All about Us: Student Satisfaction

"I can't get no ... satisfaction" wailed Mick Jagger in the classic rock song. But apparently satisfaction wasn't a problem for the MHC class of 1996. According to the 1996 senior survey, 86 percent said they were "very" or "generally" satisfied with their overall undergraduate education at Mount Holyoke.

At least nine out of every ten respondents were satisfied with all these aspects of College life:

• overall quality of instruction
• class size
• out-of-class faculty availability
• classroom facilities
• science lab facilities and equipment
• foreign language facilities
• humanities and arts courses
• social science courses
• library facilities
• athletic facilities
• computer services and facilities
• opportunities to take interdisciplinary courses
• independent study and research opportunities
• contact with faculty
• opportunities for extracurricular activities

In the same survey, seniors were least satisfied with food services (though two-thirds were satisfied), the administration's responsiveness to student concerns (also two-thirds satisfied), and social life (58 percent were satisfied, the lowest percentage in any category).

When asked to rate the extent to which their capacity for various skills was enhanced by MHC, seniors reported the greatest improvement in: "understanding my own abilities and personality," "acquiring knowledge and new skills on my own," and "ability to think analytically and logically."

"All about Us" is an occasional series featuring statistical information about the College, provided by director of institutional research Janice Gifford.