Amherst College Top Questions

There are a fairly diverse bunch of people at Amherst, but because people tend to self-segregate, it might not always seem that way. Four tables in the dining hall: 1. In the front or West room, there is a table of people, guys and girls, though maybe a couple more girls, with many majors represented, some of them probably work on a publication like the political magazine, none of them are athletes, and they tend to have more serious conversations than average students. They disdain athletes and lack school pride, enjoy mocking the school mascot. Some of them are down-to-earth, but taken as a unit they come off as very pretentious and think highly of themselves for their elevated discourse and for the fact that they are not the kind of people that start food fights and talk about how big their muscles are. 2. There is frequently a table or two where a lot of international students and their friends sit. I don't really know them well enough to describe what the social climate is like at that table 3. In the large room in the annex where there are rows of long table, at dinner you will always see sports teams eating together after practice. The stereotype is that they are loud and obnoxious and cliquish. The topics of conversation are probably the same as what you would expect any group of college age kids to be talking about. 4. Early in the year you will frequently see groups of freshman sitting together and awkwardly talking about their classes and other people they know and what dorm they live in. Its sort of amusing to look at being an upperclassman, but its also endearing to see.

Diversity is the most popular word here. Although there are also problems with the administration not adequately supporting the diverse student body, the school is working hard to change that, with the new Multicultural Resource Center opening this semester.

Amherst is not a place where many people go out of their way to stand out (physically) in a crowd. Few students dress in overtly attention-grabbing clothes (for example, there are no black-and-chains gothic students, no hardcore punk rockers, etc). There are two or three consistently cross-dressing men, but I think this is mostly for the attention and avant-guardness. Students are mostly liberal, but politics and assertiveness vary. However, as I said, no student will ever back down from a political debate, even if they are not outspoken about their views. Students are of all different backgrounds, financially, ethnically, regionally, etc. Amherst currently boasts better "diversity" statistics than any other liberal arts college (greater percentages of minorities, foreign students and low-income students).

There are no types of tudents who would feel out of place. Different types of students interact all o fhte time, there is no segregation. My brother, who also goes here, is a debater, and he is rooming with a vasrity pitcher next year. However, while some students are not politically active, everyone is politically aware. I could tell you whether each person in this school was a Republican, favored Obama, or favored Clinton. People do talk about how much they will earn in the future, after all, we go to Amherst, and we brag about it. The student body here tends to be pretty athletic and way more attractive than at the other elite schools.

Fairly diverse in race and mindset

Amherst as a whole is liberal and a little preppy, but it is also very open minded. Some very religious or very conservative students might feel slightly out of place, but they would not be alone, and most people would be appreciative of their viewpoints. Most students come from relatively wealthy families, but money is rarely discussed and it isn't easy to tell the rich and poor students apart. I'm from a low-income family in rural West Virginia, and I've never felt excluded or discriminated against in any way at Amherst. I actually chose Amherst because of its incredibly generous financial aid, and it has only improved during my time here--All aid is in the form of grants with no loans, so it is a good choice for lower-income students.

Diverse, people dress very differently, students from all over the country and the globe. It's a very liberal place.

We don't like christians. No set styles around campus. Lots of political knowledge, and lots of rich kids.

I feel like the students here are really diverse. There are tons of international kids, and pretty much everyone is able to find a good group of friends. Most people are liberal, many are from New England, and generally wealthy, but I think about half of us are on financial aid.

Although most of the Amherst student body is theoretically liberal, there is very little activism on campus. At the same time, however, there is pretty much no discrimination. The LGBTQ group on campus is probably the most active in terms of social issues, but overall people are fairly apathetic. A lot of social groups are formed out of sports teams and ethnic groups, although they all interact freely with each other. There are definite cliques, but they don't necessarily dislike those not involved in it. Students are fairly diverse, and there are a lot of international students. Amherst works really hard to attract minority and international students, and they're fairly successful.