Hampshire College....

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>Hampshire is my top safety school as of now, but I want some opinions and comments on the college. </p>

<p>My prospective major is Computer Science and I need FA I know an LAC like Hampshire is not the best for CS, but I have some other criteria which I think Hampshire meets. (Hampshire is decent with aid. Not very liberal per se, but it's not entirely bad).</p>

<p>----> CS might be my major, but I plan on studying a wide range of subjects, ranging from International Relations to Literature to Film studies. Plus, I want more of an intellectual experience for an education, and an LAC like Hampshire which follows an alternative curriculum is very attractive.</p>

<p>----> Hampshire is part of a five school consortium, consisting of Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. That's very good and very useful as things go. </p>

<p>----> I am not at all interested in job prospects, grad school placements, rankings, brand name of the college or anything of the sort. I'm looking at making the best of my next four years.</p>

<p>----> Weather, location, diversity and size are not issues for me. </p>

<p>Now Hampshire is my safety, not my top choice. But the more I learn about the college, the more it's going from a safety to a strong choice. However, my sources of information are rather limited in scope, and I want confirmation from people who know something about the college. </p>

<p>---->What kind of students are they at Hampshire? Intellectually motivated, as everyone seems to say? </p>

<p>This is the most important question for me. Environment is by far the most important factor in an education, and I really want an academic atmosphere with people who actually think. </p>

<p>----> One of my previous posts on CC was regarding diversity issues in an LAC. The actual diversity of a college is irrelevant to me, as I mentioned above, but if this leads to some sort of racism, then it becomes an issue. What's the scene like at Hampshire?</p>

<p>Any opinions/thoughts/comments?</p>

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<p>I live in Amherst. The students at Hampshire seem VERY intellectually motivated. Also the computer science department at UMass, where you will be able to take classes, is excellent.</p>

<p>I’m curious, what your top choice is?</p>

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<p>Every Indian’s top/dream choice is MIT ( m talking abt engg majors)</p>

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<p>Thank you. </p>

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<p>I can’t say I know the answer. Hampshire caught my attention as I was looking for some good colleges with generous aid policies for internationals. It’s definitely a unique place, and I’ve been told it was initially an experiment that became a success.</p>

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<p>Seriously? Even yours, compscifan?</p>

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<p>Yes, a dream.
A dream college is different from a top choice college.
dream = you know what it is. A dream college. Not necessarily good chances but nevertheless your favorite college.
top choice = the best college where you have realistic chances of getting accepted.</p>

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<p>Why so surprised?</p>

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<p>Half of my friends doing Engg, want to get into/do MIT ;)</p>

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<p>I thought they were the same of course. Top choice/dream. Such technicalities are only followed by future MITians. :D</p>

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<p>It’s not my dream, for one. Second, there are plenty of people who love Stanford or Cornell or CalTech more than MIT.</p>

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<p>The more selective the college, the dreamier it gets…</p>

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<p>^^Hampshire is awesome. Some of my seniors are studying there with full tuition scholarships(which is the only available aid for internationals) and they say that Hampshire is one of the best decisions they have made in their life. If you are not aware of Hampedia, you can check it out:
<a href=“https://hampedia.org/[/url]”>https://hampedia.org/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://hampedia.org/wiki/Clues_You_Are_a_Future_Hampshire_Student[/url]”>https://hampedia.org/wiki/Clues_You_Are_a_Future_Hampshire_Student&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>This is the sad part. I can’t cover the rest of the cost (according to Hampshire’s official website, an international must be ready to pay at least $12,000 per year. :(</p>

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<p>^Actually, its not 12k…its 13k!!! haha…the website has not been updated…</p>

<p>There is a twist in the story. If you get a full scholarship(which is grant only!!!), you will have to pay 13k(anyhow). In that case, you will be offered campus job worth 3k a year by Hampshire. Rest 10k-you’ll have to manage yourself. They won’t say that they’ll give you the 3k job for sure but yes, they do give that job especially for internationals with a full scholarship.
If you are really considering Hampshire, you can take a loan worth 5k and ask your family to pay 5k and get on-campus work-study of 3k. That’ll cover the 3k. Since Hampshire won’t include loan in the full tuition scholarship, you can certainly think about taking loan. :)</p>

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<p>^Exactly what I was thinking, and I’ve applied too, but I don’t really expect to get any significant aid (need-based/merit). Still, no harm in applying, I guess.</p>