<p>What is the best thing about Amherst?</p>
<p>what kind of people have the best chance at getting into Amherst?</p>
<p>What kind of people will be the happiest at Amherst?</p>
<p>Talk about objective questions... well, here's my 2 cents.</p>
<p>Best thing about Amherst for me is its size and intimacy. Looking back on my college app process, I've decided that I wouldn't have been happy at a huge university, because I like knowing a lot of people, and a lot of people knowing me. It's hard to get lost here, because you see so many of the same people on a regular basis. Maybe this would become repetitive for you, but I love it. I have a solid group of friends, then many different networks of more casual friends that I pretty much know where they are and how they're doing. I know my professors as well as I want to, and they are often available to me whenever I need them. Some actually go out of their way to try and get me to correspond with them. It's a great system.</p>
<p>Right now, President Marx is really championing his system for racial and class equality at Amherst. So right now, odds are the highest they've ever been for working class, low/average income students that demonstrate intelligence and a willingness to learn. It's a controversial program, and it's making big waves here at Amherst.</p>
<p>I would say that you will be happy at Amherst if you come here with an open mind. There's a lot of different kinds of happy, and I'm sure you can achieve one or the other if you know what to expect and are the kind of person that can adapt to change. Yes, Amherst, MA is not Boston, New York City or Los Angeles. It's a smaller town, smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The winters can be pretty darn cold. The campus is smaller than ivy league universities. Most of the people I know that are unhappy with Amherst complain about its 'bad location'.... but it's not like its location changed since the time they applied. You have to be willing to take risks, step out of your comfort zone and meet new kinds of people, try new classes, and adjust to living by yourself in a college atmosphere. Most everyone I know here is happy though, so don't stress about being unhappy if you come into the school with a basic understanding of what to expect.</p>
<p>"It's a controversial program and it's making big waves..."</p>
<p>Why do Amherst students consider the program controversial? What do the "big waves" consist of?</p>
<p>How is Amherst's program to increase racial and economic diversity any different in your opinion than all of the other major colleges and universities' projects to do the same?</p>
<p>I think that controversial nature of the program extends more to the Amherst more than it does the community. There was a huge uproar last year following Marx's Businessweek article concerning this topic from alumni concerned whether this move would hurt legacy admissions and take away from the prestige of the university (lowering some requirements for admission). I think that overall, most students are FOR the program. I'm not big on school polictics though, so any more information would be purely speculative.</p>
<p>The big waves can be seen already in the class of 2010. There are more URM's being admitted already. I think the stat is about 30% minority class this year. Whatever it is, it's bigger than most any other school out there.</p>
<p>Amherst's program is different because of its mindset. We're expanding previous class sizes by about 20 students per year to accomodate for these low income students. Marx is truly dedicated to the subject of diversity... it's basically his calling card to fame or failure as the school's President. Therefore, he goes absolutely all-out to ensure his grand vision is realized successfully. It seems to me, because of the reaction we get from the media/alumni/whoever cares to listen, we've been the pioneers in this field, while others do their best to imitate. I realize this sounds a bit biased in Amherst's favor... but what can I say, I'm an Amherst student.</p>