<p>I received the following message from the OP, and I want to respond to it to make matters clear for future prospective students considering Yale and Amherst:</p>
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<p>Yes, I believe that Yale trumps Amherst in most every respect. At the same time, I believe that Amherst is a great undergraduate institution.</p>
<p>I will clarify.</p>
<p>In truth, both schools have room for improvement with regards to student community and student life.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, Amherst is more culturally and socioeconomically diverse than Yale. The administration’s intense advocacy of such diversity inevitably creates tensions within the student body. Bottom line: administrators could do more to ease these tensions and to create a more cohesive body.</p>
<p>Yale is less diverse than Amherst. However, its residential housing system creates the comforting illusion of solidarity, in the same way that fraternities have in the past. At Yale, you will feel as if you fit in, even if you really don’t fit in.</p>
<p>At Amherst, “fitting in” is not a concern–there is no clearly defined mold to fit into, because the people here come from every imaginable background. For those who come from very, very non-traditional backgrounds, who are not accustomed to reaching out to others actively and aggressively, the transition can be difficult.</p>
<p>I’m arguing simply that Yale creates an important, helpful structure on which one can rely to form relationships, whereas at Amherst one is more or less left to forge one’s own paths. Which can be a great thing, provided that one has that drive and independence.</p>
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<p>I am not entirely satisfied with class discussion here at Amherst–I am partly to blame, I confess. But, all this may be due to the prevailing culture of our times. These days, young people are intensely fearful of being called out, exposed, or criticized. This mentality causes students to hold back. Especially when the people in your classroom come from every imaginable background and have different levels of intellectual and social preparation, the hesitation kills meaningful exchange. This tends to be the case at Amherst, and may very well be the case at Yale.</p>
<p>I’m arguing merely that there’s a relatively higher proportion of the “intense” type at Yale. Not to say that there isn’t a substantial population of that type at Amherst. These types are more willing to express and challenge ideas–even if they’re just trying to impress their professors–and having more of them in a classroom livens up the conversation.</p>
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<p>World-renowned faculty, yes. Better education? Not necessarily.</p>
<p>You make the mistaken assumption that employers and admission officers make: there is a causative relationship between program strength and quality of education. I meant that as a Yale student you can exploit this assumption to your advantage–people who matter will be impressed by your education even if you didn’t really get a good education. This helps, especially if you want maximum post-graduate flexibility! This all boils down prestige and the safety net that such prestige provides. Yale is supremely prestigious in the U.S., and is therefore the “safer” choice.</p>
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<p>Ultimately, this is how I feel about Amherst: Thank you for giving me everything I could possibly want… now what am I supposed to do with it?</p>
<p>You figure it out as you go along. More doors open up, more opportunities present themselves. The more time you spend on campus, the more resources you realize are there. I just wish I had figured it out earlier, and I feel that I have wasted so much before I finally understood what was at my disposal.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if I’ve pushed you away from Amherst. I was just externalizing my regrets. Amherst is really a great place–again, you just have to hit the ground running, not stand around waiting for people and things to come to you.</p>