feeling stressed and your not sure what to do. The main thing is keeping in mind that the paperwork will end and once you arrive at your host country everything is easier face to face."
"Be meticulous and create checklists. Get all the paperwork necessary for visas etc. before even beginning the process of applying. Flights do not necessarily get more expensive as the travel date gets closer."
What I wished I'd known...:
"How much it costs! I was happy to pay for the flights even though they're expensive, but having to buy 4-5 books for every module adds up quickly, especially when some of them are $50+ and York won't provide them when we're abroad. Other things are more expensive too, like clothes, which can cost twice as much as they would here even after converting it."
"Research accommodation a bit more. Expect delays with communication. Expect the mundaneness of normal day to day living- expectation management is a useful skill. All the feelings are very normal!"
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