Amherst College Top Questions

I think Amherst is the perfect size. While you'll be able to recognize most faces on campus pretty quickly, there are always new people to get to know. People know who's who and can be up in each other's business most of the time, but that's only a problem if you do something stupid that gets you more attention than you want. The administration is excellent; they have very specific goals and seem to do a lot to accomplish them. There's very little red tape and even the important people are pretty accessible. You'll occasionally see deans and even the president of the college in the dining hall or the gym.

My favorite aspect of Amherst is its flexibility. There is a saying among students that "there are no real rules at Amherst," because it often seems that so-called "rules" are really more like guidelines, for they are often open to interpretation. The administration is eager to make each student's experience as good as possible, and is willing to make the necessary changes to suit everyone's personal needs.

Amherst is an awesome place! The size is just right...small enough to provide support but large enough to not be smothering. School spirit is through the roof, but this does not manifest itself only in athletic support. Students are really excited to support all aspects of life here because everyone loves this place!

Best thing--- Small enough that its easy to get involved Thing to change--- Dining hall food is pretty bad, and has limited hours School is a little too small... it would be nice if I went out to parties and actually met new people more often. College town is pretty good for a small liberal arts school, mostly because of the presence of UMass. Most people are just fine sticking around and partying on campus, although its good to have restaurants and stuff around. Biggest controversy--- some people think that Amherst isn't accepting of different races and cultures just becuase of one or two isolated racist/homophobic incidents, but this is kind of ridiculous. Compared to probably every other school, Amherst is incredibly diverse and accepting. The school pride isn't big compared to a Michigan or Ohio State, but people get really psyched up for any competition against Williams. Also, the men's basketball team is a perenial National Championship contender, and the whole school gets excited and school spirited around playoff time.

I'm from the South where most people either haven't heard of Amherst or they think it's a small community college. My private high school was quite small (350 in the hs) so Amherst seems big to me. I think the size of the school and the classes are perfect for learning and connecting with professors, which is something that can't happen at a large university with classes of hundreds of students taught be grad students. I spend most of my time in my dorm, at the cafeteria or down at the pool/gym, especially during season. I like the college town atmosphere, especially with the 5 college consortium. Although Amherst is small, it feels like a big school with thousands of kids with the other schools present. The administration is usually very fair and helpful. Their alcohol and drug policies are also very reasonable and actually work to deal with alcohol maturely by setting parameters and dealing with it as needed rather than terrorizing everyone with rigid policies. There is alot of school pride, especially with the rivalry with Williams. It is interesting because Amherst students are proud of Amherst for its fame as a top liberal arts academic institution rather than having a top 10 Div. 1-A football or basketball program. Students complain about the cafeteria alot. The food is not very good, and it closes at 7:30 which does not leave very much time for athletes with afternoon practice that goes until 7 pm. Also, when the cafeteria closes there is no place on campus for students to use their meal plan to get food, which is pretty terrible.

best thing: the people. so much diversity of backgrounds, interests, and accomplishments. i feel privilaged everyday to know the people at my school. one thing i'd change: more student input on how money is spent at the school. size: yes, it's small, but I love the amherst bubble. When i needed a break i went abroad for a semester, and i appreciate it all the more now that i'm back. there are plenty of outlets to other schools and cities if you start to feel constrained on campus. school pride: there is a lot of school pride but i don't think it's as visible as it may be at other schools. students love amherst but a lot of people are not the loud jock type that will parade it. i find that students are really good about supporting eachothers activities. concerts, sport matches, and charity events are always well attended. experience to remember: there are lots, but a telling one is having alums from 10 years ago who lived in my room party with us during homecoming most frequent student complaint: repetetive food choice

School in unreal. Small but I love it that way, you get to know everyone and parties are always much better when you know the majority of the people there. The kids here are awesome, everyone is intelligent and gets their work done, but everyone also likes to enjoy college and have a good time. Classes are just ok.

A lot of people are skeptical of attending a school with a student bpody as small as Amherst's. I was a little bit concerned that Amherst would be too small, but I really do think that going to a small school has a lot of benefits that people don't realize. People are afraid that with a small school there wont be as many opportunities to make friends, but in reality, you recognize so many people on campus, and see people so frequently that it is easy to maintain relationships. It is easy to maintain contact with someone if you want to. The smaller size also allows students to appreciate a lot of groups on campus, because there will be a good chance that you will know someone that is a participant. Amherst really has an ideal college town. It is within walking distance of the campus, only a few minutes, and has a variety of restaurants to choose from. Just a few minutes away there is a large movie theatre as well as big stores such as target, where you can absolutely get whatever you need. And Northampton is only a 15 minute drive, and provides a change of scenery with a lot of restaurants and shops. When I tell people that I go to Amherst, if they have heard of it they are almost always genuinely impressed, and have high opinions of the school. However, since it is smaller, not everyone has heard of it. There is a lot of school pride at Amherst. There are large turnouts for all kinds of events on campus, athletic and nonathletic. I know I personally am always on the lookout for all things purple to buy just to show a little extra Amherst spirit.

Amherst is a little small - it feels like high school. The size is also one of it's greatest benefits as you get to know everyone and meet a lot of interesting people. The administration is wonderful - everyone is very friendly and accommodating.

The best thing about Amherst is the people. The collective intelligence is staggering, but there's little competition between students. Yes, the work is rigorous, but not exactly high-pressure if you play your cards right. So you make your friends - people you never thought you would be hanging out with back in high school. They're great. I love that Amherst is small, but the gossipy, everyone-knows-your-business atmosphere is definitely stifling sometimes. I just wish that part would go away, but then again, that would mean making the school larger, which I don't think is a good thing. The size (1600) is JUST RIGHT. While some people are pretty impressed to hear that I go to Amherst, honestly, most people have never even heard of it. Or they'll just assume it's UMass Amherst. Most of my time on campus is spent in my room, at the dining hall, and at the newspaper office. Definitely the newspaper office. College-town! It's so great to be in an area where most of the stores are not chains and actually owned by real people, not corporations!!! Amherst's administration mostly runs like butter, but can sometimes be a little deaf to student's requests, especially with issues pertaining to affinity groups. The recent biggest controversy on campus revolved around the administration's underwhelming response to hate crimes on campus and the demand for the establishment of a Multicultural Resource Center. I think there is a lot of school pride from some people, but mostly apathy from others. We're too busy getting our work done. Amherst is unusual in that pretty much everyone knows everyone else and the fact that our campus is more like an estate than the usual conception of what a typical campus looks like. I will always remember Valentines Day 2008 - when my friends and I sneaked at 5 o'clock in the morning to the dorm of the guy who thought my friend was stalking her to tape a rose and an intentionally creepy note to his door. It was a lesson, haha. Most frequent student complaints - bad food at Val, badly constructed recital hall, no Multicultural Center, ugly library, outdated laboratories, getting kicked out of classes during registration period.