<p>Hey, everyone! I'm not looking for the decision to be made for me or anything, I would just love some wisdom to mull over the next few weeks.</p>
<p>I'm visiting Amherst in April and hopefully revisiting Oberlin a week or two afterwards and would like some insight on one versus the other. </p>
<p>I am looking into being a clinical psychologist (possibly a clinical neuro); which of the two has a stronger psychology program?</p>
<p>Oberlin is out in the middle of nowhere, while Amherst is in New England (an exciting area for me). Is there enough free time for that to make a difference? Does Oberlin make up for that in its 500+ performances?</p>
<p>Will I be equally prepared for graduate school, or is one preferred? Will the branding of Amherst open more doors?</p>
<p>Can one research as a freshman at both? Or is one better for research over the other? (Psychology)</p>
<p>Are there summer programs for both? I would rather stay working at the college/ researching over the summer.</p>
<p>If you have one answer or even which you would choose in my place, I would love to have your opinion to consider.</p>
<p>First…congratulations!!!
Personally, I’d lean towards Amherst for its reputation, open curriculum, and location. Amherst is also part of the Five Colleges Consortium which might (not sure – you should ask when you visit) give you access to additional research and upper level class opportunities. In the end they are both great schools. In the end (assuming you can afford both schools), the only opinion that matters is yours. When you visit the schools see if you feel more comfortable at one as compared to the other, ask the questions you asked here, think about the differences between the schools and determine which is the better fit.</p>
<p>jkeil911, I looked back into the financial aid. I was too excited when I got the admissions that I overlooked the loans. They were equal before that. Although I have a benefactor that told me not to let the price be a factor, I’m still not wanting to be a burden.</p>
<p>Amherst ends up being 19k a year, no loans and Oberlin’s is around 34k a year with loans, now that I look. </p>
<p>“Amherst ends up being 19k a year, no loans and Oberlin’s is around 34k a year with loans, now that I look.”</p>
<p>Well, there’s your answer. There is NO WAY Oberlin is worth saddling your self or your parents with loans of $130,000!! Would you ask a bank tomorrow for a $130,000 loan to buy a home?
No…
Congrats on the Amherst acceptance and enjoy your next 4 years in NE! </p>
<p>You have seen what the benefit of a rich college is right off the bat. I think you will find that carries forward into money for research etc. I’d like to encourage you to go to Oberlin so that my friend can get off Amherst waitlist, but…</p>
<p>You are in a very lucky position to be accepted to two great schools and I don’t think you can go wrong. For what it is worth, my K actually ending up choosing Oberlin over Amherst for two reasons. First, when K visited, the students at Amherst all seemed stressed out and no one was walking together and talking between classes. Whereas, at Oberlin K found campus was absolutely alive and there were students laughing, playing and interacting everywhere K went. (The visits two the two campuses were within a few weeks of each other.) Second, Oberlin’s science department is much better than Amherst’s and that was really important to my K. Oberlin’s science opens many doors.</p>
<p>I was going to say…Amherst/Williams are comparable. Now that would be a fruitless debate. I’ve come across many successful grads from both schools (in finance and healthcare). So I conclude that the branding of Amherst has definitely helped.</p>
<p>A few points of concern…
Is it true that the Amherst students are as disconnected and aloof as wiseparent says?
And as a big foodie, I am actually worrying about the poorly-rated cafeteria. (Dumb, I know.) How are food options?
Does anyone have any experience with the psychology department?</p>
<p>(I keep on surfing the MA forum. Please tell me I’m not the only one who has gotten UMass-Amherst confused with Amherst College. I was convinced they were the same thing for the last two weeks. Haha! I was reading about there being an honors college on some posts and wondering if there were only 50 students or something. Oh goodness, me. xD)</p>
<p>:) Okay. People “in the know” do NOT mix them up, people not in the know do, all the time.</p>
<p>Anyway, still voting for Amherst College. Graduating debt free would be worth it, but on top of it, it’s AMHERST!!!
:D</p>
<p>Have you been able to visit? If you don’t have enough money to visit, can you email them and say you’d like to attend for Admitted Students Day but can’t due to financial circumstances, is there a way for them to help?</p>
<p>I think a lot of people misunderstood your fin aid explanation…</p>
<p>I’d advise you to go to the school you like more. Neither Amherst nor Oberlin does exceptionally well in producing clinical psychologists, but I imagine that’s simply down to student preferences and you’d be well served in that regard at both.</p>
<p>After fit, take money into consideration as it’s a very important factor. Arguments like “I know Amherst is amazing because it’s Amherst and can only compare to Williams,” however, are definitely not worth your attention. Also, just so you know, the Five College Consortium is very much a bubble. You would not spend much, if any, time in Boston or any city other than Northampton, which is quite small. Oberlin has access to more urban life because Cleveland is relatively accessible.</p>
<p>That being said, personally I’d pick Amherst because of the Five Colleges Consortium and the vibrant student life in the area. (Oberlin is part of a similar consortium, but not as well integrated or active.) Amherst is also very typically New England, with beautiful study and outdoor spaces, which I think I’d enjoy more than the grunge charm of Oberlin. Again, that’s simply my preference.</p>
<p>Definitely a slight (major) difference between UMass-Amherst and Amherst. For psychology, I would get in touch with any posted grad students in the department - their email addresses might be listed on certain labs. Getting the opinion from undergrads would certainly be useful but might be tougher to find. The master’s students can tell you the real situation there in terms of job opportunities coming out of the school (and they probably teach some undergrads as well).</p>
<p>Look up the rankings for the particular psych specialty (google it). It generally appears that it goes by overall ranking, so I’d guess Amherst’s program is better. Do some research on it to confirm.</p>
And I bet you won’t regret it one minute! :)</p>