I’m currently trying to decide my ED school, and my top two at the moment are Williams and Amherst. I want a real college experience, and I want to be able to party. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but I’m looking to go our probably Friday - Saturday nights. I can’t find too much information on whether or not that’s possible at these schools, and, given their small nature, this is a concern. I would probably not be a varsity athlete, unless I could walk onto the softball team.
Do either of the schools have a party scene? Would I be happy?
First there are parties at all colleges, but at Amherst you are right next door to UMASS and as part of the consortium you can take classes join clubs, etc. Plenty of parties at UMASS too (There’s a reason UMASS is known as the Zoo!)
Sounds like the Amherst area would suit you better than Williamstown. Between Amherst and Northampton next door you won’t run out of options for socializing. Although the UMass party scene is now fairly tame compared to its legendary past (the Zoo Mass days), it will still offer the best party scene, though off campus events mainly.
It’s no SEC school, but there are plenty of opportunities to party at Amherst. Probably more than Williamstown, if for no other reason than there are other college students around.
But depending on your definition and what you are looking for, neither school is probably a great choice for someone who cares a lot about the party scene. Wrong students, and the wrong workload.
My kid in an Amherst grad, and her husband is a Williams grad. I can assure you there was a very active party scene on campus at Amherst. In her 4 years there, they almost exclusively partied on campus. There was an occasional concert they would all attend maybe a couple of times per year at U. Mass, since they drew bigger name artists.
There’s a lot of speculation here about how large the UMass party scene actually looms at Amherst, the LAC which in the past has been known for its social bubble. I’d be curious to hear from a current student.