Amherst, drinking, and sub-free dorms

sarazlig
Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:32:04 +0000

Hey guys! I got into Amherst and am really interested in it; it seems like a really mellow but rigorous school with lots of friendly people. But I do have a question about (as the subject says) drinking and sub-free dorms at Amherst.

So here’s the deal. I don’t really have a problem with drinking, per se. It doesn’t really interest me recreationally, but conceivably it might someday, I suppose. But I don’t want to have people vomiting all over my dorm or stumbling around drunk in the hallways at all hours of the night or anything like that. (Does that happen at Amherst or am I being melodramatic?)

So… this seems to suggest that a sub-free dorm would be the place for me, yeah? But I also worry about sub-free dorms for a couple reasons.

First of all, I kind of worry that everyone in sub-free is, well, the same. I also worry that everyone in sub-free is really introverted and stereotypically “nerdy” or whatever (although I am a self-proclaimed nerd, so maybe that is not a negative thing!) Is this the case at Amherst? I am pretty sure that this isn’t true, but I just wanted to check.

The other thing is, is there a big stigma against sub-free people on campus? Do people from sub-free hang out with other people, too, or is there like a big sub-free clique with an iron wall around it?

And then, just, generally, how pervasive IS drinking at Amherst? Are the rumors true or is it pretty much as common as it is at other schools?

Thanks so much for reading all this! I really don’t mean to sound paranoid or snooty or anything like that. And thanks in advance for the responses :)