<p>For Spanish placement, what matters more than your AP scores is your actual knowledge of Spanish. I took 100 Years of Solitude, which theoretically a 5 on AP Spanish Literature would imply the right qualifications, but I know that alot of my friends from highschool who got 5s would not have been ready. Take a look at the reading lists for the classes and see if they seem to be within your level.</p>
<p>Firus, you're absolutely right, not all 5s in AP Spanish are created equal. Some 5s will be more prepared than others. I'm just saying that a 5 is officially sufficient for placement in Spanish above Spanish 7. Obviously, even if test scores could place kids in certain lit classes, they might not actually be adequately prepared. </p>
<p>Catfish, I have taken US Econ History and it might've been my least favorite class at Amherst. My problems with it: I found the material/lectures boring, I felt inadequately prepared...(and I'd already taken macro), I had trouble waking up for it and consequently was behind a lot, I thought his tests emphasized memorization of little details rather than big picture analysis, I thought he spaced out work assigned were poorly, and it irked me that he didn't get through the whole syllabus. A huge problem was inadequate preparation I think. There was a lot of statistical analysis that was over my head. I'd kinda recommend Econometrics before this class. And he'll go into concepts like present discounted value and other macro/micro stuff that he kinda assumes you know even though it's technically a lower level elective.</p>
<p>Most of the people in my class were unsatisfied, though perhaps not as much as I was. Yet, you're right, given Scrutiny reviews, Barbezat can be amazing for certain students. Who are these students? A) You have to have a strong pre-existing interest in economic history. If you don't wanna spend an hour and a half hearing about the effect of hookworm and restructuring of the plantation system on Southern agrarian output, his classes aren't for you. B) Most importantly perhaps, you HAVE to be able to get up consistently at 8:30 am. This was my biggest problem. When most classes start at 10 or later, as non pre-med/math classes usually do, 8:30 is really tough...especially on Friday morning!!!!! C) I'd recommend Micro, Macro, and Econometrics...at the very least 'metrics D) Be prepared to do a lot of memorization. I treated this class as third most important and dedicated more time to the others. I was rewarded with As in those 2 challenging classes but got my worst grade at Amherst in Econ Hist because I didn't study as hard as I should have. So, my advice, treat it as your hardest class and be prepared to memorize a lot. If you meet standards A, B, C, and D, you'll love Econ Hist!!!</p>
<p>I haven't taken the 3 electives you listed. Money/Econ Activity and Ec Development would seem to be great intros to macro. With one of those classes you'll have some background for advanced macro. The good thing about Advanced Macro freshman year as opposed to sophomore year is that, if it's too hard, you can drop it via freshman drop. You don't have that luxury after your first year. You should be fine though, most kids come out of Adv Macro/Micro alive.</p>
<p>As for philosophy, non-Vogel classes hone your logical reasoning skills as well. But Vogel's the only philosophy professor I've had who forces you to re-create complex arguments in logically valid form. So if you want a class that most resembles logic, of the three I've taken, Early Modern would do the trick. And I'd imagine other Vogel classes would be similar. Gentzler, though she teaches amazing courses, namely Aristotle, isn't as fixated with formal logic as Vogel. </p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>Oh I didn't think you were giving bad advice at all boquacious :) All of the placement advice that I got was "take whatever class you think you are ready for." With math, the math department's advice was to do exactly that, even if you didn't do so well on the AP, didnt take the AP, or didn't want to take the placement test (although they do let you drop down to an easier class even after add/drop is over if you are struggling).</p>
<p>I took Advanced Macro in the spring and it was my favorite class of freshman year.</p>
<p>Can you take me through a typical Amherst day for you?</p>
<p>What is a good general strategy for picking first semester and first year classes? Should I take intro classes in things I think I might major in, or more of a variety? (I specifically picked a school without a core curriculum, and now I'm jealous of all my friends with pre-made freshman schedules and no decisions to make...)</p>
<p>And how are the different foreign languages at Amherst? I want to take one but I'm undecided as to which.</p>
<p>hey, how is the campus gym? Are there a variety of freeweights? machines? how many benches are there? how early/late is it open? Lastly, how packed does the gym get?</p>
<p>what has been your type of schedule. meaning, did you take 5 courses for most of it or only 4, etc. there are so many classes i want to take, i wanna take 5 courses in the fall even though they probably wouldnt allow it and it probably wouldnt be smart until ive gotten used to the workload</p>
<p>Booradley, I'd say do both. Take classes in things you might major in and then take classes in subjects you're not seriously considering a major in but are interested in specific classes for. Try to take advantage of the open curriculum. I've taken classes in things like Latin and Music that I enjoyed thoroughly yet would never major in instead of Political Science. My first semester I took Econ and Poli Sci classes (potential majors from my perspective then). But I also took a Classics course and FYSE in American Studies. My second semester I had Poli Sci and History classes (the History I was also considering a major in). And I also took classes on Dostoyevsky and French Film because of interest in both rather than a desire to major in Russian or French.</p>
<p>Rhcp, a typical Amherst depends on what day of the week it is. Typical weekday: class/meals/class preparation 10-3:30, gym 3:30-5, dinner 5-6, studying with video game, late night snack, guitar and shootin the bull w/ the roommates sessions in between 6-3 am</p>
<p>a typical saturday on the other hand: shower, brunch, wake up 10/11-1, watch college football 1-5, dinner 5-6, study 6-9, party 9-3 am </p>
<p>As you can see, for all the talk of different college experiences, a typical day of mine at Amherst wouldn't be too different from a typical day at Northwestern/Vanderbilt/UCLA/etc, etc, etc</p>
<p>Whooopa, the gym's pretty solid. There's a variety of freeweights and machines. There are 4 benches I think. The gym opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm (it might close a little earlier, I'm not sure because I always go earlier). As for the gym being packed, it's SUPER packed right after classes (3:30-6). Good luck trying to get a workout in during peak hours. But if you go in the morning or after dinner, it's pretty empty. </p>
<p>Andyman, I've been at Amherst 6 semesters. I've taken four classes 4 times, four and a half classes once, and five classes once. The worst three months of my life (at Amherst or not) were when I took 5 classes. I was extremely stressed and overworked. Afterwards, I made a vow to never do that to myself again. And my qualify of life improved tenfold after taking 4 classes in subsequent semesters. You might think you'll get more out of school if you take 5 classes. But what ends up happening is you commit less to each class than you would have if you had taken a 4 class schedule. So you learn less, get lower grades, and have a less satisfying social life since you're so busy. Many advisers (including mine) do not allow students to take 5 classes no matter how academically accomplished they are. I've known lots of people who've taken 5 classes and only a handful would've done it over again. This select minority who didn't hate the experience tends to take a lot of language/math/econ type courses that are less labor-intensive and time consuming. The fact that I took a lot of reading-intensive poli sci/history definitely exacerbated an already bad idea.</p>
<p>I'd be happy to keep answering your questions and hope I've been of some help so far.</p>
<p>hmm, ill keep that in mind. i'm someone who would probably take many science and math courses which often have problem sets and less reading depending. but ill definitely keep wat you said in mind</p>
<p>I don't know about language courses being less time consuming, with all the extra hours and activities required. Besides all the reading, and there is a lot, there are required movie viewings, with the requisite papers each week, and then the dinner language-only tables, plus "recommended" (more like required) meetings with the TA's from overseas each week, etc. Lots of outside hours so D with 2 language classes, and 2 with heavy reading requirements, said her hours were equivalent to many of her friends with labs. She also, concurs that the students she knows that did 5 courses said they would never do it again, because the courses at Amherst are so demanding, no matter what you take. 4 are more than enough in her areas of study (2 languages, so double the outside requirements), since she has to put in all those extra hours each week.</p>
<p>Thanks for your answer to my question! One of the things that continually impresses me about Amherst is how helpful everyone seems to be. :)</p>
<p>can you please answer my question?</p>
<p>How much can I expect to pay for first semester books? (if everything goes to plan I'll have history, sociology, a statistics fys and russian...maybe not russian)</p>
<p>What's the campus like during the school year? Is it lively? I visited during the summer and it was pretty quiet. Do most people go home or study abroad during the summer? Are there summer research opportunities?</p>
<p>I'm going to be a freshman this year and I just found out which dorm I'm in: South College. What is South like?</p>
<p>my daughter has also been assigned South College. She's feeling pretty bombed out since this was the 5th choice on her list. How small are the rooms? Since it was renovated in 2004, it shouldn't be so bad. Also, has anyone taken Chinese at Amherst? How difficult is it? Thanks.</p>
<p>All the freshman dorms are nice. don't worry. I lived in South last year, and while the rooms were a little smaller than some of the other dorms, the floors were smaller and more cohesive because of the setup of the floor (straight hallway, common space on each floor). People hang out in the common room and study nook, and most floors in south become pretty tight.</p>
<p>I'm planning on working this year as a freshman. I was wondering if any of you have held jobs at Amherst. Which departments (rumor-wise or from personal experience) are the best to work for?</p>
<p>I would like to counter the poster who said not to bring an umbrella. In my experience, when it is not below freezing at Amherst, it is raining. So, if you like to keep your clothes dry, definitely have an umbrella.</p>
<p>I've worked for Val, the Mead Art Museum, and the Admissions Office (as a tour guide). I did not like working at Val even though it pays slightly better than the other two, but I'm not into any sort of manual labor. The Mead is a very easy job. I recommend tour guiding, but you can't do that as a first semester freshmen. It's fun, and the schedule is flexible. Also, something to consider is doing community service such as tutoring (which I also do). You can get paid for that if you have work study. It's enjoyable, you get to help the community and get off camps, and you get paid $8 an hour.</p>
<p>D has worked security. She had to be trained and works concerts, special events, parties, etc, checking ID's, for underaged drinking, drunkenness, and has driven the van to get supplies, etc.</p>