<p>Printers are helpful, but if you don't have one, there are enough people in your dorm with them that you could basically just bum off of them all year. Just be nice and give em some paper or something to make up for it.</p>
<p>Also, just for the record, I was wrong about computer center times, Sun-Thurs they are actually open until 3:00AM, so you can pretty much always go there if you need it</p>
<p>Is the workload such that one could maintain a job while in school? I only need to swing $6000 more a year for my family to be able to afford it (more would help, but non-starving level is $6000).</p>
<p>Yep, you could definitely manage your schoolwork, do some extracurriculars, and hold down a part-time job. $6000 sounds like a lot to me, though, so I might utilize interterm/summers too. A bunch of my friends work and participate in other activities.</p>
<p>Yeah, $6000 is more than I've had in my entire life (independently). It's nice to know I can help a little, though--hopefully I won't have to turn to a life of crime to secure the rest :)</p>
<p>are there any libraries that are open 24 hours?</p>
<p>AJ Hastings has some things online, but they have much more in the store itself. Last year, when D was accepted, I ordered t-shirts for her and myself from them, and they were nice. We bought more when we arrived on campus. It's right there across from the park at the edge of campus and downtown. Amherst is very big on supporting the local economy, and even has a program to buy fresh food from the local farms, etc. Perhaps that is why AJ Hastings is the place to get anything Amherst that you might need.</p>
<p>We have two libraries, Merrill Science Lib and Frost, which is the main library. During finals week they are open to the wee hours of the morning but usually they close in between 1-3 AM I Believe</p>
<p>Er...I know nothing about college life (intel here:)) The Amherst acceptance package arrived today and there's this bit about dorms that says "There is no laundry service". Again I don't know anything...does that mean we have to wash our own clothes? Or throw it all into a basket and drag it somewhere outside campus to have it cared for? Plus, it says "electric appliances are not allowed in dorm rooms". How can we live without some appliances?</p>
<p>No laundry service means no one washes your crap for you. There's an average of 2-3 washers/dryer set ups per dorm, do it yourself. So if you don't know, better learn how to wash clothes.</p>
<p>By Electric appliances I'm pretty sure they just mean like microwaves and such, so that you don't burn the school down.</p>
<p>go here for a list of items not allowed:
<a href="http://www.amherst.edu/%7Edos/reslife/%5B/url%5D">http://www.amherst.edu/~dos/reslife/</a></p>
<p>NO microwaves? Are there any within the dorms in a common area, at least?</p>
<p>I'm sure they just don't want some science whiz building a microwave cannon out of his dorm window, is all. I doubt it's anything sinister.</p>
<p>A lot of schools have no microwave/electronic appliances policy now</p>
<p>I think it is beacause of fire hazard and safety issues...</p>
<p>Each dorm has a common room with microwaves. Small refrigerators are allowed, TV's, etc., fans, floor lamps, hair dryers, etc. are allowed. Mainly no hotplates, cookers, etc. An attempt to eliminate fires. After freshman year, the theme houses even have complete kitchens. There are washers and dryers in every dorm. You do your own laundry.</p>
<p>Yea there's a microwave in each common room, no worries. And honestly if you never let any staff or like security in your room, you can get away with having one. But if they catch you with one, I'm pretty sure you'd be some deep trouble.</p>
<p>According to T-Dawg, Tony Marx, there has been talk about why we don't have our own store in the past. The reasoning for Hastings is that 1) it's a local business 2) it gives students a reason to get off of campus for a bit.</p>
<p>About laundry: you must do it yourself. However, it's a slight pain in the butt because there are certain days and times where there aren't enough machines. When you go to do laundry, someone's stuff is there. If you're a few minutes late, you're laundry gets taken out and, in my dorm's case, gets put on the window sill. Although, every other Monday I find that there's hardly any traffic. So, you must find your timeslot to spring in. I know someone who packs her laundry up early every morning Saturday and runs to James and Stearns, which jointly have 10 washers and dryers I think, to do her laundry.</p>
<p>Microwaves: not allowed to have in your room, but there is one in the common room. Freshman dorms except for the mods and Appleton all have kitchens, so you could even bake.</p>
<p>My son plans to take his desk top computer with him. Is he better off with a laptop? Do kids take notes in class on their laptops?</p>
<p>Also, do you get tests throughout the semster or do most courses just give a midterm, final and termpaper?</p>
<p>My son plans to major in English or history. However, I would like him to minor in something that he can get a job in right after college such as computers. Do computer science classes requre a lot of work, such as tests, labs etc?</p>
<p>My son needs to have a part time job during the school year. Are jobs on campus readily available or are they reserved for students on financial aid?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Chammom,
Your son will find it more convenient to have a laptop, but it's definitely not something he needs at Amherst. A few people do take notes on their laptops, but only a few. Laptops are convenient for other reasons, studying, writing papers somewhere other than your dorm room for example.
Regularity of exams varies depending on what courses you take. For social science/humanities classes - most of the time it's midterm/final papers (can be several papers for midterm.) For hard sciences though, it's entirely, as I said, dependent on the courses you take.
I don't know about computer science, but hard science classes require a lot of work in general... and frankly, if you want to excel at Amherst, you will have to work hard no matter what your major is. We don't have minors at the College. You can major, double major, triple major and take classes that, supposedly, are of "minor" interest to you. They show on your transcript, not your diploma.
Jobs are availably and plenty but not reserved for any group of students. You have to go out there and get them yourself.
Hope that helps.</p>
<p>for most math/science/econ courses, the average is 2 midterms and a final. for humanities courses it's almost exclusively paper format, as many as your professor wants to stick you with. I had 3 in my first year seminar, and i have 4 short response and 2 formal papers this semester for a japanese history course.</p>
<p>a note on major/minor. It's true we don't have the minor system. However, with no cores, it is SO much easier to double major here than in other places, where half your college career it seems is dedicated to filling college requirements. As of now, I'll be more than half way to completing both my Econ and Music major requirements by the end of sophomore year, because I was able to partially specialize in this two subjects immediately, instead of having to take required courses. And I still have the time to take classes I enjoy, such as the Japanese history course, or the Korean language class I plan to take Fall '06.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies.</p>
<p>Anyone out there with first hand knowlege of the computer science program?</p>
<p>blazianazn-
After 2(?) years at Amherst, do you ever feel the school's small size to be a negative in terms of social life? Not in terms of partying, but rather day-to-day life, and meeting people. Also, do many Amherst students really take advantage of social and academic offerings at the nearby schools, and is transportation provided?
Thanks -</p>