Marijuana and more - - notes from our vist to Hamp

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hampshire College
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<p>D and I attended Hamp’s special visit program yesterday. I will write a more thorough review for the “visits” board, but in a nutshell:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>the campus grounds are beautiful, but isolated; it is literally in a corn field and there are no amenities w/i walking distance of he campus; some of the buildings were run down</p></li>
<li><p>the students were very friendly and every bit as quirky/hippie/eccentric/weird as I expected them to be; D felt vindicated and validated by the presence of so many articulate young adults sporting the exotic piercing DH and I have forbidden until she is in college</p></li>
<li><p>there was less spirited class discussion than I had expected - - the students were far more comfortable offering opinions and asking questions than responding to profs questions regarding the assigned text (palpable pauses after prof posed a question, then he’d have to pull an answer out of a tentative respondent); I’m a linear learner, so the instruction was far too stream of consciousness for my taste (D occasionally had difficulty following the class, presumably b/c she had only limited experience w/ the course material and no familiarity w/ the assigned text - - or maybe she needs more of a traditional classroom presentation)</p></li>
<li><p>our guide stated outright that the food was terrible; our lunch meal was fine, but visit guests did not eat at the cafeteria; I noted that our guide consumed large quantities of the special visitors’ meal and he ate with considerable gusto</p></li>
<li><p>regarding marijuana/drug use, our guide gave the party line: no worse at Hamp than elsewhere - - then as we traveled through campus there was a near-constant aroma of weed (and this was Monday, when class was in session and when guest were on campus for a publicized prospect program)</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Overall, a favorable impression (though a school/prgm with more traditional structure might be better academic fit for D) - - but there was considerable circumstantial evid of WAY more weed use at Hamp than at other schools.</p>

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<p>Actually, right on the edge of campus there is the very nice Atkins Farm store which is basically a small grocery with some good produce, as well as an ice cream stand.</p>

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<p>Wow - - I love Atkins! I've purchased baked goods at their store (it was a fairly large store w/ a parking lot) and one Oct., I took D apple picking at their orchard. </p>

<p>Can students purchase toiletries (shampoo, tampax, etc.) at Atkins - - or just food?</p>

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<p>Atkins has a small section for toiletries and sundries. Oh, and you can purchase gift cards online for your student. This is a big hit with my son who cooks for himself and his modmates every day.</p>

<p>As I noted in the ‘gorilla’ thread, I have a straight-arrow daughter who has been accepted to Hampshire and is concerned about substance-abuse-related issues. Our less-than-straight-arrow son has given her the names of several ‘sub-free’ students who are willing to talk about their experiences. After my daughter talks to them, I’ll post here.</p>

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<p>I have spent a fair amount of time on the Hampshire campus as I have several friends there and attend school not far away. I think there probably is more weed there than some other schools, less alcohol than many others, especially big unis, less coke than wealthier (more former prep school students) LAC’s. As others have said, there are drugs everywhere.<br>
Because the Hampshire student body is so invested in respecting individuality there is little to no peer pressure to indulge in anything. Deciding for one’s self is considered cool, going along with the group is not.</p>

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<p>I’m not suggesting that students are pressured, and I think it’s great that marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is respected. Still, there is a tendency, at least occasionally, to fall into step with the majority - - even in a non-conformist community. </p>

<p>I suspect you are correct about weed vs alcohol vs coke. I would add, however, that in addition to weed, there’s an awful lot of tobacco smoking at Hamp - - more than at any other campus I have visited. The tobacco really surprised me; likewise some of the apparent casual hygiene - - both are polar opposite of the earthy-crunchy vegan activist that comes to mind when anyone says “Hampshire.”</p>

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<p>There are also larger stores all throughout Amherst and Northampton. There are tons of places to shop, regular grocery stores, Target and Walmart. Lots of kids have cars and there is bus service all over. There is a Whole Food nearby also. My D loves Hampshire having transferred from a very respected university. She does say the food is lousy. She lives in a mod and does her own cooking. She is working way harder and loves the class choices and her professors.</p>

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<p>Are any of those Amherst stores walking distance from Hampshire?</p>

<p>Northampton is about 20 min away! There is a free bus, but that’s no substitute for walking downtown for coffee, or Mimo’s pizza or to CVS. And I don’t mean just the availability of services/shopping, there’s something to be said for independence and not having to rely constantly on the kindness of friends and mod-mates.</p>

<p>I think that parents and the respective college administratins tend to over-state the ease of travel among the five schools. Not a necessarily a deal-breaker, but something to consider.</p>

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<p>as a northampton resident, I can say from observation that hampshire students have no trouble making their way into noho/amherst.</p>

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<p>^^ Sure, but that was never an issue. Lots of students have cars and for them, Noho is quick easy trip - - but, with the notable esception of the Atkins Farms grocery, there are no stores/services w/i walking distance of the Hampshire campus.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong, the free bus is definitely an asset, but bus travel is more cumbersome than many of the posts suggest. And while I’m certain that one can occasionally catch a ride into Amherst or Noho w/ a friend, regular/frequent rides require reliance on the driver’s largess and compliance with his/her schedule (assuming some one in your circle of friends has a car). Again, this is do-able, but I can see where, for both the driver and the passanger, such arrangement could get old really fast.</p>

<p>The location is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it would be foolish to dismiss the campus’s remoteness as a non-issue, expecting other people’s kids to chauffeur my kid. </p>

<p>ALF and other parents, do you know whether there is any plan to offer Zip Car on campus? (I know they are availble at Smith - - I wish I thought to ask this at the visit day.)</p>

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<p>and they’re reliable. Factor the savings in gas, insurance, maintenance, and the fact that they’re free and run all day, I don’t see how they would be cumbersome.</p>

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<p>My comment concerned bus travel and classes - - not so much cumbersome as time consuming. Even w/ buses at 20 min intervals, one would kill a lot of time in-transit (over an hour in transportation/transition for a class that could be only 60 min). Though I guess the dead time can be reduced by taking two classes at one of the other four schools or taking 90 min or 2hr classes.</p>

<p>But in terms of socializing, if the bus in free and reliable, why do so many students choose to incur the cost (gas, insur, maint, parking permit) of a car on campus? I wonder whether the percentage of students w/ cars is the same at Smith (where students can roll out of bed and into Noho) as at Hampshire.</p>

<p>Of course, where I come from, one waits 20 min for a bus only if there’s been a problem on the bus line. And our teens are far more likely to not have licenses than to have their own cars. Even out-of-town students attending NYC colleges/uni tend to leave their cars at home rather than cough up a kidney for monthly parking (or worse still, hunt for spots and move the car to comply w/ alternate side of the street parking).</p>

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<p>Don’t know anything about Zip cars at Hampshire.</p>

<p>The bus system is great for getting between the 5 colleges, but not so good for getting elsewhere. For example, it is hard to get to the Hampshire Mall in Hadley - you have to go to Amherst, then transfer. It is almost as fast to bike there. The buses don’t work so well late at night either. It seems like there are plenty of kids with cars, so it is rarely a problem getting somewhere. Mt. Holyoke is really easy to get to by bus, Smith is a little harder, w/ Amherst & UMass in between. </p>

<p>The killer is getting to the airport, 45 minutes away, which is generally too far for a friend to do you a favor. The other option is an airporter shuttle, which is rather costly.</p>

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<p>Thanks, ALF; your posts are always helpful. </p>

<p>I will call the admissions office and ask about Zip Car. It is enormously popular here in NYC; I have friends who use Zip Car to car-pool kids to ballet, soccer and other after-school activities. And sudents whose colleges offer Zip Car give it rave reviews. </p>

<p>(PS - I’m not a fan of the Valley Transporter; not only is it expensive, but inconvenient b/c it runs hourly. And who knew that taxis operate as shuttles, piling several fares into the car, making multiple stops and charging each rider individually? Again, here in NYC, the metered fare represents the cost of the ride - - not the cost per passanger.</p>

<p>The taxi-as-shuttle system also prevents students from calling a taxi and splitting the fare to the airport among 2 or 3 passangers. But when in Rome . . . .)</p>

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<p>I thought I’d just add a few notes as a parent of a second year Hampshire student. As parents, we had many of the same questions I see posted here. And our daughter had many of the same questions and concerns that I see other prospective students raise.</p>

<p>First things first. . . the food IS terrible. Sorry, daughter and all of her friends confirm this. There is a salad bar and there is a wok station but the lines can be long and many students can’t be bothered. There is also pressure to change the catering arrangements.</p>

<p>Academics. . . yes, it is possible to put together a fairly easy course of study at Hampshire, as it would be at most schools, but the majority of students who make it past year one (high dropout rate for a lib arts school) seem to take their work seriously and even seemingly non-academic subject matter brings a large amount of solid academic work with it. I know that my daughter’s courses have all required vast and diverse reading.</p>

<p>Marijuana. Is this an issue? Yes, I understand but. . . unless you’re sending your kid off to a sheltered religious school - and I wonder if that really makes a difference - then pot is likely to be “in the air.” My daughter reports that it is quite prevalent but she has also had no trouble finding loads of friends who don’t smoke. . . pot, that is. Cigarettes are a different story. She sees that as more of an issue. Apparently that’s a college issue all over these days.</p>

<p>Transportation - the free buses get students to all the five college campuses and the college towns in between. They are convenient and I’ve heard no complaints about accessibility. There are also many students with cars so that is another option.</p>

<p>The main thing seems to be that you student must be self motivated and directed. Hampshire offers support but it doesn’t seem terribly proactive. If your student likes to deal with their teachers directly and work proactively, they’ll likely do well. If not, Hampshire may not be the place for them.</p>

<p>The hardest thing for my daughter, other than her first western Mass winter, was the attitude of some of the students in the second semester of her first year. It brought her down as they kept talking negatively about everything, especially the school. Apparently they all dropped out because this year has been a very different experience.</p>

<p>Overall, she loves it. If it’s a good fit for your student, he or she may love it too. If not, don’t go. Find the school that works best for you.</p>

<p>Oh, and ALF is right, getting to the airport is a pain.</p>

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<p>I would echo much if not all of what hampsterparent wrote. My D loves Hampshire and is taking 2 courses there and 2 at MoHo. Finds Moho not quite the level she expected but loves her classes and professors. At Hampshire she is challenged and doing loads of work. Yes, food is terrible. They need to fix that and it is indeed fixable. She lives in a mod and does her own cooking. I would agree that being self motivated and self directed are necessary. These seem to be qualities that help you make the most of your Hampshire education and the professors seem to expect it. It is definitely a different type of education and not right for all (like D #2, no way). As for pot, yes, its there. It is on pretty much every campus and it hasn’t changed since I was in college in the 80’s. If you want it you can get it. If you don’t, you say no.</p>

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<p>Hampsterparent, any reason for the low freshman retention rate?</p>

<p>Also, aren’t most students at top LACs fairly self-directed and don’t most students interact directly with the faculty? (I thought the faculty contact was a hallmark of the LAC experience.)</p>

<p>“As for pot, yes, its there. It is on pretty much every campus and it hasn’t changed since I was in college in the 80’s.”</p>

<p>Marijuana may be present on most campuses, but ALF’s posts confirm what OP observed - - more marijuana at Hampshire than elsewhere.</p>

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<p>Hampshire definitely has a low first-year retention rate. According to our Son, there are various reasons for this, most notably a misunderstanding on the part of some students that ‘no grades’ and ‘no majors’ means that you can do whatever you please. Yes, there are no grades, but each student receives an evaluation of their work in each class. A mediocre evaluation can be a lot more damning and specific than a mere ‘C’ at another institution. Yes, there are no majors, but instead you have to form a committee and put together a plan for how you are going to achieve your academic goals. At many other colleges, you can just take courses for a couple of years before someone starts hinting around that maybe it is time to find a major. Some first-year students rapidly discover that this is not the laissez-faire resort they dreamed of. Finally, even though there are very few distribution-type requirements, first year students do have to take at least one course from each discipline (Cognitive Science - Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies - Interdisciplinary Arts - Natural Science - Social Science). So, some students rapidly become disillusioned. </p>

<p>Also, for better or for worse, Hampshire really does require more self-directed effort than perhaps most other SLACs. Popular classes fill rapidly, and there aren’t always enough spots reserved for Hampsters in popular classes at the other 4 colleges; you have to advocate for yourself to get into some of those classes. You also have to find the faculty to sit on the aforementioned committee. Some committees can be directive, but others expect you to discover how to plan your education program. All this planning and programming requires a lot of forms and deadlines that you need keep appraised of.</p>

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<p>Yes, many students have not developed the inner-discipline necessary for success at a school with no grades and flexible deadlines. And, as students at the visit day explained, because Hampshire doesn’t offer traditional lower-level prereq courses, when attempting to enroll in courses at the other colleges, Hampshire students often have to convice the prof that they have the appropriate background, just packaged differently.</p>

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<p>Whether or not there is more pot at Hampshire than elsewhere will probably always be up for debate. It seems that people want there to be more pot there than at other places and so encourage that idea. I guess the reputation will stand, true or not. People just want it to be that way because of the unusual philosophy and structure of the college.</p>