Is Amherst the way to go?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>Im an international applicant from a country that has a bad international reputation when it comes to terrorism. SAT score is 2240 (math 800, writing 740, CR 700) will retake on Nov 8 though. SAT 2 registered for bio and chemistry. I play squash at some competitive level, and Amherst has offered to recruit me.</p>

<p>Also, I'm a straight A student with good honours. </p>

<p>My counsellor tells me that the only places even comparable to Amherst are HYP and Williams. Also, he says that had he been accepted to Amherst 12 years ago, he would've ditched Yale. Harvard and WIlliams squash have finished their recruitment, so there are slim chances I can go as a squash recruit. Yale and Princeton coaches haven't replied at all. </p>

<p>Should I say yes to Amherst and go for ED? </p>

<p>All replies will be warmly thanked for.</p>

2

<p>the answer is Yes. Amherst is the BEST LAC in the world and you can go anywhere from there, top law schools, top b-schools, top grad schools, job on wall street… you name it!</p>

3

<p>It doesn’t sound like you have a lot of other choices at this point. Why the hesitancy?</p>

4

<p>^The hesitancy is applying in the regular cycle. I could potentially apply for HYP in regular…but i don’t know if it’s going to be worth it…</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>Your counsellor is indulging in hyperbole.
US News ranks 181 liberal arts colleges. Maybe 20 of them, or more, offer pretty much the same academic programs, equally good (or better) facilities, about equally small classes, similar national drawing power, and excellent professors with PhDs from top graduate programs. Like Amherst, about 25-30 other LACs claim to cover 100% of demonstrated financial need.</p>

<p>A couple of features do set Amherst apart. First, it is one of the 5 most selective LACs (along with Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams). Second, it belongs to a 5 college consortium, which expands on the courses and other resources available at most other LACs. I’m aware of only two similar small college consortiums: the Claremont colleges (which include Harvey Mudd, CMK, Scripps, Pitzer and Pomona) and the Philadelphia-area Quaker colleges (which include Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr).</p>

<p>Amherst also offers unusually good need-based aid. It is the only LAC that is need-blind and also claims to meet the full demonstrated financial need of international students. In recent years it has greatly expanded enrollment of underrepresented minorities. Last year, white non-Hispanic students comprised only ~42% of Amherst’s entering freshmen (197 of 466 students, according to Amherst’s 2013-14 Common Data Set.) Amherst has one of the largest endowments per student of any LAC (<a href=“College Endowments”>http://www.reachhighscholars.org/college_endowments.html&lt;/a&gt;). So it’s an unusually rich school.</p>

<p>However, for science and mathematics majors in particular, there may be better (or at least equally good) choices. Amherst apparently is not expected to open its long-planned new science center until 2018 (<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/science_at_amherst/new_science_center”>https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/science_at_amherst/new_science_center&lt;/a&gt;). Many other LACs have opened new science centers in the past 5-10 years or so. Only about 21% of Amherst degrees were conferred last year in physical science, biological science, math or CS … compared to about 37% of Carleton degrees (source: 2013-14 CDS files, section J). In the percentage of alumni who have gone on to earn doctorates in science and engineering fields in recent years, Amherst has ranked behind the following LACs: Harvey Mudd, Reed, Swarthmore, Carleton, Grinnell, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Pomona, Williams, Oberlin, Kalamazoo, Wesleyan, and Macalester (source: <a href=“Archive Goodbye | NCSES | NSF”>http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08311/&lt;/a&gt;).</p>

6

<p>Amherst is a terrific school, one of the strongest in the country. I have no idea what field you are interested in, but unless you’re extraordinarily gifted in math or computer science or have a specific scientific research interest that Amherst doesn’t cover, I would definitely go for Amherst ED. It is unlikely that you will be admitted to HYP RD (and I’m not disparaging your credentials; rather, there is a very small chance for any RD applicant at those schools), and the Amherst offer to recruit you might disappear in the RD round.</p>

7

<p>@squashie

</p>

<p>So, this is more of a chances thread, right? </p>

<p>If you are an international student with high financial need, all the usual rules concerning waiting until you can compare financial aid packages kind of go out the window; you have to play the ED card. If the squash coach at Amherst says, they will support your ED application - and you are comfortable with the choice - you probably should go that route. The only question is how much influence does a squash coach have at a Little Three college? Probably not as much as the football coach. </p>

<p>OTOH, you should be aware that your stats make you competitive at a number of other great schools, including most of Amherst’s colleagues in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. You can always apply RD or even, ED round two to one of them.</p>

8

<p>I think a DIII sports director can be influential in admission decisions. With that edge, you should submit the ED apps. Amhurst is need blind for internationals, it is a plus.</p>

9

<p>Thanks for your responses guys. </p>

<p>@midatlmom i’m interested in pursuing biology as a major…Amherst seems to be one of the best in the opposite educational field (finance etc)</p>

10

<p>Apply to Amherst ED and don’t look back. You will receive a fine biology education there. Keep in mind that you also are less than 2km away from a much larger research university should you ever find Amherst’s course offerings inadequate (not likely).</p>

11

<p>Right, you can always take more advanced classes through the consortium if you feel the need (again, unlikely). </p>

<p>Also, a NESCAC coach may have a fair amount of sway over admissions.
Finally, in terms of broad-based alumni acheivements, the WAS LACs (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore) are almost at the same level as HYPSM (the only schools who are, in fact).</p>

<p>However, considering that your chances of getting in to HYPSM if you are not a recruited athlete are virtually nonexistent (and considering that coaches there are already done recruiting or aren’t even replying to you) and your chances of getting in to Amherst if you apply ED with support from a coach are decent, to me, turning down a coach-supported Amherst ED application for a slim shot at HYPSM or other Ivy/Ivy-equivalent is pure idiocy. In fact, if you don’t apply ED to Amherst (or another school where you are a recruited athlete), you will likely not be able to go to any good American school which you can afford.</p>

12

<p>@PurpleTitan thank you for the much direct response. I appreciate it
@whenhen‌ thank you for your opinion too. </p>

<p>There is also one more feature of the whole scenario I would like you to know. Where I live, parents are often known to exert due pressure on children when it comes down to university admissions. A senior of mine got admitted into Yale, Stanford and Harvard but had to SOMEWHAT (only) compromise his dream of yale for harvard. </p>

<p>My father wants me to go to harvard. Even though there is no chance for squash recruitment there now, he wants for me to apply with the rest of the academic pool (which makes chances virtually non-existent). I was hoping for a yale approach for squash which would’ve settled my dream school with squash recruitment. What should I do to settle my dad?</p>

<p>Thank you for bearing with me up to this point and I much appreciate your responses.</p>

13

<p>@squashie

</p>

<p>Tell him that Amherst was good enough for several of the late Shah’s children and so, should be good enough for The Revolution, also.</p>

14

<p>@circuitrider‌ mate you got the country wrong. </p>

15

<p>bottom line, OP: you’re in great shape no matter what you choose. your GC’s advice is a little narrow, but he’s probably an honorable man and wants only what’s best for you. You can honor him and many others by excelling wherever you go.</p>

16

<p>@jkeil911: Dunno about the “great shape” part if he turns down Amherst. Remember that he doesn’t have an acceptance anywhere yet.</p>

<p>In any case, is one of the parents of the guy who got in to HYS a famous politician or rich person? Is your dad? Does the guy who got in to HYS have any special achievements or talents? Do you besides squash-playing?</p>

17

<p>@purpletitan

I’m beginning to wonder whether money is even an issue. If not, the OP really is narrowing his choices for no reason at all.</p>

18

<p>@circuitrider:</p>

<p>Even if money isn’t an issue, I rate only HYPSM as (slightly) above Amherst, and unless he has some hook, it would be tough for him (or anyone) to get in to those schools.</p>

19

<p>Unless Amherst is unsuitable academically (i.e. OP is interested in a major not offered there or is greatly deficient there, but is offered at the other schools), it seems like a poor decision from a risk standpoint to give up a high chance of admission to Amherst for very low chances of admission to HYPSM.</p>

20

<p>@purpletitan

And, you have stated on other threads that Amherst is only (slightly) above six research universities and approximately seven or eight other LACs:
<a href=“Ivy-equivalents - #32 by PurpleTitan - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>Ivy-equivalents - #32 by PurpleTitan - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums;
Are you recanting your own hypothesis?</p>