Within the culturally rich and naturally gorgeous Pioneer Valley of western
Massachusetts sits the peaceful 1,000-acre campus of Amherst College. Stroll around on the
grassy quads, peek inside the impressive yet mismatched buildings, and talk to the students in
their purple Amherst gear on their way to and from their classes and club meetings, play
rehearsals, and sports scrimmages. You’ll start to sense why, ever since its founding in 1821, distinguished faculty and talented undergrads have flocked to “the College on the Hill,” helping it
develop its current reputation as one of the country’s best liberal arts institutions.
Only recently, though, has Amherst articulated its ideals into an official Mission
Statement:
Amherst College educates men and women of exceptional potential from
all backgrounds so that they may seek, value, and advance knowledge, engage
the world around them, and lead principled lives of consequence.
Amherst brings together the most promising students, whatever their financial
need, in order to promote diversity of experience and ideas within a purposefully
small residential community. Working with faculty, staff, and
administrators dedicated to intellectual freedom and the highest standards of
instruction in the liberal arts, Amherst undergraduates assume substantial
responsibility for undertaking inquiry and for shaping their education within
and beyond the curriculum.
Amherst College is committed to learning through close colloquy and to
expanding the realm of knowledge through scholarly research and artistic
creation at the highest level. Its graduates link learning with leadership—in
service to the college, to their communities, and to the world beyond.
True to this mission, Amherst values rigorous critical thinking, deep discussion, close relationships,
and service to the greater good.
The name “Amherst” (with a silent h, please) may still conjure, in some people’s
minds, images of a snobbish haven for wealthy white men. However, this conception was
never completely accurate (the college was founded explicitly for “the education of indigent
young men of piety and talents”), and it certainly no longer applies: Led by President
Anthony W. Marx, Amherst has made a concerted—and already very successful—effort to
be more visible and accessible to promising students from lower-income families and communities
and from developing countries. Today’s Amherst students are women and men of
all colors and cultures (as reflected in the opening of a new Multicultural Resource
Center). They come from nearly every U.S. state and dozens of other nations; from innercity
public schools as well as private prep schools and home-schooled backgrounds.
All these diverse young people come together to hone and use their talents in a community
based on a love of all kinds of learning: literary, artistic, historical, scientific, philosophical,
and practical. Yes, they learn a lot from small classes with their accomplished
professors and from the renowned speakers and performers who visit the college each
semester. But as they live together in cultural theme houses, eat together in Valentine
Dining Hall, compete together on Pratt Field, and sing together in a cappella groups,
Amherst students learn just as much from one another.
There’s talk of “the Amherst Bubble”—the students’ feeling of privilege and shelter
from “the real world” as they pursue their own interests and ideals, surrounded by the best
and brightest at a school that, frankly, has more resources than most. But the college has
been working harder and harder to bring the real world into the Bubble, and Amherst out
into the real world, through a new Center for Community Engagement, free concerts, and
museum exhibits that attract the public from miles around—even a class conducted in a
local prison. And, over four years, Amherst prepares young adults to venture into the wider
world with the confidence that they belong to a special community within it; with greater
understanding of its complexities, problems, and possibilities; and with the right habits of
mind to navigate and take the lead in improving it.
Of course, life in the Bubble isn’t perfect—some students struggle academically or
emotionally, and all have complaints from time to time. But there are always people and
places to turn to for help (Resident Counselors, the Counseling Center, the Dean of
Students’ Office, the Campus Police, the Keefe Health Center), as well as ways to speak up
and take action (forming a new student group, arranging a meeting with faculty or staff,
writing to the school newspaper, talking to a Peer Advocate). Amherst students have a
remarkable amount of freedom to chart their own courses, to decide how much to put into
their time here and what exactly they want to get out of it.
And most will agree that they get a lot from Amherst. Of those who come in as first-year
students, ninety-seven percent remain to graduate. Many graduates stay to work here,
and some even come back as professors. Each year, more than sixty percent of alumni
donate to their college, and hundreds return to campus for Homecoming and Reunion.
Younger siblings often follow their big brothers and sisters here—and sons and daughters
follow their parents—having seen how much they love Amherst. But not until they get here
can they know all the many, many reasons why.
Amherst College is not perfect, and it’s not the right school for everyone. But if you’re
looking for a rigorous liberal arts education in a beautiful and lively region of the country; if you
are comfortable in a tight-knit community where everyone is a friend or a friend-of-a-friend; if
you want to work closely with accomplished professors and live, learn, and play with a wide
variety of talented young scholars; if you believe in learning inside and outside of the classroom;
if you are willing to challenge yourself and open your mind to new viewpoints and opportunities,
then you can’t do much better than Amherst. There are so many reasons why it earns the
loyalty of the vast majority of its students and alumni, and why we are so proud of its history
and traditions.
And yet, Amherst is an institution that keeps striving to make itself even better. Since I
arrived as a first-year student, and even since I’ve graduated, I’ve seen Amherst make improvements
in all areas, from its wheelchair accessibility, to its environmental friendliness, to its
Web site, to its financial aid. Professors keep creating new courses and breaking new ground in
their research, and students keep forming new organizations and heading down new paths of
inquiry.
This is what Amherst expects from its students and graduates: life-long discovery, expansion,
and improvement, not just within our own intellects, but out into all aspects of the
broader society. As our motto goes, “Terras Irradient—Let them bring light to the world.”
Amherst College
Academics
Academics at Amherst are a challenge. Each class requires hours of reading, writing,
problem-solving, and conversation—and discussions often spill over from the classroom into
the professors’ offices, dining hall, and dorms. Every student will, at some point, have to question
some preconceived notions, pull some all-nighters in Frost Library or a Merrill Science
Center lab, and turn to someone for help. This can be jarring for anyone accustomed to breezing
through high school classes and always being the smartest kid in the room.
But don’t worry—the atmosphere at Amherst is one of more collaboration than competition.
Once students surmount the major hurdle of being admitted, there is no cutthroat
scramble to the top of the class. It’s actually difficult to fail out of Amherst, especially with help
available from Academic Peer Mentors, The Writing Center, and the Moss Quantitative Center.
And though the course load might sometimes feel like it’s weighing you down, it also
includes a lot of freedom and choice. Rarely at Amherst does a student have to take a class that
he or she does not find interesting and worthwhile. And just in case, there’s a two-week
Add/Drop period at the start of each semester, so students can shop around for the right
courses before committing.
Professors and the Advisor System
Amherst prides itself on the close relationships that students are able to form with faculty.
The average class size is only seventeen students. Every professor holds regular
office hours so that students may come in to get clarification on ideas and assignments.
Many professors hire student research assistants. A program called TYPO (Take Your
Professor Out) even lets students invite favorite professors to dinner at local restaurants.
Some students suggest choosing courses based not on their topics, but on their teachers.
Each incoming student is assigned a faculty advisor—a particular professor who helps
him or her choose each semester’s course load based on interests, goals, and the ideal of a wellrounded
liberal arts education. Once a student declares a major, he or she gets an advisor in
that department. A student who chooses to do a senior honors project gets at least one special
thesis advisor whose area of expertise most closely reflects the topic of the project.
Courses
To graduate from Amherst, a student must complete four courses per semester over eight
semesters—thirty-two courses in all. Unlike most colleges, Amherst has no core curriculum.
Other than the courses necessary for one’s major, the only required course is a First-Year
Seminar, and there are dozens of these to choose from.
Majors
Students may major in any of thirty-two different subjects or design an interdisciplinary
major. (Amherst has a pre-law advisor and a health professions advisor to give guidance
on fulfilling the requirements for admission to law school or medical school. However, Pre-
Law and Pre-Med are not considered majors in and of themselves; the school requires an official
departmental major in addition.) Many choose to double-major in combinations of any
two subjects, and a few ambitious souls each year complete triple majors. Year after year, the
most popular majors (in varying order) are economics, English, psychology, and political science,
and the newest major available is environmental studies, a program that spans many
departments. Depending on the department, a major will involve anywhere from eight to fourteen
required courses and perhaps a comprehensive final exam or a senior project. It’s not
only allowed but common for a student to change majors once or twice over four years.
Interterm
Interterm is Amherst’s name for the three-week period in January, between the fall and
spring semesters. Students may stay home for Interterm, or they may return to campus
to take noncredit courses or do
research. Some also do urban
education “Winternships” or
other volunteer work. And every
Interterm includes at least one
colloquium in the new Amherst
College Colloquium Series, in
which well-known experts are
invited to teach classes and
debate divergent viewpoints on
important and controversial topics.
Past colloquium guests (for
Interterm and during the spring
and fall semesters) have included
columnists David Brooks and E. J.
Dionne, General Wesley Clark,
and former New Jersey Governor
Christine Todd Whitman.
Senior Honors
Roughly half of all Amherst students take on ambitious thesis projects—usually
research papers; reports on lab experiments; or original works of art, literature, music,
or drama—to serve as capstones for their college careers and earn them Latin honors. Any
student who completes a thesis of acceptable quality may graduate cum laude; thesis writers
whose GPAs are in the top twenty-five percent of the class might graduate magna or
summa cum laude. All whose grades are in the top quarter, with or without a thesis, get
English honors—they graduate “With Distinction.” Amherst also has chapters of the
national honors societies Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.
The Five College Consortium
Because Amherst works in partnership with the nearby University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College, an Amherst
education includes the advantages of five very different schools in one. Amherst students can
go to any of the other four campuses to take courses for credit; complete certificate programs in, for example, logic or international relations; audition for performances; attend parties,
sporting events, and concerts; and hang out with friends. Just hop on the free bus!
Study Abroad
Though Amherst does not sponsor a study abroad program of its own, more than forty
percent of students spend one or two semesters—usually in the junior year—living
and studying in a foreign land. In recent years, students have ventured to the United
Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Uruguay, Ghana, South Africa, China,
Japan, New Zealand, and more. Studying abroad can help fulfill the requirements for foreign
language majors. Certain research assistantships, volunteer programs, and extracurricular
groups provide chances to travel overseas as well.
Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Amherst College.
Recently, Amherst received 6,142 applications for roughly 433 spots, making it one of the
most competitive liberal arts colleges in America. While academic achievement is the most
important factor for admission, it is not the only one. Nor is there any set formula—Amherst
staffers do not sit around plugging your test scores, extracurriculars, or class rank into a computer to determine a winning applicant. Instead, they read through each application looking at
the whole profile.
Of course there are some general requirements: the SAT and SAT Subject tests or
the ACT. There are also some recommendations: four years of English, math through
precalculus, three or four years of a foreign language, two years of history and social
science, at least two years of natural science (including a laboratory science).
Amherst staffers read each application contextually. Realizing that students bring to the
table different backgrounds and experiences, and that each student has been presented with
various opportunities that others haven’t, Amherst admissions officers look at how students
made use of where they were and what they were offered. Amherst seeks multifaceted students
who will not only give their intellects, energies, and talents to the school, but who will also gain
the most from the Amherst education and experience. Many of those who work in the
Admissions Office are Amherst grads themselves; they know what being an Amherst student is
like, and thus know what kind of applicant is best suited for the school.
Admissions staffers warn that when filling out your application, elaborate strategizing is
a waste of time. Instead, they say, spend the time figuring out if Amherst is the best school for
you. If the answer is yes, then use your application to express your many dimensions as a student and as a person.
Financial Aid
Insufficient family income will never be an impediment to a qualified student arriving
and thriving at Amherst. Even in these tough economic times, the college stands by its needblind
admissions policy. In fact, it has recently expanded the policy: Amherst is now one of very
few schools to be need-blind for international students as well as Americans. The college has
also replaced all loans with scholarships in its financial aid packages, so that no student need
ever graduate with debt. If a student is on financial aid at Amherst, that aid also applies to
studying abroad as well.
More than half of Amherst students take parttime
jobs on campus, whether or not work-study is part
of their financial aid packages. Jobs are available in
Valentine Dining Hall, in Frost Library, in Keefe
Campus Center, with the Physical Plant, and elsewhere.
Many students spend at least one summer
working on campus, in an office internship or a
research fellowship. The Center for Community
Engagement also offers Fellowships for Action, to support
students who wish to spend the summer doing
community outreach work, domestically or abroad.
Among classes, exams, and lectures, there is always something to do at Amherst. The
campus boasts more than 100 student organizations. The roster of entertainers invited to
campus in the past few years includes The Upright Citizens Brigade, comedian Margaret
Cho, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Harlem Gospel Choir, The Amazing Whirling Dervishes,
and rapper/actor/poet Mos Def. Every weekend,
a student group called FLICS screens a
different film free in Keefe Campus Center.
Frost Library hosts a weekly Community
Tea, Valentine Dining Hall periodically puts
on a festive Luau, and every year, there’s a
Casino night to raise money for local charities. Of course, students throw various kinds
of parties every weekend. And Amherst officially
abolished fraternities and sororities
several decades ago, but you’ll still find a
few unofficial ones if you look hard enough.
It’s worth noting, though, that many of
the most fun moments at Amherst happen
not at the big special events, but in the
course of day-to-day life. As the only dining
hall on campus, Valentine is a hub for socializing;
it’s impossible to pass through without
seeing someone you know, and quite possible
to linger there for hours, eating and talking.
Students make memories walking into town
for coffee, playing video games in friends’
dorm rooms, and sitting out in the halls
before class.
There’s plenty of fun and enrichment off-campus, too. The New York Times has called
The Pioneer Valley “arguably the most author-saturated, book-cherishing, literature-celebrating
place in the nation.” Community theater, amateur and professional music, and social dancing
all thrive in the area.
And with sunny summers, famously brilliant autumn foliage, white winters, and lush
spring grass, there are opportunities for all kinds of outdoor activities. (You haven’t lived until
you’ve sledded down Memorial Hill on a mattress or a dining hall tray!)
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Amherst College?
Amherst is an NCAA Division III
school and a charter member of the
New England Small College Athletic
Conference (NESCAC), with thirteen
varsity sports teams for women and
fourteen for men. The Lord Jeffs of
men’s basketball and women’s ice
hockey have recently had especially
impressive seasons, while the men’s
football team carries on its legendary
rivalry with Williams College. There
are also six intramural sports for
women and six for men, including
rugby and Ultimate Frisbee. About
one-third of the student body are varsity athletes, and as many as eighty percent play on the
intramural teams.
Amherst’s athletic facilities include Pratt Pool, Orr Rink, indoor and outdoor tracks,
thirty-three tennis courts, baseball and softball diamonds, and a nine-hole golf course. More
casual fitness buffs can simply work out in the Wolff Fitness Center, go for a walk in the bird
sanctuary, or take any of several free, noncredit physical education classes.
Alumni
Throughout their college years, Amherst students
can make use of the Career Center to begin
networking and exploring job options. They can
consult the Fellowship Office to find funding for further
education. But the most useful tools they’ll
graduate with are sharp, active minds, knowledge of
their own strengths and passions, and deep, durable
relationships.
In the years right after Commencement, many young Amherst alumni go on to graduate
or professional schools. Some go to work for nonprofits, while others join the worlds of
business or finance. Several each year might win prestigious national fellowships, such as
the Watson, the Marshall, and the Rhodes. Quite a few stick around the college for a year
or two as staff members.
As former students return to Amherst for their Fifth, Tenth, Twenty-Fifth, and Fiftieth
Reunions, they may well find that they and their classmates have been elected to public office,
started businesses, published books, and won prestigious awards—or else lived quieter lives as
thoughtful, well-informed workers and citizens. As the college’s 20,000 active alumni make
clear, an Amherst education can form the foundation of myriad careers and life paths.
I’m surprised and pleased to find that much of what I consider to be “my
Amherst education” has actually happened since I’ve graduated. I’ve kept in
touch with a community of students and young alums online, and we still have
the kinds of thoughtful, challenging (and often silly) discussions we had in the
classrooms and dorms. I’ve watched my friends begin careers as teachers, preachers,
lawyers, researchers, computer technicians, librarians, actors, and writers.
I’ve met up with these friends again at Homecomings and Reunions. I’ve even
returned to work at the college for several years. And throughout, I find that my
world awareness, critical thinking abilities, and professional skills continue to
expand, as does my web of connections to this amazing educational community.
Amherst is still teaching me. At this school, getting one’s B.A. might seem like
the end, but it’s just the beginning.
Prominent Grads
Henry Ward Beecher, 1834, preacher
and abolitionist
Joseph Hardy Neesima, 1870, first
Japanese graduate of a Western
college and founder of Doshisha
University
Melvil Dewey, 1874, inventor of the
Dewey Decimal System
Calvin Coolidge, 1895, thirtieth
President of the United States
Charles Drew, 1926, surgeon and
inventor of blood banking
Richard Wilbur, 1942, U.S. Poet
Laureate and winner of two Pulitzer
Prizes
Joseph Stiglitz, 1964, Nobel Prizewinning
economist
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camper04 ((at)) localnet dot com
Im looking for info on a Donald McGeorge who i beleive was a graduate in the class of 1938.Hi bio if able.Thanks