Amherst College Top Questions

Gifted, curious, well-traveled, and smart mixed with preppy.

Students are all very intelligent, interested in their academics yet not competitive, aware of current events (political and otherwise), and generally social as well. There is a great mix of personalities and backgrounds at Amherst.

People here dress pretty casually in t-shirts and jeans for the most part. Although many are into the button up preppy look. So, I would say half and half. Most would say that Amherst is mostly liberal, but I would say that there are more moderate, conservative students here than many might think. What kind of student will feel out of place here? Well at a school where most people are into a lot of Indie things and shun things that are commercial in nature, if you are the opposite you might feel a little out of place. And might acquire a bit of a prejudice for all things literary and indie if you didn't have one already. (That was part truth, part exaggeration. Take it how you want to take it.)

A student answers three questions: What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite class? What do you like to do when you have an hour to kill?

A sophomore answers three questions: What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite class? What do you like to do when you have an hour to kill?

A sophomore answers three questions: What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite class? What do you like to do when you have an hour to kill?

A senior answers three questions: What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite class? What do you like to do when you have an hour to kill?

A senior answers three questions: What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite class? What do you like to do when you have an hour to kill?

Amherst is extremely diverse. No student would feel out of place because there are students from all over the world and from all socio- economic groups. The campus is generally liberal, but a conservative side is slowly gaining more stride.

Amherst student body is diverse, but diversity doesn't necessarily mean interaction. I'm pretty sure that's true everywhere. Students wear everything from perfectly manicured outfits to sweatpants/sweatshirts. Sweatpants are pretty popular during the winter time. But once the weather gets warmer finally, people start dressing up more even to go to class. People are surprisingly not very politically active....or most of them aren't. There is our share of saving-the-world crowd though. In the dining hall, there are athletes, black/hispanic kids, and the rest is hard to identify.