<p>What’s it like? How are the coaches? Being on the team? Facilities? Schedule? Is the team competitive within the league? How does it integrate with student life, studies, etc.? All you can tell re swimming at Amherst and academics and student life there in general, please!</p>
<p>The pool is too small, but the team is awesome and the coach excellent. He won’t pull any punches, which is helpful. My S was recruited by Amherst, and I got more useful info on the process from the Amherst coach than anyone.He’ll tell you the truth.</p>
<p>Academics-it’s Amherst. Your S will need fab grades, test scores, and recs to get in unless he is a Nationals Level swimmer in an event they need.</p>
<p>Speaking to the coach is definitely a good idea. Current swimmers found overnight useful, as the team does a good job of giving the prospective student a flavor for the school and the team. That’d give both the administrative and student perspective. </p>
<p>Oldbatesie is right, the pool is too small, and there don’t seem to be any plans in the works to fix that soon. Nevertheless, the team makes it work okay for practices and meets. Just means Amherst doesn’t host any NESCAC championships. </p>
<p>The team has done quite well in recent history—several national champions in the last few years—and the men’s team has consistently performed at the top of their conference. From all accounts, swim season is busy for the athletes—they’re definitely worked hard–but most members seem to enjoy their teammates and the sport, and their dedication has certainly paid off in recent championships. </p>
<p>Like athletes on any college campus, Amherst swimmers have a crunch on their time during the season. Most handle this gracefully, balancing practice schedules with classes and other extra-curriculars. This often means, however, that during season most swimmers see only other swimmers. That definitely gets old by February, but also means that the group is generally cohesive. Indeed, the team seems to be much more united now—with fewer conflicts—than a few years ago. Also, the men’s and women’s teams basically do everything together, so some refer to it as a co-ed team—one team, rather than two.</p>