I’m thinking of applying ED to Amherst, but I’m reading some troubling posts here about the social life and athletics (athlete-nonathlete divide, cliques, etc.), so i have some doubts now. I really want to do an overnight and see a class, but the only program offered is DIVOH and the application expired (plus I wouldn’t qualify for it anyways).
Would any current students be interested in hosting me for a night, anytime between the start of school and November? I know that this might be kinda weird, and not smart, but this is the only way I can decide if I should commit to Amherst.
PM me if you want to ask me any questions and/or you’re interested in hosting me (or if you know someone interested).
Thanks so much!
Oh and I just wanted to add that Middlebury is my very close #2, so I don’t want to throw away that chance if I’m not 100% sure about Amherst and the social/academic fit.
You can visit and, I believe, arrange to sit in on a class anytime. I don’t know how much an overnight will help, so much depends on the specific host you have.
I will say applying ED doesn’t give a major bump unless you are an athlete - that’s when most of recruited ones have to apply/commit, so the higher acceptance rate is a little deceiving there. Or perhaps if you are an academic rock star they want to lock in. So applying RD is probably the way to go if you aren’t certain Amherst is for you.
My D is a sophomore, very happy at Amherst and not a club or varsity athlete (some of her friends are). She describes the athlete thing as not a divider socially, but they do tend to hang out together and host a lot of parties as they often - after frosh year - live together in the larger suites (though the main “party” suite dorms were just torn down to make way for a new science center so who knows how that will go this year). The thing is, they host parties but everyone is welcome. There are also many parties and other things to do hosted by clubs and the college itself, also formals hosted by dorms and informal gatherings wherever students are, especially dorm common rooms.
What are your specific concerns?
Thanks for the response @OHMomof2 ! I’ve read that it is still like high school in that people form clique, the athletes avoid nonathletes and never mingle (even if parties are open to all), people gossip a lot, and that the only social outlet is parties and it is uncommon to just have casual hang-outs with a small group. I’m certainly not against parties and would love to attend some when I go to college, but I also like small gatherings, say watching a movie or just talking with 3-4 friends. I hope that an overnight would allow me to meet some students and gauge for myself if I would like it there.
Also, just curious. You say that ED has no benefit (I’m not an athlete or an out of this world incredible applicant)? My main reason to apply ED is to have a higher chance of acceptance. Are you sure it wouldn’t help me? Most of my other schools have acceptance rates between 10-20% except for 1 safety, so I didn’t want to risk getting into only 1 school.
I’ve visited my D on campus a few times now and met many of her friends, even hung out one night 
and smaller gatherings were the norm for her and her friends last year. Her friends were mostly those on her dorm floor - athletes and non, both. She definitely had athlete friends from classes as well. Some kids got together to play video games or watch certain TV shows, some gathered to just hang out, to study, to go run or work out, to eat (in dorm or dining hall or in town). She attended some parties too - the ones in suites as well as the large college or dorm sponsored ones. So I’d say what you’ve heard is not at all the case for her and her friends. IDK about gossip or cliques…I suspect it is not more or less than any college.
ED doesn’t have NO benefit, but not as much as it may seem.
RD 969 out of 7943 (12.2%)
ED 180 out of 454 (39.6%) <- Of the 180 ED acceptances, I’d guess at least half are recruited athletes. Maybe more, since something like 35% of Amherst students are varsity athletes and that means about 600 students overall, so about 150 per class - not that all are recruits, of course, and maybe some students play more than one sport, I’m just throwing out rough numbers. But if you take out half, that’s a 19% accept rate for ED.
But the larger reason not to do it is if you aren’t sure it’s your top choice. Have you visited yet, at all?
@OHMomof2 I visited last summer (tour and info session) and I absolutely loved it! I even had lunch with a tour guide and her friend (one was from Senegal and the other was Puerto Rican, so I loved the international atmosphere I got from that), which was great. I got a sense that the student body was extremely diverse, intellectual, passionate, open, and friendly.
However, I’m worried that the social “feel” I got from the people I met is skewed because its summer, so there are very few students on campus and it is more likely that international students stay because they live so far away. Plus, tour guides have to be friendly.
However, your description of your daughter and her friends sounds pretty perfect for me! Thanks so much!
Have you asked admissions if you can arrange an overnight?
Yes, @intparent . I explained my situation to admissions over the phone, and they only offered the DIVOH program which won’t work for me (application expired and I wouldn’t qualify). I’ve heard of other prospective students asking random students to do an overnight, so I figured I should try it.
I hope someone steps up and offers so you can. We also visited in summer initially but D did the accepted student weekend (which of course you can also do once accepted). That sealed the deal for her, even though her host was super busy and she didn’t see much of her at all, much less hang out with her.
D spent much of the summer living on campus but doing an internship, so not only international students stay. There are all the summer research kids, those who take on-campus jobs of some kind (museums, library projects, admissions, etc), and also those who have internships off campus but are paying to live in the dorms.
D’s friends include kids of several races and ethnicities from across the US and world, at a wide variety of income levels. Amherst is really very diverse in every sense so I don’t think you got the wrong impression there.
My D is also a Sophomore and not an athlete. In her Freshman year, her main social connections initially came from her Dorm. The focus at Amherst (at least for her and her friends) is schoolwork and socializing initially grew out of time in the dorm - during breaks from studies. She chose a Sub Free dorm and this may have helped keep their interests similar - it was her logic that those interested in Sub Free dorms would be more likely to enjoy hanging out versus partying - and this was her experience. They occasionally went to the parties, but this was not the focus of her group. She also got involved in other extracurricular activities and has expanded her social group. She knows athlete freshmen and I have never heard her once talk about a divide - or this being an issue. Sophomore year, each one chose a group or person they felt connected to to live with - whether a themed house or not. If you will feel a divide may have to do with whether you are looking for it. I would venture to say it exists - as human nature tends to form cliques. But it isn’t an issue for my D. There are still plenty of people not part of the sports scene. When dropping off my D this fall (just recently), her friends were so happy to see her and their ethnicity was very diverse - to me reflecting that the culture of the school is inclusive.
There are so many people here, and so many different ways to meet those people, that there is hardly a divide (of any sort) prevalent on campus. The first two weeks for the majority of students is a time to meet everyone and anyone; regardless of their status as an athlete.