Amherst is definitely an incredibly prestigious institution and a top-notch LAC. But many people have this thinking that LACs do not have good research opportunities for STEM fields and one can’t do a good job in the industry or research with a STEM degree from Amherst. So wanted to hear from you. Let’s keep UMass Amherst out of this discussion, I know it’s a huge institute with tons of resources and we will get access to it, but let’s discuss what Amherst college solely has to offer to the students.
So how is the research scenario at Amherst from the factors- the scale of projects, the prestige of publications, breakthroughs, awards, equipment?
Can a student get diversified research opportunities? For example, if we look at MIT, a perfect research school, a cs student can implement his cs skills in different fields of research, from economics to astrophysics. I have a cs major friend at MIT who worked on data science and machine learning projects at the MIT KAVLI astrophysics lab, mit business school and mit broad institute. So though his research was about cs, it wasn’t only confined to the cs department or labs. Is this diverse opportunity available at Amherst? Can i get a machine learning project to work on which aims to solve a biochemistry problem? (I am not comparing Amherst’s research scenario with MIT’s, just want to know what can Amherst provide a student for research measuring from a big research school’s level?)
Also, there is this myth that everything at LAC is very small scale. But how small it is? It has a tremendous science center and a big endowment. Aren’t there any researches going on or took place in past which can be ground-breaking breakthroughs like designing regenerative tissues or quantum tunneling?
How equipped the 250 M new science center is? Projects of what scale can be carried out there- in physics or biochemistry fields?
What kind of independent projects do the students clubs (AI club, electronics club) take part in?
And this is a bit unrelated to the main topic, but do you think I made a mistake by enrolling at Amherst as an aspiring engineering researcher, probably in cs or Biomed or EE (one of 3)? I know about the Dartmouth Dual degree program for engineers, but aside from that what is the process a LAC student can follow to enter the engineering research or job market? And how are Amherst students doing who desired to enter the engineering path?
I am an Amherst alum so it is difficult to answer your earlier questions on what is available at Amherst now. I suggest you talk with current STEM students and faculty in your area of interest. I do know that Amherst students can choose to work over the summer to do research projects on campus or else seek opportunities in laboratories in universities where they live or at a university where they have some specific research interest. In my case, I lived outside Boston, and worked at a laboratory at Harvard Medical School during the summer of my sophomore year. I became very fascinated by my work so I was able to work in my lab for the ensuing year and took courses at MIT before returning to Amherst for my junior year. Years later, when I ran my own medical research labs at Harvard and NIH, I had students from Amherst and other colleges participate in summer internships. I actually recommend students from LACs to have some experience at a major research university during or after college if they are contemplating a career in that direction. I think LACs are a wonderful place to learn science and to think critically and broadly. However, in terms of functioning in the competitive research world, it is good to have some exposure to what life is like on a daily basis before diving in and pursuing a Ph.D. or a combined M.D./Ph.D.
Here is a link for engineering at Amherst: Info for students interested in engineering . When I was a student, there also was a combined program with MIT and CalTech, in addition to Dartmouth. I imagine that you may be able to customise your own combined degree program with those or another specific institution that may have specific programs in your area of engineering interest eg., Carnegie-Mellon, UC Berkeley, etc, but you will need to check ahead of time. Otherwise, try to find out whether you can meet their requirements in the 5 College area and apply for their Masters Program. I agree with the link below that pursuing a combined engineering degree at Amherst is not the most time-efficient way to get your degree. On the other hand, if you choose such a program, you will have some advantages over other engineers-you can think across many disciplines, communicate with others who are not tech people, and write effectively among other soft skills. I think those are valuable yet intangible assets that will help you become successful in your profession and in your personal life.