<p>What is Amherst like?</p>
<p>Whats bad about it?</p>
<p>Whats good about it?</p>
<p>What are the professors like?</p>
<p>Is the workload cut-throat?</p>
<p>How collaborative is Amherst?</p>
<p>How are the guys and girls? Party scene? Nightlife?</p>
<p>First question: Are you going there in the fall or considering applying?</p>
<p>First response: There is nothing bad about it. You really cannot go wrong if you are there. You could waste your time there of course, but you can make anything out of it if you want also.</p>
<p>considering applying</p>
<p>I think the questions posted by the OP are important, and I would also greatly appreciate it if someone were to answer them!</p>
<p>I would like to answer the questions, but I don’t go there till this fall, so I cannot speak with much authority.
I’ll just say that I have been told that the professors pay a lot of attention to their students. As this is a 100% undergraduate institution, the faculty know that they are there to teach rather than focus entirely on research.
I also heard that the students are quite collaborative, and that there is no competition between students. Instead, students hold themselves to their own standards of performance. The academic atmosphere is purportedly relaxed.
Regarding parties, I have been told there are several parties every weekend, and that MHC and Smith students come to join in. I don’t know much beyond this though.</p>
<p>Bad about Amherst: Can be insular, social scene became stifling after two years for me. Expensive. Expressions of entitlement, the occasional arrogant prick (typical for a lot of top LACs). The last statement is based on a comparison of my experiences at Amherst and at a Big-10 public university. You might want to visit to see how you like or dislike the vibe, because everyone will inevitably see various aspects of a college differently.</p>
<p>Good about Amherst: Amazing academic experience, wonderful and caring professors, great financial aid (relative to what you could be paying at another LAC), sense of exploration/not a pressure cooker school, supportive alumni network which will come in handy when you’re seeking an internship or job.</p>
<p>The workload is tough, but if you can get in, you are most definitely not going to fail any courses. Getting all A’s… that’s a different story. The workload is probably not any different from what it would be at a top-10 university or a top-10 LAC, but it might vary widely depending on what courses you choose to enroll in. Bottom line: If you work hard, you will manage. Hope that helps. Feel free to email me with more questions as you continue exploring your college options.</p>
<p>I have one son considering visiting Amherst. We have to truly limit the number of colleges visited so I am ruling in/out certain schools. I had heard Amherst was the “jock” school of the Williams/Swat/Amherst trio. Is this true? Would a “nerd” (ie. chess, philosophy kind of guy) be out of the social scene or feel isolated? He has decided he wants a middle of the road type school (not far out liberal) and not overly conservative or religious; not too much entitlement or wealth/lower income divide. How would Amherst fit that bill?</p>
<p>Swarthmore, Williams, and Amherst each have their associated stereotypes but they are more similar than different. </p>
<p>Though Amherst has 70% of its student population participating in sports at some level (varsity, intramural) its feel doesn’t seem overly jocky to a non-athlete student. In terms of trying to gauge entitlement, I would look at diversity indicators, but again, the students at the schools you mentioned are probably not all that different in that regard, being that they are elite liberal arts colleges. The surrounding environs might have something to do with it, though-- Swarthmore is close to Pennsylvania, which makes it somewhat less of a bubble, and Amherst has four other colleges surrounding it, one of which is a big public university.</p>
<p>The short answer to your question is that yes, a “nerd” would fit in quite well at Amherst. (This is not to say he won’t fit in well at other schools, but if visiting is out of the question, your son should feel comfortable applying to Amherst.) On another note, you may not want to start ruling out schools so soon if there are no compelling reasons to rule out one in particular, as more applications will generally yield more acceptances in April. As you probably already know, AWS admission is super competitive.</p>
<p>Oops, double post.</p>
<p>Thanks. Yes, I am well aware of Amherst’s selectivity and yes, he will have to apply to many schools. I was interested in focusing visits because, there are of course many schools to which one can apply even if you eliminate early on–and I believe in applying to different levels of selectivity so I don’t think he will apply to, say 11 schools with 16% or under acceptance rates–he will need to choose a few from each level.</p>
<p>Oh and thanks for the input on Amherst, I think he will definitely visit there now.</p>
<p>To answer a few questions that others haven’t addressed extensively:
I really like Amherst because it is about as relaxed academically as a top school can get–nobody cares about anybody else’s grades or performance in class, or how many classes you’re taking, or anything like that. Friends at other top colleges have reported really stressful and competitive conditions at their schools; this kind of stuff is nowhere to be found at Amherst. This doesn’t mean, though, that Amherst students aren’t interested in their studies; some of my most enjoyable conversations have been about things I or my friends have learned in the multi-variable calculus, philosophy, computer science, or environmental studies classes. So nerds are welcome, even with the presence of “athlete culture”. (Some people don’t realize that athletes can be nerds too. Almost everyone at Amherst has a little nerdy quirk to them that they may or may not indulge in in front of their friends.)</p>
<p>As far as the party scene: not my thing, but I know people who go out every weekend, several nights a week; I would rather just hang out with friends and do my own “partying”. I wish there were more options, and next year I’ll to explore Northampton (where there are concerts, restaurants, interesting things) more. </p>
<p>I hope this is helpful.</p>