You learn more about the world and yourself than you can possible imagine. Intellectual diversity and curiosity are cornerstones of Amherst and are ingrained into every aspect of daily life. It's a college that both allows and trusts you to be self-motivated and take as much as you can from the amazing resources and faculty at your disposal.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Extremely competitive. Based on my short experience with the student body here, Amherst is looking for a student that will really fit into the Amherst way of life and thinking (I know that sounds vague, but let me be more clear).Amherst, as I stated earlier, is the type of school, due to the no-requirements system, that really puts faith into its students for creating their own perfect and personalized education. What this means, in terms of applicants, is that they really look for a student who did as much as they could with the resources and background they had. The overarching theme here seems to be that you must develop your skills in thinking, in interaction, and in community so that when you graduate, you can take on any profession with these fundamentals for success. This means they want students who are extremely engaged, intellectual and not all numbers. In other words, they're looking for incredible people, not necessarily just for incredible students. If you can define yourself and your character in a few lines in a resume, they will see that and it's not what they're looking for.
I also think a prospective student should acknowledge reality. Amherst traditionally loses accepted students to colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc., so if you fall in love with Amherst- consider applying early. It not only looks good for them (since their matriculation is higher, and especially if you're a particularly strong student), but it will give you a slight slight edge in terms of acceptance.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
I am swamped every day- and I love it! This entirely depends on the courses you choose, but every course will have you working and writing actively every single day. It's also a different way of thinking- you need to really study diligently and actively. By that I mean you must know your material for the sake of learning- and let your grades come naturally- and not because you are defensively stressed about a test, paper, quiz etc. If you do this, you'll be stressed and significantly more unhappy every day.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
I live in Charles Pratt. Look up pictures- I can't ask for anything more. Rooms are big but most people, if not all, get roommates as freshmen. The only thing that I could complain about is the fact that on the weekends, the dorm buildings are not in the best shape (haha).
Describe the food and dining at your college.
Yeah, this is one thing that's universally agreed upon. There's only one dining hall, and it's okay. The food is often pretty good, but sometimes it's quite frankly not appetizing at any level. However- they do have a panini press, salad bar, pasta, pizza and stir fry station for you to use whenever which is perfect if you don't necessarily want the hot meal they provide it. Schwemm's is in the campus center and they have good sandwiches- but you have to pay.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Socials.
It's a small town, but there's a mall nearby, some nice restaurants, North Hampton, Hadley etc. Sometimes concerts come in and that's nice too. Other than that, on campus, there's a campus center with ping pong, pool and games- but they're fun clubs and sports teams like Frisbee and intramurals.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
It's expensive- but Amherst may be one of the BEST colleges in the world about letting really great students attend, who wouldn't have been able to if it weren't for FA. In fact, I applied for FA after I got in, and they were very generous! Really, incredible FA, and if instead of student loans, they meet all of your demonstrated need with grants!
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Really great A Capella groups, huge rivalry with Williams, TAP's, GAP's etc.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Intellectually curious, self-motivated and generally interesting.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
So many- look them up. If anything, it's overwhelming!
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
None.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
I wouldn't really know about this, relative to other colleges, but I feel safe and campus police are everywhere. Everywhere.
They also have ACEMS, which is an emergency medical team that is available immediately for any kind of danger you are in. They're student run, and they have some sort of amnesty policy too.
You learn more about the world and yourself than you can possible imagine. Intellectual diversity and curiosity are cornerstones of Amherst and are ingrained into every aspect of daily life. It's a college that both allows and trusts you to be self-motivated and take as much as you can from the amazing resources and faculty at your disposal.
Extremely competitive. Based on my short experience with the student body here, Amherst is looking for a student that will really fit into the Amherst way of life and thinking (I know that sounds vague, but let me be more clear).Amherst, as I stated earlier, is the type of school, due to the no-requirements system, that really puts faith into its students for creating their own perfect and personalized education. What this means, in terms of applicants, is that they really look for a student who did as much as they could with the resources and background they had. The overarching theme here seems to be that you must develop your skills in thinking, in interaction, and in community so that when you graduate, you can take on any profession with these fundamentals for success. This means they want students who are extremely engaged, intellectual and not all numbers. In other words, they're looking for incredible people, not necessarily just for incredible students. If you can define yourself and your character in a few lines in a resume, they will see that and it's not what they're looking for. I also think a prospective student should acknowledge reality. Amherst traditionally loses accepted students to colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc., so if you fall in love with Amherst- consider applying early. It not only looks good for them (since their matriculation is higher, and especially if you're a particularly strong student), but it will give you a slight slight edge in terms of acceptance.
I am swamped every day- and I love it! This entirely depends on the courses you choose, but every course will have you working and writing actively every single day. It's also a different way of thinking- you need to really study diligently and actively. By that I mean you must know your material for the sake of learning- and let your grades come naturally- and not because you are defensively stressed about a test, paper, quiz etc. If you do this, you'll be stressed and significantly more unhappy every day.
I live in Charles Pratt. Look up pictures- I can't ask for anything more. Rooms are big but most people, if not all, get roommates as freshmen. The only thing that I could complain about is the fact that on the weekends, the dorm buildings are not in the best shape (haha).
Yeah, this is one thing that's universally agreed upon. There's only one dining hall, and it's okay. The food is often pretty good, but sometimes it's quite frankly not appetizing at any level. However- they do have a panini press, salad bar, pasta, pizza and stir fry station for you to use whenever which is perfect if you don't necessarily want the hot meal they provide it. Schwemm's is in the campus center and they have good sandwiches- but you have to pay.
Socials. It's a small town, but there's a mall nearby, some nice restaurants, North Hampton, Hadley etc. Sometimes concerts come in and that's nice too. Other than that, on campus, there's a campus center with ping pong, pool and games- but they're fun clubs and sports teams like Frisbee and intramurals.
It's expensive- but Amherst may be one of the BEST colleges in the world about letting really great students attend, who wouldn't have been able to if it weren't for FA. In fact, I applied for FA after I got in, and they were very generous! Really, incredible FA, and if instead of student loans, they meet all of your demonstrated need with grants!
Really great A Capella groups, huge rivalry with Williams, TAP's, GAP's etc.
Intellectually curious, self-motivated and generally interesting.
So many- look them up. If anything, it's overwhelming!
None.
I wouldn't really know about this, relative to other colleges, but I feel safe and campus police are everywhere. Everywhere. They also have ACEMS, which is an emergency medical team that is available immediately for any kind of danger you are in. They're student run, and they have some sort of amnesty policy too.