It’s been a little over five weeks since I arrived on the Mount Holyoke College campus, and though I’m still discovering my ways around and haven’t yet acquainted myself to the area very well, I’ve already found myself enticed by the beauty of the college.
It’s safe to say that when I arrived here as a first year, I was almost immediately hit by concern about the godforsaken town of South Hadley. Having previously lived in the huge, cosmopolitan city of New Delhi, the thought of living in a town where the population was only 18,000 seemed a bit absurd to me. Along with the anxiety of settling in and making friends, I was also swamped with worries about whether this college was going to be just like a clichéd high school experience, with different cliques and not much room for learning. I can gladly say that within the first week I realized that I was completely wrong.
Although there is no denying the fact that Mount Holyoke isn’t like any of the typical party colleges, it does not in any way mean that you won’t have the opportunity to have a social life or attend parties here. In fact, the social life of a Mount Holyoke student goes beyond all that; it gives you a more comforting environment where you can find your niche and find people like you or people who enjoy the same things as you. In only five weeks of being here, I’ve come to realize that this college offers you an environment that is loving, nurturing, and accepting, and that supports you in every way possible. I believe that in this sort of environment you can find all sorts of people all with varying passions and interests.
Another striking feature of Mount Holyoke that I didn’t expect to grow fond of, especially this soon, is the antiquity of everything. The old buildings, together with the the lakes and almost ‘forested’ location gives off a very warm vibe, makes you feel closer to nature and adds character to everything. Not being a very outdoorsy person, I expected adaptation to be a challenge but it’s been quite the opposite. What also comes as a surprise to me is the open-mindedness and accepting nature of the MoHo community, which is a shock when you consider how traditional the college is when it comes to customs established in 1837 and forward. Mount Holyoke has an ideal blend of traditional and progressive values – like the educational system which gives a lot more opportunities to Frances Perkins scholars, and naturally, to female students, while at the same time maintaining its old-fashioned qualities – which has also led me to fall in love with this college.
Getting homesick occasionally isn’t an unfamiliar thought, but, when the college has such a homelike experience, with my favorite tradition yet – M&C’s (because who doesn’t love free cookies) and such a close knit community, missing home isn’t as bad as one would expect. In fact, nothing since my arrival at Mount Holyoke has been what I expected. I can already see MoHo becoming my MoHome.
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