<p>I’m trying to decide whether to apply to Amherst ED. I’ve done the campus tour and info session, which only solidified my liking of the school. I want to make sure it’s a school I could absolutely go to if I got in ED, but I want to get a better sense of student life. Since Amherst doesn’t let prospectives do overnight stays, does anyone have any suggestions? I guess I could go back to campus and sit in on a few classes, which I didn’t get to do before, but I’d like to find some way to experience student life before I make the final choice. Any suggestions would be most welcome :)</p>
<p>Wait, really? “We encourage you to explore the Amherst community first-hand. The Admission Office offers campus tours, admission information sessions, financial aid information sessions, and overnight stays.” Are they just talking about overnight stays for admitted students?</p>
<p>And if you know someone who currently attends, you can certainly do an overnight stay. ;)</p>
<p>For all its worth, I’ll tell you that someone I’d become friends with during the open house weekend had a terrible experience staying in one dorm building. He hated the sheer amount of booze and he felt his host was pretty inconsiderate for telling him he couldn’t be in his room. The next night, he came over to where I was staying and changed his mind completely about Amherst. Just goes to show that overnight stays don’t tell the whole story and you can probably find your niche <em>somewhere</em> even if not everyone is on the same wavelength as you. :)</p>
<p>Yeah: “Overnight Stays (admitted students only): We offer admitted students the opportunity to spend the night in one of our residence halls on specific nights during the spring. Advance reservations are required, as a limited number of students may be accommodated. It’s important to call the Office of Admission at (413) 542-2328 ahead of time to secure a reservation before making travel arrangements to campus.”</p>
<p>There are a couple of graduates from my school who are there now, but it might be a little awkward to ask to stay with them considering I never really knew them. Do you have any suggestions for if I do another day visit? I’d probably do the tour and info session once more as a refresher, and definitely sit in on a class or two…but is there anything outside of that that might give a better idea of the school?</p>
<p>I don’t think it is unreasonable to contact a former graduate of your high school (“hey the guidance counselors thought you might be able to help me”) you didn’t know and ask if you can do an overnight visit on their floor. Most should be happy to help recruit for a school they attend. Nevertheless, Keilinger is right that putting too much weight on these visits puts you at risk for a small sampling bias if your host is a jerk.</p>
<p>Look at the calender here <a href=“https://events.amherst.edu/upcoming/[/url]”>https://events.amherst.edu/upcoming/</a></p>
<p>The campus organizations fair on Sept. 6th would be a great time to go for the day to get a feel for student life. It is super busy, and you can just walk around and get a feel for everything from clubs to intermural or club sports all in one place. All the different clubs set up a table to sign up/recruit students to join their activity.</p>
<p>The activities fair is during orientation, so that may not be the best time - the first-years are still figuring things out and classes haven’t started up yet. I would look into your high school’s fall break so you can sit in on classes without missing school.</p>
<p>That said, an overnight is a great idea, and you’ll almost certainly be able to find a place to stay with someone. I wouldn’t worry about doing the official tour and info session if you done them already. Your host can show you around and any current students you talk to will be happy to answer your questions more candidly than an admissions officer would.</p>