Amherst College Top Questions

Amherst's academics are excellent. There are no graduate students, and the focus on teaching is emphasized. My professors all know my name, and are more than willing to spend time discussing ideas or how to improve a paper. There are no academic requirements, other than taking a first-year seminar and choosing a major, so for the most part there aren't students in your classes who are just there to check something off a list. To do everything correctly, you have to spend a huge amount of time doing schoolwork. Some people spend almost all their time working, most people do most of the work and do fine, and some people do very little work and get by. Amherst is definitely geared toward learning for its own sake (at least in the humanities--I'm not sure about science or economics) but there are also great campus resources to help you get a job later.

When I see them on campus, I always tell prospective students that at Amherst, their experience will depend on them and what they choose to make of it. It is up to each student to manage his/her own time, and to balance work with pleasure in order to stay focused and keep a little sanity. Nobody can do all the reading, but if you don't do any, you aren't going to get as much out of a class as you could be. You may get by anyway, but to really milk an Amherst education for what it's worth (which is a substantial amount), you need self-discipline and a lot of motivation. Fortunately, the school provides a lot of outlets and a strong support network, whether it is at the writing center, through a school-provided tutor, or from the professors themselves, who seem to be available almost 24 hours a day. There is always someone ready and willing to sit down with you and help you sort out your life, and figure out solutions if you are having problems.

Classes go WAY beyond the classroom. I frequently carry on discussions about class in the dining hall or the dorm. Professors often invite students to their own homes for further discussion, etc. and students are able to take professors out to eat for free through the college's TYPO program! Research opportunities for undergrads abound, especially because there are no graduate students. The best part, by far, is the open curriculum! No core...no distribution requirements...Amherst is one of five schools in the country that lets students take classes in WHATEVER they want!

Almost all my professors know my name A lot of students goof around and then cram really hard for tests or pull all nighters before papers. Yet there is enough work that people are still working fairly consistantly. We definately have intellectual conversations outside of class, although not always about class topics, but just about issue at the school, politics, social issues, life in general... Amherst students strive to do their best, but not really against each other. I never know how anyone else has done on a paper or test, and I only know the GPAs of my very best friends, and even that is through the grapevine. I took a really cool class on the Beatles, where for credit, I joined a Beatles band and played songs on the guitar. I love the lack of core requirements. It allows me to take what I want, and not get bogged down in courses that are boring to me. Students end up taking a wide array of classes by choice anyways. The education is much more towards just learning, I really have no idea what kind of job I will be qualified for, but I'm sure that employers will want me just becuase it says Amherst on my diploma.

My professors know my name and most of them are eager to get to know me personally. The majority respond to their emails promptly which is nice, and are always willing to answer questions and facilitate discussions even in a lecture class. My favorite classes were Sociology: Drugs and Society , Music: History of Rock N Roll, History: History of the US Prison System (held in the Hampshire County Jail with inmates as classmates). Students vary in the study time. There are some who are always studying and in the library. And then there are some who play video games all day and never seem to do any work. Class participation is common, especially in a small classroom which is great. My majors are History and Spanish. History has been great with a wide range of topics and professors. Spanish has been more difficult as my first Spanish course was not counted towards the major and my summer abroad courses were not counted either. Sometimes I TYPO (Take Your Prof Out) my professors to dinner, paid for by the school, which is always great. I love Amherst's lack of core curriculum. It has given me freedom to take lots of interesting courses that I like and can excel at rather than difficult/boring courses like Math that I have no interest or skill in. Amherst education is geared toward learning, especially engaging the current affairs and developing a sense of advocacy and social justice. However, it can't hurt to have an Amherst diploma when applying to jobs.

Professors are really good about getting to know students and encourage you to come chat with them outside class even about non-academic subjects. Professors reglarly come to our swim meets. Also a lot of oppurtunities to be involved in their research. Students are not competitive and often form study groups. I am sometimes surprised by how many people are shy or just lazy about class participation. I have intellectual conversations outside of class and I get the feeling it may be common but don't really know. An Amherst education is definitely geared towards learning and not towards specific job skills. It's more up to the student to develop a specialty on their own and gain experience through summer oppurtunities.

Classes are alright, personally, I am in a lot of introductory classes, so there is not a whole lot of interaction with the professor or class participation. But everyone takes class serious and is very serious about their grades, even athletes. Open curriculum is awesome.

Amherst has no academic requirements apart from a mandatory freshman seminar, which really gives students a lot of freedom to take the classes that they want, and also to experiment in different disciplines, without having to worry about scrambling to met requirements if they take a class that might not go toward a major. The idea of an open curriculum seemed overwhelming to me initially, but once it came time to register for classes the first time I really appreciated it.The majority of professors do know the names of their students, especially if you are in a smaller class. Sometimes, with the large lectures (intro classes usually) the professor won't know you , but usually there are some smaller group meetings of the class, usually in the form of discussion sections where the professor will get to know you. As a history major, I have found that all of my professors have known my name in my classes, and the majority of them have known some other things about me. It is easy to get in touch with professors for the most part, and because they for the most part are not dealing with hundreds of students, they are usually available to meet and talk with you. Class participation is very common, although by no means required. Because professors make an effort to get to know you, it is not as intimidating to speak in class as you might think. For the most part, because the professor knows everyone's name, it is easy for the other students to get to know each other as well. The education at Amherst is not pre-professional, but that does not prevent Amherst students from getting high end jobs right after graduation.

Professors definitely know your name. Most students study a lot and class participation is common. It is possible, however, to pass through many of the humanities classes with little effort because of rampant grade inflation. Sciences are another story.

Of course professors know my name! No question. Favorite Class - Playwriting. Playwright-in-Residence Constance Congdon is a riot (not to mention brilliant and loving.) My classmates are really funny writers and the rapport between us is unbeatable. Least Favorite Class - Novels, Plays, and Poems: Waste of my Life. Students study often, I would say. I don't because my classes usually don't demand it of me. But if you're into science, expect to have little to no life. Class participation is very common, although Amherst students are more eager to listen than to jump into the conversation a lot of the time. Amherst students DEFINITELY have intellectual conversations outside of class. We're not that competitive with each other, only ourselves. Most Unique Class - Reading Popular Culture: Girl Power. We got to watch clips from Buffy and Alias, watch music videos by the Spice Girls and the Dixie Chicks and watched movies like GI Jane and Thelma and Louise. Instead of papers, we ran our own blogs. Amherst's academic requirements are fabulous because we have an open curriculum and they're pretty chill in general. I've had no problem thus far. Education at Amherst is definitely geared for learning for its own sake. Otherwise we'd be allowed to take non-liberal arts courses and learn actual skills (which we aren't allowed to do, btw.)