<p>OK, I know there are all kinds of people at Amherst. But friends who have applied and/or attended tell me that a significant percentage of the student body either plays team sports for the school or are involved in intramurals and that there is a definite sense of a jock sensibility to the place. I’m not trying to imply that the school is full of troglodytes. I know that the students there are smart, high-achieving, open-minded, etc etc… But the folks who get along best there tend to be scholar-athletes as opposed to, say, scholar-artists. I expect that at a place like Amherst there are probably communities of artsy types but I’m wondering whether they are in the minority. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I mean, a lot of people play intramural sports. But a lot of people play intramural sports at every college. I wouldn’t say Amherst’s culture is dominated in any way by athletics. In short, you’ll fit in fine if you don’t play sports.</p>
<p>I’m not an Amherst student but I’ll put in my 2 cents as I hope to be a scholar-athlete at Amherst. You’re right in the sense that there is a very high percentage of people who play sports at Amherst. However, just because there are lots of people that play sports doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t a lot of people who are passionate about art as well. I guarantee you that if you end up going to Amherst major in some type of art, you will meet plenty of people who are equally passionate about what they do as you are. They just might play ultimate frisbee every once in a while.</p>
<p>As a non-athlete, this was a major concern for me before attending Amherst. However, I have been perfectly happy since day one and tend to run with the “artsy folk.” There is a large non-athlete population, and the previous poster has a good point: just because someone plays a sport does not necessarily mean he/she fits the jock stereotype. There’s a significant overlap between the populations and, in my opinion, plenty of room for all to be happy. I wouldn’t let it sway your decision.</p>