<p>^^^ Why would anyone want there to be (or want to believe that ther is) more pot at Hampshire than at other schools?</p>
<p>As I noted in a previous post, my EA-admitted daughter is concerned about substance use at Hampshire. Our son is in his 3rd year there and (IMO regrettably)uses pot fairly regularly. We have debated the subject ad infinitum and just agree to disagree on the subject. He did give his sister the names of some 'sub-free' friends, who were very open and honest about their experiences. </p>
<p>The most negative comments came from a recovering drug/alcohol abuser. She indicated that it was hard for her to find social situations that did not include pot or alcohol. She did admit that she did not like hanging around with the groups of kids who tended to be sub-free. She specifically listed 'sporties', 'greenies', and 'spiritualists' (a common bon mot is that there are only two religions at Hampshire: Judaism and Atheism). That would be a good sign for our D who'd fit into the first and last of those categories. </p>
<p>Another girl wrote that there are plenty of sub-free groups on campus, but they aren't having as much fun. She reports that if you specifically request a quiet sub-free dorm hall, you will automatically be with a group of like-minded people. She made friends with some of them and went on to live in a mod apartment together during the following years. </p>
<p>The last writer opined that Hampshire does indeed have more weed than other SLACs because of permissive policies that do not stress enforcement of rules. She echoed the comments of others that she found Hampshire to be an exceedingly tolerant place, and that included tolerance and acceptance of those who chose the sub-free route.</p>
<p>Two of the above correspondents also noted the surprising amount of cigarette smoking, something that I too found odd in this day and age.</p>
<p>Our daughter is still vacillating over the whole thing. I don't think the permissive drug scene is a deal-breaker, but it gives her pause. She's waiting to hear from her other top choice (Skidmore), and then we can sit down and talk pros/cons, and money (which is a lot more important to me than a few joints).</p>
<p>The bottom line for me is that I know a lot about the Hampshire scene, but don't have much of a basis for comparison. I suspect that drugs/alcohol are more available/prevalent, but I don't know for sure.</p>
<p>Thank you, Alf, for another thoughtful and informative post.</p>
<p>Your post is right on target regarding my concerns for my D, who does not fit in to any of the three sub-free sub-groups. And it certainly follows that a sub-free student who did not fit one of the three major sub-groups might have much less fun than other student (or worse still, might feel isolated).</p>
<p>regarding substance use at Hampshire? Is she worried that her peers will pressure her to partake? I've found that Hampshire students in general are very tolerant of a substance-free lifestyle, and she certainly won't be alone. Even if it's true that drugs are more prevalent, there are enough students at Hampshire who aren't regular drug users that she can still have an active social life that doesn't center around drugs. It might help to know too that there seems to be much less alcohol flowing at Hampshire than at its neighboring schools. </p>
<p>And regarding smoking, I attribute that to having a significant number of artsy/film kids.</p>
<p>Can you please describe these exotic piercings? And did people have tattoos?</p>
<p>NYC - because the reputation as the hippie school must stand, you know (I am being sarcastic, by the way). Sometimes people just enjoy emphasizing and looking only for the negative (not being sarcastic). </p>
<p>My D loves Hampshire but I will say that almost all of her socializing is off campus - the Amherst/Northampton area has tons of concerts large and small, eating places that cover probably every possible culture, bookstores, shops, and lots of college events at the other 4 colleges in the area. She lives in a mod on campus and does some social things there, but primarily she is off campus more than on. However, she loves her classes and her professors and is taking some really neat classes. She also takes advantage of the 5 college consortium classes. I think there is a lot to do in the area not just on the Hampshire campus. She does, however, have a car which is VERY helpful.</p>
<p>hampster,
This was discussed at some length here and in the "800 lb. Gorilla" thread. I am aware that Hampshire students are a tolerant bunch - as I have noted, I have Son who is a 2nd-yr Div II in a Prescott mod right now, and he and his friends have been very frank with my and his sister about the social scene.</p>
<p>sounds to me like it is possible for a Hamp student to have a social life that extends beyond the 4 corners of the Hamp campus. Am I right about that? Are there opportunities for interaction with Amherst students? Smith? etc.</p>
<p>My daughter might roll her eyes at all the pot smoking, but she might reject a school entirely because of the cigarette smoking. She understands the irony (hypocrisy?) of anti-establishment folks who smoke cigarettes, as well as the sheer stupidity of it. Not that we're "judging" anyone. :-)</p>
<p>Yes, most definitely there are opportunities to interact with students at the other colleges. Students meet through courses and social events. However it helps if she is willing to seek out opportunities and not wait for them to come to her. Probably there is less interaction with Smith students because it is the furthest away - about 20 minutes. UMass and Amherst College are right in town. MoHo is about 10 minutes away. There are plenty of kids with cars, too.</p>
<p>Our son has tons of UMass and MoHo friends, mostly students he met in 5 College classes. He's taken a couple of classes at Smith as well, but finds students there to be more insular. He loves Northampton and hangs out there with friends. Amherst is a smaller town, but it too has some fun spots.</p>
<p>Our daughter just decided to follow in her brother's footsteps to Hampshire. As noted above, they have contrasting personalities, so I'll be interested to see how it goes. She decided she can deal with substance users and can just hang out with a different crowd.</p>
<p>ALF, noticed you were from WA state. We live in Vancouver WA and was wondering about flights. Last September, we took a non-stop from Portland to Boston. when visiting colleges. I know the closest airport is Bradley. What has been your experience with the travel logistics? We also may do a cross country road trip for the first one to get S's "stuff" there-- he's a musican and avid cyclist. My sister lives in PA and we might also just ship some stuff there and then drive from there @4 hours. Thanks</p>
<p>Hi everyone! I stumbled upon this thread, and as a first year Hampshire student who is extremely pleased with my choice, I felt compelled to post. I think Hampshire is really divided into two types of student and my experience is really typical of one of the types. </p>
<p>I live on a sub free hall (one of many, many on campus) and am extremely close with all my hall mates. We go to parties (where admittedly, alot of people ARE high and drunk) but don't smoke or drink. Aside from our social life, my friends and I all take our work very seriously. I am concentrating in international economics and arabic and have a very close working relationship with my "Div II" advisor who helps me hand pick classes suited to my needs for my studies. I think its infinitely preferable to a generic major. One of my friends is concentrating in logic -something she could never do anywhere else- and math and taking advantage of all the logic classes offered in the 5 college consortium, including grad level courses at UMASS in her second year, something she wouldn't be able to do if she were even a fourth year anywhere else. Another friend is doing physics and mechanical engineering: same story. </p>
<p>These are just a few examples of the hard working, intellectually brilliant, and interesting students I have encountered at Hampshire college. No doubt we sometimes have to go out of our way to avoid the kids that start getting drunk at 3PM on Thursday, but I think the advantages of Hampshire far outweigh its faults. </p>
<p>I think the most important thing is to be really honest about who your son or daughter is. Would they be one to do self study over the summer in order to advance to higher level classes the semester after in order to plunge into the subject they are interested in? Or would they be one of the kids who thinks that no grades and no major means no real work? </p>
<p>If you think that your son or daughter is a good fit, or just would like to contact me with more questions, please feel free to message me. I will be housing students next year, and I am really eager to talk to anyone and everyone about the benefits of creating your own education at Hampshire.</p>
<p>4safrontman,
I left you a private message about Bradley vs. Logan (Boston). Bottom line, Bradley is usually easier, takes less time, and when ground transportation is taken into account, usually less expensive.</p>
<p>I too have been toying with a cross-country road trip, but the rest of the family thinks I'm crazy. It would be nice to bring her bike, but she is not a serious cyclist, so we might just buy a relatively inexpensive bike there. </p>
<p>Amherst has a nice bike shop that sells good used equipment (Home</a>). Last year, our son had a Greenwich mod apartment in the, 'bicycle donut', where the central common area was dedicated to bike storage and repair.</p>
<p>ALF,
Thanks for the post, unfortunately I was unable to access your personal message. Yes, we visited the bike shop while in Amherst. We did not get to visit Northampton however and it looks like there is more activity there than in Amherst, although I personally loved Amherst. yeah, I guess I'm crazy to even consider the road trip, but my S is up for it and I haven't done across country one in years so what the heck. Thanks again for your insights.I'll message you again with my home e-mail address.</p>
<p>cew08, thanks for the post (:</p>
<p>Update: Our daughter is leaving for Hampshire Orientation in a month. She chose to live in a 'sub-free" dorm hall, which requires completing an application form that must be accepted. The sub-free dorm rules are quite specific and violators are subject to being moved out. She will report on how it all goes. Sounds like most students are not beating down the doors to live in a sub-free dorm though.</p>
<p>Hi ALF, Has your daughter received dorm assignment yet? My son put in his preferences but hasn’t heard anything yet. He did not ask for sub-free.</p>
<p>No, they told us on or about August 15. They did say that the majority of new students will be housed in Dakin House and that all sub-free new students would definitely be in Dakin. They also said that if you go on the Intranet directory, your kid’s room assignment will probably appear there before you get postal notification. I checked last night, and so far, nothing.</p>
<p>By the way, have you seen the new Parent’s blog/forum that Hampshire recently set up? If not, check it out: [Family</a> Relations Blog](<a href=“http://family.blog.hampshire.edu/]Family”>http://family.blog.hampshire.edu/)</p>
<p>visited Hampshire - daughter will have to be in sub-free and cig-free environmnent, because of medical issues. Hope she can co-exist - won’t make many friends if social scene requires her to stand in clouds of second-hand smoke.
do you have to accept the meal plan?</p>
<p>As you can see from previous posts in this thread, there are plenty of opportunities to be in a sub-free environment. You can also specify a non-smoker hallway (even though smoking is not permitted in the dorms), along with reduced allergy hallways, vegetarian, and the level of quietness. </p>
<p>I remain surprised at the number of students who smoke cigarettes, but they seem respectful of the smoking/non-smoking areas. My take is that there are plenty of people to choose from who are not into drinking to excess, using drugs, or smoking cigarettes. Give me a few weeks, and I’ll get back to you all on how it’s going.</p>
<p>All first-year students must take the all-inclusive meal plan. After that, if you live in an on-campus ‘mod’ apartment, you can choose from a couple of different options. Our son chose the cheapest one - $75 on a campus debit card that can be used in the Dining Commons or the two sandwich-type shops. All students must take that minimum amount, which is now $80. Anyway, my son and his modmates cooked rather healthy food together and ate quite well for less money than they would have paid to the all-inclusive meal plan. One of the coolest things at Hampshire is the ability to purchase a ‘share’ in the produce that is generated at the on-campus farm. You go in once each week and a board indicates what you are entitled to for your share (2 heads of lettuce, 6 ears of corn, 12 carrots, 10 potatoes, etc.). You grab your portion and head back to your mod.</p>