<p>D2 would definitely enjoy the social milieu and overall way things are done at Hampshire, but wants to concentrate in math or physics with intention of going on to a PhD program. It looks like she would need to take a significant percentage of her coursework in these subjects at other schools in the consortium, likely beginning in freshman year. What are the logistics of this and does it make any sense to attend a school when so much of the work is done elsewhere?? </p>
<p>Hi Sudsie, I don’t have the answer to your question but I’m interested in how you came to this conclusion. Hampshire’s website is fairly opaque as least as I have been able to navigate it. I would love to know how to see which classes are taught at Hampshire and which at the other colleges.</p>
<p>Well they only have one physics prof and 3 in math. I looked at the course listings for fall 2014 and there wasn’t much beyond intro physics and some sort of funny calc class. </p>
<p>My D is a second year at Hampshire, and although she hasn’t chosen yet to take any classes through the consortium many of her friends have and apparently it is a straightforward process. Here’s the site where you can search 5 college courses: <a href=“https://www.fivecolleges.edu/academics/courses”>https://www.fivecolleges.edu/academics/courses</a> </p>
<p>Hi - my S is a fourth year (<em>gasp</em> a fourth year!) at Hampshire. He’s not a science guy but has taken probably half his classes at Amherst College and it seems very straightforward. It’s easy to get from school to school - the bus service is really good. One of his Div 3 committee members is a prof from Amherst. It’s worked really well for him.</p>
<p>I have no direct knowledge, but one of my daughter’s friends concentrated in Math at Hampshire. He certainly took at least one course every quarter at one of the other Five Colleges. He did a lot of interdisciplinary work with Math and Music, highly theoretical stuff that I did NOT understand. If a prospective student is interested in Math or Physics, Hampshire might be a good choice if s/he is interested in using those topics as part of some interdisciplinary study. I’m not sure that Hampshire would be the best choice for someone who wants to do a complete ‘major’ in Math or Physics, as there just aren’t that many courses/faculty to choose from.</p>
<p>FYI, if you want to search for courses at Hampshire, use the student site, The Hub, instead of the Hampshire College website: <a href=“https://thehub.hampshire.edu/TheHub/TheHub?TOKENIDX=755773827&type=M&constituency=XHSTS&pid=ST-XHSTS”>https://thehub.hampshire.edu/TheHub/TheHub?TOKENIDX=755773827&type=M&constituency=XHSTS&pid=ST-XHSTS</a></p>
<p>Much of The Hub requires you to log in to access information, but you do not need to log in to search for Hampshire or 5 College courses.</p>
<p>Thank you Alf!</p>
<p>and from me!</p>
<p>…and a search confirms what I thought–D2 would need to do the vast majority of coursework in concentration at other schools in the consortium. I think we will need to look elsewhere…</p>
<p>I actually really like the idea that my kid would probably take a lot of classes at Amherst. He, too, is likely to be a math/science type major and I am slightly concerned that graduate schools would want to see graded courses. BUT, if it’s really easy to take classes at Amherst, that’s great. When we visited Amherst and Hampshire, I got a very good feeling about the academics at Amherst, but there was something about the atmosphere that was a bit of a turn-off. Son has decided not to apply there. The Hampshire vibe was great, and I can really see my son being able to take full advantage of the “design your own major” and overall academic freedom of Hampshire. (Too bad they don’t have a Div III swim team - that would really help to seal the deal. And if it were closer to Boston.)</p>
<p>HI - my son’s a Div III student this year at Hampshire and probably has taken half his courses at Amherst (he’s a theater guy though - not sciences). Until this year, he didn’t have a car but found it really easy to take courses there. The buses run regularly between all the five colleges. My son also found he often could catch a ride with someone else with a car who had classes there. He too would never have considered Amherst but has really enjoyed their course offerings. </p>
<p>@BTMell - Mine is a math/science guy who is also seriously into theatre. He’s talked a lot about doing a math/music double major somewhere. One of the strongest arguments for going to a place like Hampshire is that he really doesn’t know exactly what he “wants to be when he grows up.” When he was younger, he spent several weeks at “Design Camp” at a local university and was sure he wanted to be an engineer. Then he went to HS, got involved in the drama department and chorus, and has had some of the most amazing English teachers ever. At this point, the only thing he knows he DOESN’T want to major in is history.</p>
<p>@Awesomekidsmom - he sounds like he’d fit right into Hampshire! My son started out thinking music, then writing, now theater but with a strong emphasis on writing. I love that Hampshire gives you the ability to weave different disciplines together. Sure he couldn’t take a Peter Pan bus to Boston for a fix now and again? :-)</p>
<p>One of my daughter’s best friends was a Math/Music concentrator who also acted in a couple of plays and sang in her a Capella group. </p>