If the student body was protesting a very centrist John Kasich coming to speak, I wouldn’t worry at all it being too conservative. Lol.
The Amherst and Northampton region literally couldn’t be more progressive and inclusive.
@privatebanker I’m pretty sure there was no protest for Kasich, or Charles Krauthammer either.
Amherst and Northampton are most definitely progressive and inclusive.
But let’s get to the really important stuff!
Amherst has about 12 Asian restaurants. Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and many more that are just generally Asian (like Crazy Noodles). Then there’s Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, Persian, Spanish (plus multiple Puerto Rican restaurants in Holyoke). I noticed that South Hadley, where Mount Holyoke is, even has a West African restaurant now. And Northampton has too many restaurants of every type for me to count.
@OHMomof2 I was only referencing @BookLvr ‘a post.
“Amherst is also quite a progressive school in a very progressive town. It is a school that definitely believes in hearing things from all sides. John Kasich recently spoke on the Amherst campus, much to the consternation of some student groups.”
^Look, Let’s not get crazy here. I was just including restaurants that are within easy walking distance of the Wesleyan campus, not the entire city which stretches for miles. And, what I said is true. Downtown Middletown is a mosaic of white ethnic, African-American residents and recent arrivals from Asia, South Asia and beyond. And, against all odds, they seem to get along famously. When I stay overnight there I am struck by the number of total strangers who nod “Good morning”, as I make my way, window shopping or stopping for coffee at any number of owner-operated shops, bakeries, or diners. Middletown’s Main Street literally extends one mile from one end to the other.
Anthony Jack was back at Amherst last month speaking to fellow mammoths about The Privileged Poor and sitting in on classes. He spoke about lobbying for some of the things that are now in place on campus, like leaving the cafeteria open on breaks. Progress has been made, but much more will happen as students speak up and help in the development of better practices and solutions.
https://www.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2019/3-2019/disadvantaged-times-two
I still count 12 Asian restaurants in downtown Amherst. And forgot the Tibetan one. The Hot Pot place is a mile away but the rest are within a half mile (10 city blocks) and most much closer - about 1/4.
Google map it 
With respect to food, I’m inclined toward Wesleyan:
https://vegnews.com/2017/3/the-10-most-vegan-friendly-colleges
Wesleyan for food over Amherst. No way. Not these days. The knowledgeable Amherst undergrad takes a high level something at the University. Preferably around lunchtime. U Massachusetts at Amherst has the the finest in campus dining options in the country. Plus the Amherst proper options.
It is also a home run for access to lab research and CS/AI and grad school level classes in all disciplines. Completely available to a Jumbo formerly known as Jeff.
I took your advice, @OHMomof2 
, but google-mapped Middletown for good measure and discovered that there are 15 Asian restaurants within a half mile of Wesleyan, including two Thai, two Japanese, and one Tibetan and Vietnamese a piece. I even subtracted a couple of possibilities I thought might be in questionable locations like a strip mall no one would actually try to reach by foot. All in all, I forced myself to stop counting at 100 restaurants technically within the Middletown city limits.
And, yes, @privatebanker, I understand. Amherst undergraduates have been known to try all sorts of things to avoid the food at Valentine - even taking a course at another school.
@anon145 $630,000 represents the top 1% of incomes. If that is stunning, then …
The NY Times tool also contains data for the number of students from the top .1% of incomes.
In both of these schools the number of students from the top .1% is about equal the number from the bottom 20%.
At Amherst, 4.4% come from the top .1% - while 4% come from bottom 20%
At Wesleyan, 4.1% come from the top .1% - while 4.5% come from the bottom 20%
Both schools are great. My oldest daughter is a junior at Wes and my niece is a sophomore at Amherst. Overall, I think it really depends on the type of person you are. My daughter is an extrovert and is super involved across campus on so many things that she is just so busy and loving it. My niece is a bit more studious and not as involved. We had her over for her spring break. She has never left the Amherst campus. She does not care about the 5 college exchange and said she never intends to use any of the resources outside of Amherst. But, nevertheless she loves Amherst. She is a science kid and is very focused on her studies (environmental science). Listening to the two of them talk about their respective campus experience, my daughter at Wes has a group of friends that love to talk about social justice, politics and just stream of consciousness type of intellectual topics, and it happens all the time. My niece and her friends are more focused on their specific classes and group projects. This does not imply that there is less intellectual curiosity at Amherst, rather that it really depends on your type of personality and friend group. My niece is not much of a sports person and she did comment that a lot of socializing does revolve around sports as so many students are athletes that friends usually go to home games. Sports… this is a concept my daughter does not seem to know much about at Wes
Amherst.
@circuitrider Ha! That comment was below the belt!
Amherst
@ReCorc3 - Congratulations! Those are two wonderful choices where you can’t go wrong! Everything you say you want from professors, etc., is present at both colleges. Based on what you have written, I think you would be happy at either college.
Both schools do a good job of including students at all financial levels, giving generous aid, etc. Both have a mostly campus-centric social life with lots of free events, so I do not think that either would be more difficult than the other for a student of limited financial means.
Both would qualify as “open,” “racially diverse,” and “progressive.” Both have the same predominant liberal attitudes that categorize most top small northeastern liberal arts colleges. Wesleyan is a bit more known for protests and a progressive, edgy vibe than Amherst.
Both will have a strong arts scene, and you will be able to enjoy your theatre and music interests at both, but Wesleyan is particularly well-known for its alumni in theatre, TV, and film. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “In the Heights” as his senior project there.
Amherst- a truly open curriculum. Take only what you want to take, in classes with students who want to be there.
Lots of red brick.
College town in an area with some mountains.
5-college consortium provides additional options for courses, clubs, and socialization. (It includes two all-women’s colleges, so add some points for dating opportunities if you are a heterosexual male or homosexual female!)
Wesleyan- for honors, you will need to fill some distribution requirements, but they are not too onerous.
Eclectic architecture.
Suburban town.
Nearer to New York City, if that matters to you.
Glad you can visit! They are similar enough in all that matters, so you can just trust your gut reaction. Which feels best?
Lots of luck!
@circuitrider we both learned something new! Now I’m hungry 
I have eaten at Val several times. I think it’s great. Farm to table (they have their own farm) fresh stuff, and things are cooked and seasoned well. Tons of options. I think the idea that it’s not good is the fact that there is just the one dining hall and understandably kids get tired of it.
Do they have everyday fish options at Val?
(for someone who is a pescatarian)
@circuitrider Interesting observation about Middletown. The couple times I was there, it kind of reminded me of a town straight out of a John Melloncamp song. Gun shop, pickup trucks, American flags waving. It seemed a stark contrast to the left leaning vibe at Wes!
@OHMomof2, I ate at Val couple times as well and thought it was great.
@OwlOfAthena Yes, at dinner. You can see the menus here: https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/housing-dining/dining/menu