Maria E. Carriedo

There would have been many differences in life as a college student from the 1950s to college student life now.  There have been many different images of the college portrayed by the college and the school has survived the crazy world and extreme advocates throughout the years.  Many of these papers will discuss happenings around the world that have influenced the minds of the students of that time versus the present-day.    Any sociologist will tell you that we are a product of our society, that we have been socialized into the society in which we live.  My paper, however, is less affected by the surroundings of students, and more affected by family life growing up.

I will argue that although the idea of the family has changed in the course of fifty years, family relations of students at Mount Holyoke College were not much different than then they are now.  “Going off to college” is a large step in any young adult’s life, Mount Holyoke College is not much different than the rest.  What a student and parent feel as the first child leaves the house to experience the world is pretty much a consistent feeling.  Most students will experience homesickness, rebellion from the home, and a sense of being content and satisfied with the idea that she does not need to be holding her parent’s hand at every step anymore. 

I studied present-day students who had similar family relations to Mary J Browning in the respect that her parents are still living together and have at least one sibling.  I consciously decided to omit the fact that divorce rates are much higher today than they were fifty years ago because I it was not relevant to my topic of discussion.  I am discussing Mary’s attitude in her letters home.   I would argue that in order to properly compare Mary’s attitude to the attitude of a present-day student, the variables must be kept to a minimum.  Arguing parents and single child households are unnecessary variables for my research.

I will admit that my research was not as in-depth or accurate as possible due mainly to my lack of experience and knowledge in researching the archives.  Another reason to argue my work is inadequate would be because the topic of my discussion leaves much room for interpretation and biased opinions that any researcher can’t help but express.  No one, other than Mary herself, will truly know what she was really thinking when she wrote about when she mentioned she had a lovely weekend with Paul, if she was thinking anything at all.

In my research I found no dramatic difference in the attitude a student possesses towards the family – especially the mother – while attending Mount Holyoke College.  Although present-day students are fifty years younger than Mary and are surrounded by a much different atmosphere, they have very similar topics of conversation with parent figures.  The weather, classes (schedule, difficulty, upcoming tests and papers, interesting discussion topics), extra curricular activities, and the health and well being of family and friends are all extremely popular topics of conversation.  Based on my research of present-day students, many students have a tighter, unspoken bond with her mother and tend to speak more frequently and in-depth with her than the rest of the family. 

Mary had a good relationship with her family.  She was constantly communicating with members of her family, specifically home and with her mother, and keeping them updated on happenings in her life.  I would argue that this is a normal habit that most people would see as a common courtesy.  Mary frequently wrote home.  In many instances these “short notes” continued for many pages.  Originally I was impressed by Mary’s devotion to her family, but since have come to realize that it is common for students to keep close contact with home.  What I did not realize originally was the difference in communication.  Today, many students would simply pull out a cell phone and talk to her mother or father for a few minutes in her walk to class to tell of an interesting turn of discussion in an earlier class.  Mary, and every other student of this time, did not have this luxury we have today. 

One difference I would point out from then and now would be the education and profession of the mother in the house.  At the time Mary attended Mount Holyoke, most of the student’s mothers had a college education and were housewives.  In Mary’s case, her mother attended Wellesley, a sister school of Mount Holyoke College.  This, I am sure, greatly affected Mary’s decision to go to college and attend a woman’s college.  I would also argue that this also provided a bond between Mary and her mother that cannot be present between Mary and her father.  This bond would also be present between Mary and her daughter² who was a member of the class of 1980.  Although most mothers of Mount Holyoke College students are educated and many from Mount Holyoke College or a Sister School of Mount Holyoke College, none of the mothers of the present-day students I researched fall into this category.

The main difference I found in my research is the fact that today there are advanced means of communication home.  In Mary’s time, a simple letter home was a very common action of many students of this time to “stay in touch” with people who are not immediately accessible (in walking distance).  Now there are many ways in which a student can have an immediate interaction with someone leagues away.  Three very powerful examples would be email, cellular phones, and instant messaging.  These three forms of communication have cut a lot of the difficulty of staying in touch out of the equation.  All these resources can be maintained and used at a low cost, if any, to the student and any other members of this society.  The biggest difference, in my opinion, would be the way the use of these resources make the distance between one individual and another seem much shorter than it actually is.  This also will encourage students to travel much further distances to attend school than anyone would have dream in the early ‘50s.  Many present-day students travel across seas to different continents, just look at the high number of international students¹ attending Mount Holyoke College.  Although it is not utilized in my findings, the divorce rates have skyrocketed and ultimately affect students and family relations. 

1. “Mount Holyoke College currently has an international population of 17%.  Four hundred international students come to the College from more than 80 countries.” (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/adm/center/international_info/index.shtml - Mount Holyoke College Admissions Website for perspective international students).

2. Archives and Special Collections at Mount Holyoke College.  Nelson, Mary Browning, Papers Box 1, Box 6 [a letter from Mary’s daughter to the Alumni Association stating Mary’s death, and her class].

Bibliography

1. South Hadley, MA. Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College.  Nelson, Mary Browning, Papers Box 1, Box 6 [Browning Letter (Origonal)]

2. South Hadley, MA.  Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College.  Nelson, Mary Browning, Papers Box 1, Box 6 [Browning, Mary J. Class of 1951]

3. South Hadley, MA.  Mount Holyoke College.  Students