I was recently accepted into both Amherst and Pitzer College as a transfer. This totally caught me off guard but somehow, I was able to get into both of these amazing colleges.
Now here’s the hard part. In need to decide where I’m going.
The 2 most important things for me are earning potential after college and social life during college. At Pitzer I plan to study Organizational Studies while at Amherst I’ll study Architectural Studies my hopes are to work in architecture adjacent field (e.g. urban planning).
In most cases Amherst seems stronger academically, but I may be wrong. Is a Pitzer degree well regarded too?
Additionally, social life is very important for me too. At my current school, I have few friends, and I am isolated due to its cliquey nature. To me Pitzer seems like it is not very cliquey and is rather accepting of all while Amherst seems to be very cliquey. Please let me know anything you know about these two colleges!! Everything helps I’ve got to make this decision by next week so feel free to respond ASAP.
Congrats! Both schools are great!!! Academically, you’ll get a great education.
Super different climate and pretty different vibes. Pitzer embodies SoCal, I think. Amherst feels a bit more intense, perhaps? On Friday nights, the Claremont library closes at 10 pm, Amherst at 11? I’m grasping at straws here
For what it’s worth - at Pitzer you would have access to a much larger pool of potential friends, with the claremont colleges sharing clubs, teams, dining halls, classes, etc. have no personal knowledge of Pitzer
My impression is that much of social life at Amherst is organized (intentionally) around clubs and teams - the school provides funds for clubs to have “formals” that are fancy dinners and parties, for instance. So if there is a club/organization at Amherst that appeals to you, then you would have access to a social group. Perhaps for students who are not “joiners,” it might be harder to find their tribe?
I like the Amherst option academically. The Architectural Studies major (which is NOT an architecture major) is excellent preparation for urban planning - especially because each student develops his own individual curriculum based on individual goals and personal interests. Add to that the fact that Amherst definitely has more cachet than Pitzer - although the latter does have a good reputation.
Socially you might have to work at developing connections more at Amherst than at Pitzer. I agree with @kaslew about the social attitudes at Pitzer and the interaction among the Claremont colleges. Pitzer offers the best of both worlds in that it is a small liberal arts college but set in what is effectively a larger campus of 5000 students. However, Amherst is not isolated to the 1900 students on campus. UMass (25,000 undergrads) is just across town. It’s close enough to bike too and there’s a shuttle which goes there & stops at Amherst College once an hour. Given that both are members of the Five College Consortium, you can join any of the clubs or intramural teams at UMass - or any of the other colleges in the consortium - and you can register for courses at UMass or any of the others. So, you might have to work at it, as I said earlier, but the opportunities for social connections are not restricted just to Amherst College itself.
You’ll be in a college town of almost 30,000 undergrads at 3 different colleges with a couple more nearby.
A word about the Amherst-Northampton area. There’s a lot going on here from the traditional to the offbeat to the outdoorsy. Loads of great restaurants, for example. It is also the second biggest booking venue in New England, so there’s lots and lots of live music with performance spots both large & small - from the tiny Parlor Room which is dedicated to introducing emerging new acts, to the historic Iron Horse, to the Palace Theater, seating 1600 - all of those and more just in Northampton. And there are more music options in Amherst as well.
One other note about Amherst College is that they did away with fraternities 40 years ago. So the social life is not organized around frat parties. The college now owns the old frat houses, and one of the percs is that seniors are eligible for single rooms in the frat houses. They say it’s because the Capstone Experience, a graduation requirement for each student, is so intense that students need the private space to be able to work on their projects uninterrupted.
I don’t think that you can go wrong with these 2 choices. For my money, I prefer Amherst because I think that it’s reputation and alumni network will open more doors, because it’s academics are superb, and because the Architectural Studies major is unique and will prepare you well for where you want to go. In addition, the social opportunities are there in many ways but you may have to seek them out. But it’s not my money; it’s yours. So, best of luck with your choice.
I’m kind of in agreement with @blossom. Neither of these apparently interdisciplinary majors are going to lead to anything but an entry-level job that is “adjacent” to what you’ve been studying. The odds are that in a few years, you’ll be looking for a masters degree in order to really advance in salary. I think it’s really going to come down to the social life question.
Everything I’ve seen and heard about the Amherst-Northampton area suggests that the University of Massachusetts is really the straw that stirs the drink in terms of parties, extra-curriculars and special events. As a non-recruited athlete at Amherst (the college), you’d be arriving at a NESCAC college that is already operating in a bit of a bubble and has the added burden of sharing the limelight with a state flagship university. Yes, it’s only a bicycle ride away, but in many ways it’s a world apart.
And I agree with @tsbna44 that Pitzer by itself is not setting the world on fire. But it has decent academics and is part of a consortium that doesn’t really care at which of its colleges you are enrolled. There’s one library for over 5000 students; multiple dining halls that will take your swipes and the surrounding town of Claremont is dull enough that the students operate under the same bubble-like atmosphere as Amherst but with more people.
My advice would be to look under the hood at both colleges and ask questions about their job placement records.
The Architectural Studies major at Amherst was established in 2012. Among other things, it is is designed to prepare students for a future in urban planning. See the link:
Amherst is the Harvard of the small liberal arts colleges. That’s the caliber of professors they have on their faculty. For me, that would be hard to walk away from unless there was some really compelling reason. I understand the possible social advantages at Pitzer - emphasis on possible. That will be there for 2-3 years. An Amherst degree is something you bring with you for life along with the alumni network in government and business. And it’s not like Amherst is some remote outpost. Most students go there and have rewarding and fulfilling social lives.
It might be worth contacting the Admissions Office at both schools and ask them to put you in touch with some students with whom you can talk and who can answer your questions. They will normally do that for accepted students. You can probably talk with faculty as well if you want to compare the benefits of the two programs.
You have two really great choices. You can’t really go wrong with either one. Neither one has real negatives. There are just differences.
I went yo UMASS Amherst for my masters in Urban Planning and believe they still have an agreement that students at surrounding colleges can take classes. This may open up the opportunity for you to take classes elsewhere too. Just an option as UMASS has planning, landscape architecture and architecture. I’m not sure if you know the area but Amherst is a safe and friendly town and Northampton Is near by. Lots of colleges in the area if you are looking for a college vibe. Also lots of outdoor things to do. Good luck on your decision. BTW if you have any questions about planning I’m happy to answer them.
In terms of social scenes, my vote has to go to Pitzer. Pitzer itself was founded in the 60s with an emphasis on social justice culture; in other words, it is very, very chill. Being a part of the Claremont Consortium where 5 undergrad institutions are not only directly adjacent to each other, but also have students cross-enroll and share resources on the daily makes the actual student body size on par with many larger universities.
Academically, Amherst is generally more prestigious than Pitzer. However, if you plan to work in urban planning, a masters program is likely a reasonable next step. Both place students very well in terms of grad programs.
My advice is to also think about where you want to build your network. If you plan to work in SoCal in the future, Pitzer is a great option, and you have the MURP program at UCLA as a next step if you wish. Amherst is near Boston, which also has jobs in urban planning, albeit less than LA.
Btw, Pitzer has a pretty cool environmental analysis program that you can also take classes in.
You need to take a deep dive into the proposed majors, cultures, support system for transfer students, etc. at both schools. None of us knows you well enough to say which is likely to be the better overall fit. That said, IMO based on academics/prestige alone, Amherst is the standout.
This post includes brief, subjective comments on Amherst in the context of comments on other liberal arts colleges: NESCAC Spoken Here: - #5 by merc81.
Yes, the Enviro Analysis program has a track (called Sustainability & the Built Environment) that is the 5C’s version of Architectural Studies. (Track info can be found here.) You might want to compare this program with Arch Studies at Amherst, and see what seems to fit you best. Pitzer is very focused on community engagement - for example, many Pitzer students in both the Org. Studies and EA majors participate in the CASA Pitzer program.
Two great options - congrats! - but very different vibes.
@Make_a_decision , unless your primary concern is East Coast name recognition, you may want to take these prestige oriented comments with a grain of salt, and really dig into which school is the best fit for you personally. While not as a well known as Amherst, Pitzer is a very good school with excellent students and with solid reputation, and students there have direct access to the professors, students of facilities of Pomona, Harvey-Mudd, Claremont McKenna, and Scripps. (While I find such comparisons are somewhat silly, I’ll stay with the theme and suggest that with the first three colleges listed one could say you would have direct access to the Stanford, MIT, and Penn of liberal arts colleges.)
Also, while many campuses boast of consortiums and access to the resources of other campuses, no bus is necessary at Pitzer. All the campuses are adjacent and easy walk/bike/scooter ride, all the dining halls are accessible, cross campus registration is easy, the sports teams are combined (into Pomona/Pitzer and CM/HM/S) and many of the social activities are combined as well. It is quite common for students to take a significant number of classes at other campuses and to work closely with professors from the other colleges. This may be particularly significant with your interdisciplinary interests.
Have you visited Pitzer? One of the unique aspects is that unlike many campuses it really feels like a somewhat coherent/planned space, with mid-century architecture, many LEED-certified sustainable buildings, sustainable vegetation, etc. Not everyone’s cup of tea because it isn’t greek revival or collegiate gothic, but IMO it refreshingly functional and subtly beautiful.
As for Amherst, I sure it is great as well. My failure to describe it or praise it is because (like others about Pitzer) I just don’t know that much about it.
I wonder if the prestige of Amherst could open doors for a higher paying job right out of college. Do you think this is possible or is it fully based on the degree I get?
If you don’t think so, then maybe social life should be my main priority in making this decision.
Thanks Bill! Because the major is designed for students interested in Urban Planning, does this mean that is possible for me to enter the field and receive a decent salary w/o grad school or is grad school mandatory? @Nen also feel free to jump in because you work in the field
They show 77% employed, 14% continuing education, and the rest split from seeking employment or volunteering. This is related to your major specifically.
This is the employers and types of jobs taken by, again,your major specifically (not the college):
Amherst graduates secure positions with a diverse range of notable employers.
Power Advocate, Inc.
Financial Technology Partners
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Bain & Company
Barclays Bank PLC
Boston Consulting Group
NetApp
Equiteq Inc.
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
Citi
Dumbarton Oaks
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
New York Legal Assistance Group
Rockwell Group
The Dedham Group
Architecture & Planning
Other
I banking and consulting were the two biggest fields.
Frankly, the major at Pitzer is interesting - but you don’t want to tell anyone you have that as a major - it’s just not a good major - and Amherst is renowned and no one has heard of Pitzer. Sorry.
Good luck.
PS - everyone here knows I’m not a fan of prestige but rather affordability - I always say, there’s only a few schools where the needle can be moved vs. another. Amherst is one of those few.
This question is best addressed to a faculty member or the department chair of Architectural Studies. They should have a good handle on the post graduate endeavors of their former students now that the program has a dozen years of graduates to track. The Admissions Office should be able to facilitate a connection for you. I’d start with a phone call to Admissions.
Most urban planning jobs require a master’s degree in the field. You can check the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) for its certification requirements. The good news is that UMass Amherst offers a Master’s in Regional Planning which is similar to a degree in urban planning and includes urban planning in its course work. Through the 5 College Consortium, you may be able to start taking some grad courses in this program as an undergrad and thereby shorten your time in grad school. UMass Boston has a Master’s specifically in Urban Planning. With proper academic advising to select the right courses, you may be able to transfer grad courses taken during your time in Amherst over to the Boston program.
I’ve got to make this decision by next week so feel free to respond ASAP.