Hi,
Could any current or recent Amherst students comment on how easy it is to double major? I’m considering a double major in Math and CS, as I want to leave my options open for a career either in finance or the tech sector in Silicon Valley. How doable is something like that? How are the Math and CS departments at Amherst, anyway?
Also, I know a decent number of finance firms do on campus recruiting at Amherst. On the other hand, how available are internship opportunities for tech companies like Google, Airbnb, etc.? Do tech companies even recruit at Amherst or nearby at UMass?
Trying to decide whether to ED here or at Harvey Mudd, where I’m thinking of doing Engineering or Math & CS. Any advice appreciated!
Thanks.
It’s very easy to double major in general. I don’t know about specifically Math and CS. Most people who are interested in pre-finance major in Economics. I have several friends who did CS and went on to work in Silicon Valley.
If you’re not sure about Amherst vs. Harvey Mudd, I’d recommend just applying Regular Decision.
@glittervine Thanks for your input, I’ve actually decided on Amherst-- I need to apply ED to either one since I’m an athletic recruit
@CCThunderfin Current student here. It is VERY easy to double major. Many people do it. With the open curriculum, you are not required to take courses in disciplines you don’t want to (for better or for worse). I am a Math/Econ double major, and I only need to take 2 classes per semester geared towards my majors. Also, there is some overlap between Math/Econ and Math/CS, so that’s nice.
As to the individual departments, Math is very good, CS slightly less so. PM me if you want more details.
You are correct that a good number of financial firms do OCR and hold information sessions here. I believe a few tech firms may visit, but not many. If you want to do finance, Amherst is a great way to go (I can attest to this, as I too am interested in finance and have found success here). As to tech…I can’t really speak to that. But my hunch is that Harvey Mudd would do better with tech firms than Amherst.
Amherst is a great place; you’ll be challenged and grow. But, that being said, we don’t have engineering here and our CS department is fairly small and purely theoretical. If CS/Tech is your thing, you may want to consider Harvey Mudd.