Amherst freshman answering questions

<p>Post questions if you have any. As I have only been here for a few months, I am by no means an expert on the place. But I’ll try my best to answer questions. Specific questions are probably better as opposed to “what is the social scene like?” or “is such-and-such department good”, as I’ll be able to give more informative answers. If you have questions about the admissions process, I could probably answer those as well, although I probably won’t be able to assess chances that accurately. To give more information about me and my possible areas of expertise, I am at the moment pre-med, but planning on majoring in the humanities/social sciences. I look forward to your questions.</p>

<p>Could you give a short character sketch of each admissions officer? I would be interested in background, race, age, sex, ect.</p>

<p>This is probably a tough question, so if you can't answer it, I understand.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot. This background info. on the admissions officers was an important factor for their decisions in the book dealing with admission to Wesleyan Univeristy</p>

<p>the book was called, The Gatekeepers, by Jacques Steinberg</p>

<p>Lemonjello, thanks for taking the time to do this!
I know this may be a bit general, but how would you characterize the effects of the 5-College Consortium? Is it important in day-to-day life? How about for parties, etc.?
Also, how have you found the town--does it satisfy all of your needs?
Again, thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Don't really know much about the admissions officers. Sorry jbullfrog. In terms of the 5-college consortium, I haven't seen many 5-college students around in day-to-day life. I haven't spent much time at the other colleges, although some upperclassmen take a class or two at the other colleges, especially in languages that Amherst doesn't offer. The presence of UMass also brings a lot of culture in terms of concerts, speakers, etc. that a small school like amherst wouldn't experience otherwise. I went to a lecture by Salman Rushdie at UMass, which was pretty neat. I think Bob Dylan will be at UMass this week, and the Decembrists were there a few weeks ago. Girls from Smith and Mt. Holyoke do tend to come to Amherst on weekend nights, especially when there are big parties planned. In terms of the town, it's nice as small towns go. It has a nice variety of restaurants, some typical college-town chains (starbucks, subway), and stores where you can get the essentials. A 10 minute busride takes you to the Hampshire Mall, which has Wal-Mart, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, a movie theater, and other stores. Overall, don't expect a city, but it's nice as far as college towns go.</p>

<p>Can you recommend a place for dinner for a prospective student and her family. Something "ethnic" would be a nice way to showcase the offerings: Indian? Lebanese? Mediterranean?</p>

<p>The best ethnic places in town are probably (in no particular order) Pasta e Basta (italian) Bueno y Sano (Mexican) or La Verecruzana (Mexican), Thai Corner, Panda East (Chinese), Arigato (sushi/Japanese), and Paradise of India. I have only been to one of these places, but these seem to be the most highly regarded. Northampton (a 15-20 minute drive away) is probably more known for its ethnic restaurants, but Amherst certainly has a nice variety that are within a student budget.</p>

<p>The bus ride is very roundabout; it's only a few miles to Hadley (Hampshire mall) but the ride definitely takes more than 15 minutes. </p>

<p>There is lots of fantastic ethnic food in Amherst and even more in Northampton. Paradise of India has great Indian food, there's a great Thai place, a Vietnamese place, two fantastic Mexican eateries (Veracruzana is more traditional Mexican fare, Bueno is really ecclectic, both are absolutely incredible). There's French food, Italian food, lots of little cafes/delis, Panda East is actually pretty mediocre, but Amherst Chinese is fabulous - fairly healthy, too. Lots of good organic, delicious Chinese food (a rarity ;-)) All of these places are a short walk from campus. The restaurant scene is good. </p>

<p>Tha town of Amherst is lovely. Northampton, as well, but it's a lot funkier. Hadley is like a big jumble of giant corporations and Wal Mart. There are also lots of beautiful little old mill type towns north of Amherst that are just absolutely spectacular.</p>

<p>How much time do you have to party at Amherst? How are the parties?</p>

<p>The amount of times people party varies. Saturday night is a big party night, and there are always sports teams throwing parties as well as dorms and suites. Friday nights are more laid back because sports teams have games on saturday, so they stay in. Friday tends to be more of a relaxed movie night, although people still do party in smaller settings. Thursday is a party night as well for those who don't have friday classes or are committed enought to partying that having class the next day doesn't bother them. While I do not fall into this category, there are a fair amount who do. Parties can range. Because Amherst has not fraternities, sports teams tend to fill that role by having parties in their suites in the so-called "social dorms". Some are better than others, but it all depends on what kind of scene you prefer, and what type of people you hang out with.</p>

<p>Thanks very much for the help with restaurants. I am passing your suggestions on for my cousin, who is taking his D to look at schools in the area.</p>

<p>Hey there! I just applied to Amherst ED, and I really hope I get the chance to go.</p>

<p>I'm curious about the alcohol policy. At many schools I've looked at, policies range from basically nothing to specific rules (no kegs in freshmen dorms etc.). How would you characterize Amherst's policies and enforcement? Are the popo cruising around and busting parties or basically letting them go until there's a real need to stop them?</p>

<p>The alcohol policy is pretty liberal, and the campus cops are pretty chill. The police will usually only shut down parties if there are noise complaints. And they're not out to bust students with alcohol. If you're caught carrying alcohol, they will either take it or ask you to pour it out. If they walk into a party and there are underage students drinking there, they will ask them to leave and take the alcohol. They're not out to get students in trouble. They will rarely write students up, but if this happens it is mostly a slap on the wrist that involves meeting with a counselor, and take no discplinary action. Also, if ACEMS (the campus volunteer EMT) are called to help someone who is drunk and sick, that person will not be penalized. As long as one is smart about alcohol and not having overly conspicuous or loud parties, the police won't get in the way of having a good time.
Good luck with ED rhpc07</p>

<p>Hey Lemonjello, if you don't mind, could you post some of the stats you got in with? Thanks.</p>

<p>I didn't have a GPA or rank because my school didn't have them, but I had pretty much all A's and A-'s at a top private school in NY. SAT score in the mid 2300's. SAT II averaging 760. But stats are only part of the picture. Essays, extracurriculars, etc are also very important.</p>

<p>hi Lemonjello, I'm so grateful you've offered to answer questions! I'm sorry, I have so many. Could you describe what the classes are like? Do you hold a lot of class discussions, lectures, etc.? How different are they from high school classroom settings? I plan to major in humanities as well, so i was wondering what kind of classes you have taken so far. I know there is diversity, but what type of personalities fit Amherst the best?</p>

<p>Ditto to the question above as well - in addition, could you describe how much contact time you get for each class roughly? </p>

<p>At the moment I have a lecture per class and that's it; we have two 'tutorials' each term but they are a bit redundant. Assessment takes the form of an essay per term and then a major exam in the third term (in June). </p>

<p>Does Amherst function slightly more like high school - do you have tests and essays as a mixture? Do some classes give homework - is this homework assessed? </p>

<p>Also, do your classes use set textbooks or is it a lot of 'teach yourself' with a long reading list of suggested books?</p>

<p>A lot of questions; sorry! I appreciate you answering them.</p>

<p>5haron, the teaching formats depend on the size of the class and the department. Sciences and introductory social sciences, which will probably be larger in size (30-40), will be lectures, with discussion mixed in depending on the professor. Most English classes are small and will be discussion based, very similar to a high school class. I guess the major difference between Amherst and high school classes is that everyone is smarter and more interested, which leads to better discussions. A few of the larger, more popular English classes will be more of a lecture, but I imagine they professors will try to include some discussion. The classes I have taken are spanish, chemistry, a first-year seminar on the rule of law, and an introductory English class, which is writing intensive and involves reading a wide variety of genres (novels, poems, plays, non-fiction). The introductory English classes are capped at 15 people, which allows freshman to have a small, intimate experience in English their first year, so they can really work on writing. In terms of what types of personalities fit Amherst best, I can't really say.</p>

<p>Dryad, most science classes are three 50-minute lectures/week with a 3 hour lab and a 50-minute discussion period. Most other classes are twice a week for 80 minutes, although upper level classes are often once a week for 2.5-3 hours. In terms of work, it is similar to high school in a mix of tests and essays. It depends on the teacher and the subject in terms of how many tests and papers or how long the papers are. Most classes that I know of have set textbooks that everyone is supposed to read according to a syllabus. I hope this answers your questions.</p>

<p>I am taking mainly humanities classes, so I can help out, too. My classes have, respectively, 8, 13, 15, and 29 students. Sometimes profs hold classes at 8:30/9 AM to ensure that only very motivated students who really want to be there will take it. The prof in the 29 student class wanted to cut it down to make it smaller, but decided against it. It is actually by far my favorite class (I've learned the most in it, it's a terrific discussion course, I just absolutely love it). My homework is usually reading assignments which you demonstrate that you have done by class discussion the following period. It isn't at all like high school homework, which you hand in and get back with a check, check minus, check plus. I have a weekly paper due for one course, and the other courses have about 5 larger courses per semester.</p>