Amherst vs Princeton

Colleges & Universities Amherst College
1

<p>Hello all!</p>

<p>I got admitted into the Amherst class of 2010. I love Amherst and I plan to enroll but I am also considering Princeton. Personally, I would prefer the feel of a small community that a Liberal Arts college like Amherst would offer. I also would like to major in biology or neuroscience and I heard that Amherst has a great neuroscience department. So, all in all, I think I would have a blast at Amherst.</p>

<p>But on the other hand, I am an international student and in my country Amherst is barely known but when someone mentions Princeton… Honestly, who turns down an offer from Princeton? I desperatly need advice. Does anyone have info on the state of the sciences at Princeton (considering that it is renowned for its economics faculty)?</p>

2

<p>Just go to Princeton. I mean, you’re picking from two of the best here. Can’t go wrong with either. But yes, it’s true what you said: who turns down an offer from Princeton!!! You should only go to Amherst if there’s something there that you really really really love, which would potentially play a big role in enhancing your happiness during college.</p>

3

<p>it depends on which type of school you like better. Would you like to be in a larger school where in your first year, you will have all big lectures of 100+, or in a smaller school where you will get to know your professors well and have more discussion-based classes. If prestige is that important to you, then choose princeton. If you prefer the latter, choose amherst.</p>

4

<p>a nice propaganda effort on amherst’s behalf, but i’m afraid the facts don’t support your characterizations.</p>

<p>1) student/faculty ratio:</p>

<p>princeton 5/1, amherst 8/1</p>

<p>2) % of classes under 20:</p>

<p>princeton 74%, amherst 71%</p>

<p>3) % of classes with 50 or more:</p>

<p>amherst 4%, princeton 11%</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/libartco/tier1/t1libartco_brief.php[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/libartco/tier1/t1libartco_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>And just how many of those Princeton classes are taught partially or primarily by graduate students (or “Assistants in Instruction”)? At Amherst, the percentage is zero; at Princeton, the percentage is obviously a bit higher. The Princeton [AI</a> Handbook](<a href=“http://web.princeton.edu/sites/mcgraw/AI_Handbook.pdf]AI”>http://web.princeton.edu/sites/mcgraw/AI_Handbook.pdf) puts it like this:</p>

<p>

That last sentence says it all. At a LAC like Amherst, introductory-level undergraduate teaching is still considered an important and major task for the faculty. At Ivies like Princeton, it no longer is.</p>

6

<p>agreed Corbett, the lack of TA’s makes a difference. And thanks to F. Scottie for proving my point

These are the classes that many students will take during their first and second year, so why not have them smaller and taught by professors both in the lecture and in discussion groups. Student/faculty ratio is somewhat misleading because at a university (such as Princeton) faculty are doing research and only teaching 1-2 classes, where at a LAC, professors are much more focused on teaching. F. Scottie, I am not attacking Princeton, merely comparing it to LAC’s, and why one might prefer a small LAC over a university. Princeton is a great school, though.</p>

7

<p>To the OP, Princeton actually has an amazing Molecular Biology department, and I believe its also possible to get a certificate in Neuroscience with a lot of overlapping classes from a Mol Bio major. As for LACs, I know that Amherst’s science is very strong, but I do not think it is at the top. I am also interested in science, and one of the things I loved about Princeton was that it was a great combination of LAC and Research University. It has the intimate and focused feel of a small college but there is a lot of cutting edge research going on as well involving some of the greatest scientists in the world that are a part of its faculty.</p>

8

<p>F. scottie, I was not trying to imply that Amherst was better than P’ton or anything like that. I was simply calling things as I saw them. But thanks for your input.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your replies. </p>

<p>I was also wondering how prominent the frat scene was at P’ton. I’m not a heavy partier.</p>

9

<p>Well, does it really matter anymore? It’s May 4th.</p>