hampcurious

Hi, I am a new cc member (though I must admit to lurking over the last year or so) and a freshman at Hampshire. I am hoping to help anyone interested in the school to get more information if they want it. I know I wanted as much information as I could get last year at this time! I am open to questions about anything.

teenage_cliche

Ohh, excellent!

Can you describe the student body in general? I mean, I know it's pretty artistic and quirky, but how much would someone be looked down upon if they're not as into drugs or indie rock?

Also, what's the social scene like? How often do Hamp kids go to events sponsored by the other 4 schools, for example?

hampcurious

Well, I have gone through some changes in my opinion of the student body over the course of the year. Let me preface this with the fact that I made a couple of really good friends very quickly and that has been great. But when I first got here, and started classes, I was really intimidated by how smart so many people seemed. There are a lot of very verbal, really well informed people here. Then I started to feel like there were also a lot of hippies and hipsters, and that all people really wanted to do on the weekend was sit around and talk, and drink, or get high, and I thought that was kind of boring. I have, over the last couple, of months started to hang out with many different people and realize that there are all kinds of people here. I think that the kids who are trying to be "cool" or "different" are the ones that are easy to see, and so it seems like they are a majority at first, but that is really not the case. I have met, and become friendly with, people of both ethnic and economic diversity, people interested in the arts, politics, science, etc. The older students are really in to their work, and that seems really cool. They do internships, travel, and just do interesting projects related to what their interests are. I am really looking forward to Div. 2 and Div. 3 Where you can start to dive in to subjects more deeply.

You will not at all be looked down on if you are not in to drugs, there is no pressure on that kind of thing, and you will find many others who feel the same way. Again, they can be harder to find, at first, but they are there. It seems to me that a lot of people here are in to funk, there is a hip hop collective, all kinds of stuff.

The social scene on campus mostly takes place in the mods. People have parties and potluck dinners there. There are also bands that play on campus, movies, lectures, etc. There are, of course, also several big school sponsored events, the famous Halloween Party, and the Easter Keg Hunt, to name a couple. On the weekends a lot of people also go to Northampton to eat dinner (there are a ton of ethnic restaurants there, it's awesome) and to go to movies.

Truthfully, as a Freshman I have not ventured off campus much yet in terms of the other schools. I know that many upperclassmen do go to parties and events on the other campuses. I am going to take a class at Amherst next semester and I figure I will start to explore UMass too, and will become more familiar with the other school's campuses and what all is going on there.

I hope this is helpful, let me know if there is anything else I can tell you.

allthosethings

Much of what was said above is very similar to what my good friend at Hampshire has experienced (you probably know him Hampcurious, It is not such a big place! I will pm you). He has a car now, and so he has probably experienced all that the area has to offer a bit more at this point. I know he has gone to Amherst parties (we have a couple of friends there too) and has found them to be very open and friendly. The area really has all you could want in terms of culture. It is a town full of students because of all the schools, so there are all the amenities.
I have also found the students at Hampshire to be bright, verbal and passionate. There are certainly a fair share of hippies and hipsters, but really, as said above, there are all kinds of people there. It is a cool place, definitely worth a look.

teenage_cliche

Thanks so much to both of you!

I'm only a high school soph, but Hamp looks really interesting to me. I love the idea of not following a designed major, and I really like the area and having 4 other great colleges so close by. So thank you so much for all of your input!

mtholyoke2010

Hampshire is really a great place!
-A friendly MoHo

partyhippie

hey im a junior from NY and in the next couple weeks am gonna go up to visit hampshire
its acedemic system w/o grades and stuff really interests me
i was also wondering if anyone knows about art at hampshire.. such as its program and or the studios. that be great if youd let me know


-oh yeah and i heard hampshire was a rly druggy school too, but i think its just overexaggerated because people are smoking instead of mass binge drinking ther organs out, hence, 'lack' of frat parties =]

allthosethings

partyhippie--when you go up to Hampshire make sure you look at the art studios and ask your tour guide any questions you might have about the program. From all that I have heard it has a very good, very intense, art program. I know that there are some AMAZING artists there.

About the "w/o grades and stuff" academics--really think about what it is you like about that. Don't think that it is in any way easier at Hampshire because of the absence of grades. In fact, just the opposite is true. Every aspect of what you are like as a student is covered in your evaluations: the quality of your papers, your attendance, your class participation. You will NOT slide under the radar in any way. This is wonderful for true students, for those wanting to go on to graduate school, etc. but horrible for people looking to slack.
It is a great school, I hope you have a good visit.

partyhippie

thank you!! i know what your saying. actually i liked the idea of the evaluations cause we have an alternative school in our high school and it runs like hampshire does. I applied though i didnt not get in =/

jazlyntrue

I know what a Div 3 is, but will someone explain to me a Div 2?

hampcurious

Okay, I am still doing Div I but as far as I can tell, Div II is what would be like a "major" at another school. However, instead of having to declare, and say I am an education major, for instance, and then being told what the requirements for that major are, one gets to decide what classes to take. Hampshire seems to work well for those of us who have several seemingly disparate interests. If you are interested in music, education, and german, you decide what classes to take, and how they fit together in some way. One of the strengths of Hampshire is supposed to be that it helps you to tie all your interests together, to find the common thread, and then to figure out how to follow them all in some way in terms of a job, or work, or further education.
So, essentially, I believe that Div II is a body of work, of classes taken, papers written, internships, independent study, etc. and the student has to figure out how to tie it all together, or to fill the holes in his own knowledge, to make it a meaningful education.
Talk to me next year, I may have a better definition!

PRKid

what about music classes - both theory and performance? guitar?

platypus9

Hello,

I am an incoming first year and I just got my Hub login only to find that most classes are already full and first years can't register until the end of June. I was wondering whether first years usually get any selection for their classes or if we get the few leftover ones. Or do we only take the first year seminars reserved for us.

Thanks!

beachmom25

My son will be attending a summer program at Hampshire. He lifts weights, but is having trouble finding out what's available at the Multi-sport center (free weights, squat rack, etc?) ... thanks for any info.

hampcurious

platypus9- I am trying to remember how it worked first semester. I don't remember a lot of classes being full, and I am wondering if they save some spaces for first years that don't show on the hub. They sent me a packet with a whole bunch of info, and I think I had to fill out a sheet and pick something like 10 classes and then they chose 4 of them and slotted them in to my schedule. So it did not feel like I had as much direct choice about which classes I was taking as it did the following semester, but theoretically these were all classes I had picked. My advice is this, pick your seminar carefully, that professor will be your advisor (at least I think that is the case for everyone), so it is good if they teach something you are interested in. Also choose those classes carefully. I remember it felt like a lot to have to pick and I didn't feel like they were all great, I just got tired of doing it and kind of started to pick throwaway classes, hoping I would get my first choices. But you could end up in any one of them, so try to like them all if you can.

beachmom25-I went to the Multi-sport center mostly to run in cold weather, but yes, there are free weights, and also a squat rack I believe. It seemed to be pretty well stocked and my friends who lift never complained about anything.