Frances Perkins Students

Frances Perkins students (FPs) are non-traditional students: older than the traditional undergraduate (24+), perhaps married and/or with dependent children. Admission into the program is administered through the Frances Perkins Office and the Frances Perkins Steering Committee and follows procedures similar to those for the traditional undergraduate, with the special life circumstances of the mature student also taken into account.

Most admitted FP students have recent college work and many have completed courses at more than one college, often with some courses taken a number of years prior to admission to Mount Holyoke. FPs are expected to present recent evidence of success in college courses and most have been enrolled at a community college where faculty have supported them in their plans to transfer to a four year institution. They are familiar with classroom protocol and assignments, expect to speak regularly with instructors and advisors, and, as with traditional students, are still trying to figure out what to do after graduation. Unlike traditional students, time and financial aid constraints often force that question and limit curriculum exploration. Creative scheduling and effective integration of previous college work with the Mount Holyoke curriculum is essential.

For those FP's living on campus, residential life is often a difficult transition that can play out in a variety of settings including the classroom. In other words, the same adjustment issues may arise for residential FP's as for traditional students. Additionally, non-resident FPs express frustration about having limited time to spend on campus. Visions of missed evening lectures, films, readings, and other events, often leave them feeling disconnected from college life and important sources of information. Residential and commuting FP's are brought together as often as possible with the hope that reality will temper these frustrations.

The Frances Perkins students, though unique in many ways, are quite similar in need, expectation, and diversity to their younger classmates. Although these women are dedicated and motivated, they are frequently as confused about courses, careers, graduate school, and the future, just as their younger counterparts. They often look to their advisors for answers to their questions and will probably require the same amount of advising energy as the traditional student. In return, they can offer a fresh perspective and new inspiration.
Special Requirements and Policies for Frances Perkins Students

Credit Requirements
FPs must complete all of the graduation requirements met by traditional students, including distributions. The Physical Education requirement is adjusted, as for transfer students, to 4 units for students who transfer between 34 and 55 credits and 2 units for those who transfer 56 or more credits.
Note in particular that FP students must take at least 64 Mount Holyoke credits. Be aware that although Five College courses taken during the regular fall and spring semesters count as MHC credits, those taken during the summer or J Term DO NOT.

Course Load
A full-time program for an FP may be either 12 credits (3 courses) or 16 credits (4 courses) and some will carry a part-time program of 8 credits (2 courses).

Financial Aid
Financial aid is limited to a combined total of 128 transfer and Mount Holyoke credits. While initially being awarded a high number of transfer credits is attractive to prospective FPs, it often becomes a detriment once they are enrolled and begin planning their programs. Financial aid for commuting FPs is awarded based on the number of credits scheduled for the semester, as tuition is then charged by credit. Full-time FP's (3 or 4 courses) need to maintain that level if they are receiving state or federal funds; dropping to two courses can often disqualify them from that aid. Residential FP's are expected to take four courses, but are allowed to in some cases to begin their studies here with three. It is important to counsel students to plan their programs within the limits of their financial assistance.

Course Selection
The FP Office issues a preliminary credit estimate to the student at the time she is admitted. When a student decides to matriculate, she will be invited to meet with FP Program Staff about choosing classes for her first semester at Mount Holyoke College.

Once the FP Student has matriculated, the registrar will further evaluate her transfer credit and an unofficial transcript and degree audit is available to the student and advisor on record and can be accessed through ISIS. The transcript and degree audit provide information about the number of transfer credits that have been transferred and notes what distribution requirements have been met elsewhere. Also on ISIS the advisor and the student can access the student’s preliminary class schedule. Students have the option of completing an academic advising form on the Transfer Curriculum Guide web site for new students .

FP's, like transfer students, will require careful guidance in program planning because most will be limited by financial aid to as few as 64 Mount Holyoke credits, even though in many cases those credits will be taken over a period of 3-4 years.

Determine with your advisee what her particular credit program should be, keeping in mind the linkage between financial aid, residence status and credits. Resident students are expected to take a full course load unless they matriculate with an odd number of credits. Full-time residential FPs with 56 transfer credits are expected to finish their course in four semesters.

FP's bring an average of fifty transfer credits to Mount Holyoke and, in so doing, have typically met most of their distribution requirements. If not, they should be encouraged to do so before getting too involved in major and minor requirements. A timely completion of distribution requirements saves anxiety at the end, especially for those students who enter with the maximum 64 credits.

Meeting Requirements with Work Done Elsewhere
If the Registrar is unable to determine whether work done elsewhere meets a college requirement, or if the student wishes to count such work toward her major, she is asked to consult with the appropriate department and obtain a signature on the "Mount Holyoke College Permission Form," available from the Registrar's Office or on line.

Overview of Mount Holyoke Program
The degree audit that is available on ISIS is the tool that should be accessed during the first advising session. FP students are instructed to contact the advisor to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time. At some point in the first meeting(s), the advisor should encourage the student to work out a draft program of the courses she plans to take at Mount Holyoke.

The process of developing this plan will allow the student and her advisor to identify potential difficulties in scheduling. This is particularly important in certain fields where advanced-level courses require a certain sequencing of pre-requisites and in departments where courses are offered in alternate years or on a less frequent basis. In addition, commuting FP's often need to schedule classes to fit various outside commitments, which adds yet another dimension to the planning.

The Major
Though many FP's have a major in mind when they enter Mount Holyoke, others are still searching. Unfortunately, the duration of this search may have to be limited because of the financial aid restriction. After fulfilling distribution, major, and minor requirements, there is often little time or money left to explore the curriculum to the depth and breadth one might ideally wish.

Off-Campus Study
Because of the residency requirement of two years/64 credits at Mount Holyoke, FP's rarely are able to study abroad or on exchange programs. However, summer study, internship, and fellowship opportunities provide off campus experiences that can be equally rewarding.

For information about the FP Program, visit The Frances Perkins Program on the Web.