Mills College (MC)

Mills College, a small Oakland college for women and gender non-binary students, delivers a top-quality liberal arts education to its just 700 undergraduates at a great price; the school recently reduced its tuition for new and continuing undergraduate students by 36%. This school provides a cooperative learning environment, and “even lecture-based classes have opportunities for engagement and discussion.” The college’s small size gives students the advantage of “getting to connect with professors who encourage us to speak our minds to advocate for ourselves”; students “know that someone is listening to what we have to say.” This is truly a hidden gem, and the support from fellow peers and strong academics “are constantly underestimated by” those who haven’t experienced Mills.

The professors at Mills “are so passionate for their material”; they “know what they’re doing and they do it very right.” They are able to connect students to mentors or other faculty that could “help you on your journey to fellowships, internships, or even job opportunities.” The faculty “always have research opportunities that are open for students to join in and help with,” and constantly encourage students “to step out of [their] comfort zone in order to critically think and problem solve.” If extra help is needed, professors are “very accessible and creative,” and make learning in the classroom “interesting and understandable while still making the course subject matter challenging.” They “actually care about you,” and will “call you by your first name and remember you had a job interview the week before.”

While Mills College is historically female, there are some men enrolled in its graduate programs. There is a sizeable LGBTQ+ population, and the people here are “accepting and brilliant.”A good portion of Mills students are “resumers” (over the age of 23) and “there is an independent living community that helps with older students.” Forty-three percent of undergraduates are first-generation college students, and sixty-three percent are students of color. “Social justice is very important to the student body” at Mills, and students here are “unafraid to share their opinions and are active in their community.” Most here are “liberal/progressive” and “never take anything at face value,” instead taking “every aspect of things into close consideration.”

The Mills College 135-acre campus is “beautiful,” and when students visit, it is “easy to fall in love with the campus and the overall Mills vibe.” There is a “strong residential community” here and the school creates an environment where “all students, potential, undergraduate, graduate, or alum, can take pride in their connection to Mills.” “I…feel like my academic experience at Mills has caused me to be a better advocate for causes that I feel passionate about,” says a student.

Work is the dominant activity here, and students use the campus to study throughout the day, “in the Tea Shop cafe, the dining hall, the library, the lawns, Mills Hall, and other places.” If students have extra time outside of their classes, they are “often working on projects or community events,” and there are “many science talks, art collectives, and spoken word events throughout the year” that students will organize and orchestrate. “We are all very busy people but still happy people,” says a student. Oakland itself is a “diverse and culturally rich city,” and there are many street fairs and farmers markets around “which are fun to go to.” Off campus, students picnic at Lake Merritt, “go out for food at one of the many incredible restaurants in nearby Laurel [District],” or visit Jack London Square, the Oakland Zoo, or Tilden Regional Park. San Francisco is also just 20 minutes across the bay, and “it is very easy for students to access the many things the city has to offer.”