I was accepted to Amherst RD, and I am very excited and interested in attending. While I know that Amherst has fantastic academics, I do not know what the social scene is like there, especially given the consortium. Could any Amherst students share their thoughts? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!
Either they are all socializing and having way too much fun to post on CC or…?
As a consolation prize, you get a mom’s perspective, which isn’t first hand knowledge, but it’s all you’ve got right now 
My daughter is a first year and is loving it. She loves her floor mates. The RC is great about putting on fun events for them and one of the dorms puts on a Prom. Many kids on her floor are athletes and though she is not, they often invite her as a +1 to their team events and parties. She is involved in some extracurricular activities and they also put on some fun evening events. It seems as though it’s a good enough balance that she can dedicate time to studies and still have an active social life.
Now, the town of Amherst itself near campus? It doesn’t have that bar crawl feel that some college towns have. It is lovely and quaint, I would not say it seems to have a party atmosphere. Last I heard, the Starbucks down the street is closing my guess is as good as yours, but there are other local coffee/tea shops nearby.
The Five College Consortium adds a bit more flavor and my daughter has attended events/ parties put on by UMass. I regularly see they have movies or speakers or performing arts events on the weekends right on campus for students and most kids do not head home as may be the case at other schools.
Congratulations on being admitted to one of the best and most selective schools in the country. Go Mammoths!
@Penguins75 I’d guess CC is not the place where current college students hang out. Even Reddit seems to have more college kids on it.
Amherst’s chief social weakness may pertain to the gender imbalance inherent to the consortium, which can distort interpersonal relationships in some situations.
Current Amherst Student here and I don’t know where merc81 got their info but that isn’t true.
The social scene here is pleasantly surprising. People are inclusive and friendly for the most part. Parties are accessible and so long as you put yourself out there and join clubs youll find meeting people and making friends easy. The only complaint I can think of is that the schools size is a bit of a double-edged sword.
Hope this helped
@Wolfson9900 hi! thanks for the info! i was wondering if you could elaborate a bit on the double edged sword comment that you made? i was also wondering if people are generally happy at Amherst? i’ve read in a few places that Amherst students are lonely, especially if they are a non athlete (like me).
@Penguins75 check your Amherst portal, it says in early April they are having online chats with current students for admitted ones. more details in your portal
@Penguins75 What I meant by the double edged sword comment is that as you walk across campus it is very likely that you will run into your friends pretty often but may also run into people you aren’t very fond of. But that shouldn’t be much of a concern; people here are generally very friendly.
I’m very happy here and have found that most people share the same sentiment. I myself am a non-athlete and have found it very easy to meet new people and make friends–you just have to put yourself out there. Though with that being said it does help to join a club sports team; even if you aren’t particularly athletic or keen to play a sport, many allow for people to join as social members. I have heard of a few people (including some of my friends) going through some lonely spells but, again, I haven’t heard many people say they’ve felt that.
Hope this helps
@Wolfson9900 Thanks so much for your input!!
@anon145 Thanks for the info! I’ll be sure to check it out
My daughter is a NARP and has made close friendships with the Athletes on her floor as well as some who came from her home state. I think since it is a small school, you would be limiting yourself otherwise. It’s all what you make of it
@Meddy I’ll keep that in mind when visit campus in a couple of weeks. Thank you!
For a taste of student life, you should watch the series of a couple dozen YouTube vlog posts on life at Amherst by current first year student Alexi Lee. I don’t think I’m permitted to post the link but the videos are not difficult to find. Watching them made me want to do college there all over again. Amherst is a special place, and those that get to spend 4 years there are very fortunate. For me, Amherst was a life changing experience, and I made many lifelong friendships there.
@mammoth85 I love that. I’m hoping for the same for my girl. So far, so great!
@mammoth85 those Alexi Lee Vlogs were great for my D. It is very helpful for a teen to see a peer talk rather than an adult. Especially when she has just a few weeks to make a decision in her mind would be life changing!
1 Like