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Sander I.

Tour Guides and Senior Ambassador at Mount Holyoke College

They/them/theirs

Class of 2025

Hometown: Lexington, MA

Major: Biological Sciences

Secondary Major: Pre-Health Track (Physical Therapy)


I chose Mount Holyoke College because...

I love the community here. I knew I was looking for a small, liberal arts college, but I was applying in 2020, so I never got the chance to tour schools. I was getting all of my information from online and I found out about historically women's colleges (HWCs) through social media. I looked into it further because I thought the environment at HWCs would really help me thrive. I ended up choosing Mount Holyoke because even through video chats with current students and Zoom open houses, I could really tell that people loved being at Mount Holyoke. I knew that I would be able to find a community here and thrive in my classes.

My favorite class is...

Cell Biology! It was such a fun class. I really liked how the course was structured with time for discussion, lecture, and lab. It really helped solidify the concepts we were learning and the professors were always willing to help out in whatever way they could, whether it was through open office hours, email, or community forums.

My advice to prospective students is...

Explore everything a college has to offer! I know when I was looking at colleges, I was focused on academics, but your college experience is so much more than that. Learn more about the community at each college you look at and try to see yourself in each one. One great way to do this is to look at the college's student newspaper! That can give you a good sense of what students are involved in and what they're passionate about.

My favorite MHC tradition is...

First Year Plants! When you come to MHC, during the first couple days of Orientation, you can go to the greenhouse and pick out a plant. Legend has it that if you can keep it alive throughout your time at Mount Holyoke, you'll graduate and someday become a millionaire. I don't know if it's true, but I am a huge plant person, so I've kept my plant alive.

I'm passionate about...

Rock Climbing Biology Exercise Science Pre-health Trans Inclusion at HWCs Being Outdoors Balancing STEM and Extracurriculars

I'm involved with...

Gender+ Mount Holyoke Outing Club Office of Health Professions Advising Research in Biological Sciences Pre-Health Peer Advisor Five College Consortium Living Learning Communities Study Abroad
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