<ol>
<li>I want to major in English. Any advice/insight into what the department and classes are really like?</li>
<li>Do you know anyone living off campus? Would I be a complete social pariah if I commuted from my own apartment? How much does the school try and stop you from leaving (I’ve heard there’s a list you can put yourself on if you want to live off campus)?</li>
<li>How far, physically and in spirit, is Amherst from UMASS?
Thanks!</li>
</ol>
<p>@pkmg and @janelle: There is a strong international community at Amherst, so you definitely do have a chance. I am not sure if many international students apply ED (perhaps not, because of a stronger need to compare aid packages), but just because legacies and athletes make up a huge percentage of the ED pool does not mean ED is off the table for internationals.</p>
<p>@brm114341: I actually lived off campus one year and absolutely loved it. If you decide to go this route and do not have a car, I’d recommend looking into apartments within walking distance. I don’t think there’s a waiting list to live off-campus, but you do need to discuss with a dean and get approval. Something like 40-60 seniors are actually living off-campus next year in College-approved apartments, for purposes of alleviate housing pressures created by the construction of the new science center -decision to live in Alpine Commons is completely the students’, by the way- so although it’s usually an incredibly small number of students who choose to live off-campus, there will be more people living off-campus for a while.</p>
<p>Amherst and UMass are 10 minutes away from each other in bus. In spirit, they’re quite different, in all the ways that you would expect a large university to be different from a small college. There are lots of great posts on the general differences on CC, which should be good reading for any HS student considering both big and small schools. Stereotypes for each of the 5 Colleges exist and are prevalent, but the obvious truth is that they also aren’t completely backed by reality: Not every Hampshire student smokes pot and not every Amherst student owns JCrew. People come from very different backgrounds, which are inevitably reflected in their mannerisms, dress, etc., but the hope is that you’ll free to be who you are, wherever you go to school, and sometimes I think that is determined by you as much as it determined by your environment.</p>
<ol>
<li>I want to major in English. Any advice/insight into what the department and classes are really like?</li>
</ol>
<p>I am also going to major in English! Every English major I know is pretty happy. I’ve only taken Having Arguments in the department, but it’s fantastic. I learned so much, and it’s beneficial for all classes. I thoroughly enjoyed the one creative writing assignment I’ve had. I know there’s a class where you have to write a story from the view of an unreliable narrator. There’s also crafting the novella, and many people also choose to write theses, which have been published.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do you know anyone living off campus? Would I be a complete social pariah if I commuted from my own apartment? How much does the school try and stop you from leaving (I’ve heard there’s a list you can put yourself on if you want to live off campus)?
The only people I knew that lived off campus did seem detached from the lifestyle. However, I know a UMass student who knew more about Amherst than some students. You will have to work harder. And most people can usually live off campus if they want to. Just apply early. I haven’t heard of anyone not being able to. I’d recommend staying on campus, though. It’s just so convenient and you have the rest of your life to live in an apartment. Plus the dorms are pretty nice.</p></li>
<li><p>How far, physically and in spirit, is Amherst from UMASS?
UMass can be walked to in 10-20 minutes from Amherst, though it seems farther because of hills and the fact that people just don’t tend to walk very long distances on such a small campus. In spirit, they’re very different worlds, but there’s much to gain from experiencing both.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hi Keilinger,
Thank you so much for the invaluable information.</p>
<p>I am an non-traditional (out of HS for several years) and international student. So I was wondering how’s the campus life for non-traditional students? Do they integrate well with traditional students on campus? From your previous post, you stated that most of the students are under 21, so do you know anyone who is older than 25 or so? And how would you describe their life in Amherst?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!!!</p>
<p>I am now a high school senior (Yay!) who is very interested in Amherst and is planning on applying through Questbridge. I’m wondering what any of you Amherst students (or anyone else) can tell me about the Pre-med program at Amhert, specifically are the students really competetive, collaborative, or somewhere in the middle? I’m also wondering about the Biology department, obviously Amherst as a school is great, but how is the Biology department on its own?
Thanks and have a blessed day!</p>
<p>@Regalita, I’m an incoming student, and from what i’ve gather Amherst does pretty good for pre-med. Apparently, it has a high acceptance rate into Med school, i’ve heard estimates as high as 97%. I like to think of Amherst as a feeder school for top grad schools.</p>
<p>@eduard97, What I’m really wondering is what the culture is like at Amherst for pre-med students. I have a friend at an Ivy League school who ended up changing from pre-med because “pre-med there was hell” because of the “ruthless stress culture of the premed classes.” Obviously, I know success at anything in Amherst takes hardwork; but, do students really compete with each other and try to make things harder for their classmates? Do they collaborate and try to help each other? Or is it somewhere in between? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello! I’m wondering if you have any advice for the Amherst supplement. I’m going to respond to a quote… Is there anything I should make sure I accomplish in my essay? Thank you!</p>
<p>Within the department of art and art history, can you major in just studio art? According to the site there’s a concentration within the department called “The Practice of Art: Studio Concentration”, but when I visited it sounded like you could just major in Art/Art History.</p>
<p>Hi guys, I am interested in applying to Amherst and I just wanted to know what the atmosphere at the college is like? I’ve heard a bunch of times that the student body at the school is very ‘preppy’… does this mean people are less willing to mix with others of different racial/economic backgrounds? I’m an international student (who is also applying for financial aid) so this is extremely important for me to consider when applying to unis. Thanks! :)</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about applying ED to Amherst for a long while now. It’s a great school with great students, but I’m really concerned with the misogyny and “rape culture” on campus that’s come up so much in the past year. How would you say women are treated on campus? Would I (as a woman) have any reason to feel unsafe at Amherst, compared to other colleges?</p>
<p>@sashimi555 That stereotypical view of Amherst dates back to the 70’s, when the college was only male and really preppy. As a new student here, I can confidently say that that stereotype has dissuaded, and there is an incredible amount of diversity here, with 45% of new students identifying themselves as other than “white”. Also, I believe that the college has been active in attracting students from lower income backgrounds, since they believe in the concept of “social mobility”, which I vehemently support. I believe people here are really friendly (at least until now), although there tends to be certain cliques with sports teams. Yet, everyone is invited to go to sports team parties, which is really nice.</p>
<p>Do Amherst students attend UMass sporting events (football, hockey, etc.) often? And parties? It seems like having UMass next door would be a real asset: access to state-school social events while still having a tier 1 liberal arts education. I get the vibe that there isn’t much interaction though.</p>
<p>@Jazzed Since I’ve been here, it seems that typically students tend to stay on or very close to campus. More often kids from the five college area come to attend Amherst parties than Amherst kids attend five college ones. That isnt to say you aren’t able to go off and visit the other colleges/universities. The opportunities are endless</p>
<p>@Oceanaid I would have every reason to believe that you would be as safe here as any other college, if not more. The college is going to great measures to protect its students. Of course, not one institution has got it right yet, but the struggles are cultural and world issues that naturally find themselves in the college environment. There is very open dialogue between students about appropriate sexual interaction. But do go with your gut, if you love the school do consider it, but if you don’t feel safe, you really don’t want to have to live in fear for four years.</p>
<p>@elizabh Just be yourself. The community here is really open to all life choices, experiences, and backgrounds and prides itself in its diversity (not just racial). Don’t try to shape your essay into what you think the school will want, just write from the heart and the school will choose you if the match is right :)</p>
<p>@Regalita Everyone here worked very hard in high school and competed to earn themselves a spot at this college. In my experience I would say that once here, everyone tends to be more supportive than not in academics, and collaboration and discussion is a large part of the curriculum. Many of the classes are arranged so that the professor works with his students to pull the information out of the class rather than just lecture to them. This sort of collaborative learning persists in the community</p>
<p>I am a junior and would like to ask several questions about classes and the students at Amherst.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do classes mostly consist of lectures or discussion? Are they intellecutually challenging? </li>
<li>Is it hard to stay awake during classes or are they exciting?</li>
<li>Do most students actively participate in discussions? Or do most of them just sit back and hardly pay attention?</li>
<li>How are the students you’ve encountered so far? Are they stuck-up? Narrow-minded? Aloof? Do they seem to actually care about learning?</li>
</ol>
<p>I apologize for asking too many questions; I am very interested in Amherst and would like to know more about its learning environment from current students.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. :)</p>
<p>How good are sciences,especially Chemistry at Amherst when compared to other LACs?</p>
<p>Sorry to bother, and I apologize if the question has been asked already, but does Amherst also provide a strong English program? I’m aware that it is renowned for its specialty in the sciences, however; I’ve had countless people inform me that it has just as strong of a writing program due to its rigorous and intensive courses. I plan to major somewhere along the lines of Creative Writing and Rhetoric & Composition, so if my academics prove respectable enough, would Amherst be a good college to apply for?</p>