Mount St. Mary's (otherwise known as the Mount) is located in a rural setting, 15 minutes south of Gettysburg, PA. Due to its small population and rural nature, the Mount is a very close-knit community, and many students there consider it home. There are tons of campus activities, and the campus activities board works really hard to ensure there is plenty to do, both on and off campus.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Don't apply to the Mount if you want a big school or if you can't be in a rural environment. There are plenty of ways to have fun on campus, but you have to take advantage of campus activities and be willing to be creative and make your own fun. If you can't do this, you'll be bored!
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
There are certainly some classes that are easy and take little effort, but for the most part, most classes require work. As you get into the upper levels, the course work will definitely get harder, and you won't do well if you don't put the effort in.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
There are 9 dorms on campus. Some are older and look more run-down (which typically go to freshmen), but most are either new or just renovated. All of the dorms have lounges and study areas. Rooms can be doubles, triples, quads, suite-style (4 single rooms connected to one common room), apartment-style, and 8-person (there's only one 8-person room on campus). Apartments can either be two-person (two singles--there's only one on campus), three-person (one double and one single), or five-person (two doubles and a single). Apartments come with a bathroom, living/dining room area, full kitchen, a full-sized fridge, sink, and electric stove. The other dorms come with a mini-fridge/microwave.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
Patriot Hall is the dining hall on campus, and while there are some iffy foods, for the most part, Patriot serves really good food. The staff is all really nice and friendly. Patriot is open from 7 AM-7:30 PM. Additionally, there is a cafe, which is open weekdays 7 AM-midnight and weekends 7:30 PM-2 AM.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
There's a lot to do both on and off campus. Comedians and musicians come to campus almost every weekend, and students can participate in an acoustic battle for a cash prize. There are lots of sports games to go to, and the basketball games in particular are really fun. There are semi-formal dances at different parts of the year. New movies are also shown before they come out on DVD. The Mount is actually on a small mountain, so if you like hiking, you'll love the Mount. If you want to get off campus, you can visit the Elizabeth Anne Seton shrine in Emmitsburg or go to the Ott House for lunch or dinner (or drinks if you're over 21). Emmitsburg is pretty small, so there's not much to do there, but thankfully the Mount is 15-20 minutes from two bigger towns. Gettysburg, PA is a really cute town, the battlefields are huge and really beautiful, there are lots of restaurants, a movie theater, an outlets strip with good stores, and tons of Civil War reenactors and and ghost hunters. Frederick, MD is twenty minutes to the south, and downtown is also really nice. They have a lot of good restaurants and really good shops. The campus activities board also provides shuttles to DC, Philadelphia or New York a few times every semester. There are tons of other hiking spots, and several trips throughout the semester to do different outdoor activities, like hiking, rock climbing, and caving.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
The Mount is pretty expensive as far as tuition goes, but the education is worth it.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
The Mount is over 200 years old and associated with the Civil War, so of course there are plenty of ghost stories. The Terrace, which is the oldest building on campus and has three separate dorms in it, is apparently haunted. Most people who live there have said they've never seen or experienced anything, but there was a room that stayed boarded up until the renovations in 2009. Several people, including priests when it was still an all-guys school, tried living in the room and couldn't deal with the weirdness. However, the room is now a bathroom, and I haven't heard any more ghost stories. If that stuff freaks you out (like it freaks me out), you don't have to live in Terrace!
The Mount is also very unique in that it is also a Catholic seminary, which is a place men go to school to become priests. The seminarians for the most part do their own thing and live and go to class in their own building, but some of the younger guys have to take random classes with the undergrads, like math or history. They're all really nice, funny guys, and even though it's weird to see 170ish guys with collars on, they're all pretty normal.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
The Mount is great if you want a small, intimate school where you know a lot of people. It's also great if you're interested in outdoor activities, community service and social justice, student diversity (the Mount is not very diverse, but the Student Diversity office is really good), and getting involved with your faith.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There are a lot of clubs on campus, most of which are academic (language clubs, the Honors program, philosophical club, etc.), sports-related (intramural and club sports happen year-round), outdoors-y, community service-based, or faith-based. The Office of Social Justice is very active and has several local day trips throughout the week that only take a few hours, and they go to a variety of places such as soup kitchens, homes for teen mothers, and elderly homes. Additionally, they lead weekend trips and fall/spring break trips to places like Philadelphia, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Jacksonville. The Campus Ministry has a lot of different groups, including prayer groups, Pro-Life groups that go to the March for Life in DC and advocate against the death penalty, bible study, and fellowship opportunities. If you're not Catholic, you're still definitely welcome to these activities, and there are non-denominational groups as well that host bible studies and prayer groups.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There aren't any sororities or fraternities on campus.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
The Mount is a really safe and secure environment, and the public safety do routine checks all over campus throughout the day and night.
Mount St. Mary's (otherwise known as the Mount) is located in a rural setting, 15 minutes south of Gettysburg, PA. Due to its small population and rural nature, the Mount is a very close-knit community, and many students there consider it home. There are tons of campus activities, and the campus activities board works really hard to ensure there is plenty to do, both on and off campus.
Don't apply to the Mount if you want a big school or if you can't be in a rural environment. There are plenty of ways to have fun on campus, but you have to take advantage of campus activities and be willing to be creative and make your own fun. If you can't do this, you'll be bored!
There are certainly some classes that are easy and take little effort, but for the most part, most classes require work. As you get into the upper levels, the course work will definitely get harder, and you won't do well if you don't put the effort in.
There are 9 dorms on campus. Some are older and look more run-down (which typically go to freshmen), but most are either new or just renovated. All of the dorms have lounges and study areas. Rooms can be doubles, triples, quads, suite-style (4 single rooms connected to one common room), apartment-style, and 8-person (there's only one 8-person room on campus). Apartments can either be two-person (two singles--there's only one on campus), three-person (one double and one single), or five-person (two doubles and a single). Apartments come with a bathroom, living/dining room area, full kitchen, a full-sized fridge, sink, and electric stove. The other dorms come with a mini-fridge/microwave.
Patriot Hall is the dining hall on campus, and while there are some iffy foods, for the most part, Patriot serves really good food. The staff is all really nice and friendly. Patriot is open from 7 AM-7:30 PM. Additionally, there is a cafe, which is open weekdays 7 AM-midnight and weekends 7:30 PM-2 AM.
There's a lot to do both on and off campus. Comedians and musicians come to campus almost every weekend, and students can participate in an acoustic battle for a cash prize. There are lots of sports games to go to, and the basketball games in particular are really fun. There are semi-formal dances at different parts of the year. New movies are also shown before they come out on DVD. The Mount is actually on a small mountain, so if you like hiking, you'll love the Mount. If you want to get off campus, you can visit the Elizabeth Anne Seton shrine in Emmitsburg or go to the Ott House for lunch or dinner (or drinks if you're over 21). Emmitsburg is pretty small, so there's not much to do there, but thankfully the Mount is 15-20 minutes from two bigger towns. Gettysburg, PA is a really cute town, the battlefields are huge and really beautiful, there are lots of restaurants, a movie theater, an outlets strip with good stores, and tons of Civil War reenactors and and ghost hunters. Frederick, MD is twenty minutes to the south, and downtown is also really nice. They have a lot of good restaurants and really good shops. The campus activities board also provides shuttles to DC, Philadelphia or New York a few times every semester. There are tons of other hiking spots, and several trips throughout the semester to do different outdoor activities, like hiking, rock climbing, and caving.
The Mount is pretty expensive as far as tuition goes, but the education is worth it.
The Mount is over 200 years old and associated with the Civil War, so of course there are plenty of ghost stories. The Terrace, which is the oldest building on campus and has three separate dorms in it, is apparently haunted. Most people who live there have said they've never seen or experienced anything, but there was a room that stayed boarded up until the renovations in 2009. Several people, including priests when it was still an all-guys school, tried living in the room and couldn't deal with the weirdness. However, the room is now a bathroom, and I haven't heard any more ghost stories. If that stuff freaks you out (like it freaks me out), you don't have to live in Terrace! The Mount is also very unique in that it is also a Catholic seminary, which is a place men go to school to become priests. The seminarians for the most part do their own thing and live and go to class in their own building, but some of the younger guys have to take random classes with the undergrads, like math or history. They're all really nice, funny guys, and even though it's weird to see 170ish guys with collars on, they're all pretty normal.
The Mount is great if you want a small, intimate school where you know a lot of people. It's also great if you're interested in outdoor activities, community service and social justice, student diversity (the Mount is not very diverse, but the Student Diversity office is really good), and getting involved with your faith.
There are a lot of clubs on campus, most of which are academic (language clubs, the Honors program, philosophical club, etc.), sports-related (intramural and club sports happen year-round), outdoors-y, community service-based, or faith-based. The Office of Social Justice is very active and has several local day trips throughout the week that only take a few hours, and they go to a variety of places such as soup kitchens, homes for teen mothers, and elderly homes. Additionally, they lead weekend trips and fall/spring break trips to places like Philadelphia, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Jacksonville. The Campus Ministry has a lot of different groups, including prayer groups, Pro-Life groups that go to the March for Life in DC and advocate against the death penalty, bible study, and fellowship opportunities. If you're not Catholic, you're still definitely welcome to these activities, and there are non-denominational groups as well that host bible studies and prayer groups.
There aren't any sororities or fraternities on campus.
The Mount is a really safe and secure environment, and the public safety do routine checks all over campus throughout the day and night.