Amherst College Social Scene

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
1

I was just curious about what the social scene is at Amherst College. What do people do on weekends? Is it a big party atmosphere or big on drinking? How has your experience been with joining clubs? Is the atmosphere very competitive? Thanks!

2

I am currently a freshman at Amherst College. The atmosphere is not competitive AT ALL. The median grade for each class is virtually always B+ or A-. There are not really any strict curves for any classes, except for Intro to Econ, which has a strictly mandated median of B+. Much of the weeding out that takes place at other colleges for pre-med does not happen here. This semester, in CHEM 155 (advanced section of General Chemistry 1), the median was an A-, and nobody failed any of the midterms (I believe nobody even came CLOSE to failing the class). Students get the grades they earn; nobody gets edged out of an A because a cap has been reached. As far as top colleges go, the workload isn’t too heavy either; you will have a decent amount of free time if you manage it well, and you will usually have time to hang out with friends outside of clubs, classes, and other commitments. If you don’t procrastinate, you will usually be mostly free on weekends.

The student body is VERY BIG on drinking. That being said, most people drink in moderation, and nobody will make you drink at a party if you don’t want to. Since there is no Greek life and the social dorms have been taken down, the party scene largely centers around athletics, and sometimes other student organizations. The party scene is very inclusive of all people, though, as the Student Code of Conduct mandates that all students are invited to every party. I ended up on a floor with mostly recruited athletes, and the drinking gets taken to an extreme on my floor. I once heard the guys next to me chugging beer in THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. One guy on my floor hosts small parties four days a week. However, I assure you the vast majority of the student body is not like this; most students don’t drink more than they can handle. Anyway, I really do like the people on my floor, and all of them are really nice and I don’t get pressured to do anything; even if you do end up on a floor like this, you don’t have to do anything you are uncomfortable with.

In addition to partying, there are lots of things to do on weekends. There are always events happening, like concerts, speeches, movie nights, etc.

With regard to clubs, most of them are pretty easy to join, and they are open to new students. To my knowledge, there is no hazing of any sort. That being said, I am not involved in any athletics teams, so I cannot speak for them. You will probably make a lot of great friends in at least one of your clubs, and look forward to every meeting.

The students here are incredibly kind and inclusive. I have absolutely loved my time here so far.

3

Sounds like Amherst is a great place to study. A few questions for you:

  1. Do students pick classes based on the reputation of the professors and, if so, how do you find out about the reputation as an entering freshman.
  2. I understand that Amherst chooses a faculty adviser for you based on what major you applied under. If you decide you want to major in something else before you start, is it easy to choose a different faculty adviser based on your new interest?
  3. Do freshman take classes in the 5 college consortium (outside of Amherst)?
    Thanks!
4

  1. In picking classes, people tend to pick classes based on what they are interested in rather than Professor reputations since almost all of them here are excellent, but a really fantastic professor could sway one to join a certain class. More common is students avoiding classes to avoid a very select few professors known to be bad or rude. You can find out about certain professors via Rate My Professor or Rate My Courses (an Amherst College-specific class rating website; need an Amherst College student email to get an account). You could always also use word of mouth.

  2. I believe your first-year advisor is chosen with your major choice taken into account, but it is possible that you could end up with another advisor. I am a chemistry major but I initially got a sociology advisor (I listed sociology as a secondary area of interest). When you declare a major (which you may do as soon as you like) you will be assigned to a professor who teaches classes in that department. However, the first-year advisors provide broad advice in class selection and enjoy talking with you about all your interests. There is not really a way to change advisors other than declaring a major as far as I know, but first-year advisors really are there to talk about all your interests and will help you find answers to other questions if your area of interest is different from their area of expertise.

  3. I don’t know how many other students actually take classes in the Five College Consortium, but I do know that you are allowed to take up to half of your classes each semester at the other colleges in the consortium. You are allowed to use it as a freshman.

5

Thanks for your helpful comments!