It is the oldest member of the Seven Sisters schools, a group of elite women's colleges. It is also a member of the Five Colleges. It was founded as a seminary in 1837 by Mary Lyon, who also founded Wheaton College (originally Wheaton Female Seminary).
Mount Holyoke's most famous student was Amherst poet Emily Dickinson, who dropped out of the college because her religious ideologies differed from those of the college's founder. Other influential students include Frances Perkins, Lucy Stone, and the character Baby from the movie "Dirty Dancing."
Mount Holyoke is the oldest continuing institution of women's education in the United States.