Amherst College

Amherst College Introduction

The Freshman Quad at Amherst, flanked by plain-faced brick dorms and the clock tower of Johnson Chapel, is the hub of this small college located in the Pioneer Valley. Whether those on its shady lawn are reading, playing Frisbee, strumming guitars, throwing snowballs, walking to class, or trudging from the gym to the dining hall, Amherst students appear to be experiencing the quintessential New England liberal arts education. However, to get a fuller picture of life at “The Fairest College,” all visitors have to do is turn to see the churchless Stearns Steeple, the yellow Campus Center, the tile-green string course of the computer center or the view of the Holyoke Range from Memorial Hill and they’ll see that Amherst provides the excellent education it is known for—and then some. An Amherst education is founded on the ideals of a liberal arts curriculum and is layered in diversity of thought, expression, and character.

Amherst has a reputation as one of the country’s best colleges academically. But academics alone are not what makes so many people apply or why students who are there like it so much or why alumni still come back every year for Homecoming. It’s the balance of academics and the social aspects; it’s the people you meet and the conversations you have.

Amherst provides its students with a solid education in all disciplines, but its strength and energy come from its liberal arts philosophy—an Amherst student learns how to listen, think, analyze, and question. An Amherst student learns not only how to formulate ideas, but how to express and defend them. An Amherst education does not end in the classroom; students learn as much from the background and diversity of their classmates as they do from their top-notch professors.

Amherst, with an enrollment of about 1,600, is a small school. Students, faculty, and staff get to know each other well in many different arenas and in many different capacities, making the school not just an academic institution, but a community. You’d have to look far and wide to find a school that would match Amherst’s academic record, commitment to a liberal arts philosophy, and diversity of students and faculty. It’d be difficult to find a group of more enthusiastic and intellectually curious students, more caring and supportive faculty and administration, and more loyal and generous alumni.

Amherst admission officers do not look for perfect students; instead, they look for those who will gain the most from an Amherst education while at the same time contributing to the experiences of others. Amherst students learn from this diversity of thought and background just as they learn from their challenging classes. They learn from the shared experience of first-year anxieties, from the conversation at the lunch table or during a professor’s office hours, from a tough loss on the playing field or from an exhilarating victory. They learn from the common experience of getting a paper back loaded with criticism, or spending the wee hours of the morning in the computer center, or even spending all night at a party. They learn from discussions with graduates, lectures from experts and authorities, talks with the building and grounds crew.

And while all this learning is going on, Amherst students are having fun, taking each opportunity that comes along. Amherst students know when and how to work hard, but they also know when and how to take the time to play.

When Amherst students graduate, they do not graduate as perfect people. They may be better versed in many different disciplines; they may have discovered a passion for art, or a love of economics; they may have questioned and challenged and reenforced their beliefs; they may have found their voices. What they have learned at Amherst will be used every day—how to communicate, to think, to question. They will be able to contribute their Amherst-honed talents while knowing how to experience all the world has to offer.

Amherst, with an enrollment of approximately 1,600, is small. Everyone, eventually, knows everyone else. This familiarity truly makes Amherst not just an academic institution, but a community. Not only do students form close friendships with each other, but professors, coaches, administrators, and staff take an active interest in students. It is not unusual to see someone from the Dean’s Office rooting on the sideline of a field hockey game. It is not uncom- mon to hear a cafeteria employee inquire about a student’s latest all-nighter. It is not strange for a student to drop into the Office of the Dean of Students to chat or to have dinner at a pro- fessor’s house. Amherst students don’t just attend class and head straight for the library; they live, work, and play at Amherst, and it quickly becomes their second home.

Amherst is not perfect. Occasionally, an Amherst student, like anyone else anywhere else, will have a bad day (or two). The college has both formal and informal support systems. The Dean of Students Office, the Counseling Center, peer and disciplinary advocates, and the resident counselors, coaches, professors, and friends form a network to help students in many different ways at many different levels.

Amherst students are aware of the college’s imperfections, but the difference between Amherst and other academic institutions is that Amherst students do not just sit and grumble—Amherst students take action and Amherst administrators listen. The college paper sometimes seems entirely made of Op-Ed letters. Students often meet with Dean of Students Ben Lieber or other administrators including President Anthony W. Marx, and represent student opinion on committees. In the past few years student concerns about issues of academic and personal responsibility led to the formation of an honor code. As in many other instances, these changes and actions were rooted in student opinion and executed by their peers. Amherst is a community, and its students recognize their responsibility toward making it their own.

You first realize it when you go home for vacation that first time. You begin thinking about Amherst differently—it’s not just your school, it’s your space, it’s where you are starting to build your own life. When you first catch a glimpse of the campus on your way back from break, you feel in some way as if you are returning home.

The Amherst experience is different for every individual and every class, but in each case it is a solid education, made rich by its emphasis on thought and expression and made deep by the people who are the “College on the Hill.”

Amherst College Academics

Amherst has no core curriculum, giving students the freedom to construct their own course of study. Although there are requirements in each major, the only general required course is the First-Year Seminar, an interdisciplinary course taken by all freshmen in their first semester. The lack of a core follows in the true liberal arts philosophy of the school. Students can take classes in a wide range of disciplines: an art history major can take a physics class, a premedical student can major in English, a psychology major can double in music. So while the bulk of a student’s studies may be in one subject, he or she has the luxury of being able to dabble in another discipline, often stumbling across a passion for art, science, philosophy, or language that might have been otherwise undiscovered.

Even as a psychology and economics double major, I was able to take a vari- ety of classes, from The Social Organization of Law to Autobiographies of Women to The Catastrophe of Cancer and AIDS. It was the lack of core classes that allowed me to experience the true meaning of a liberal arts education.

Amherst students work hard. Classes are demanding. Students spend long hours in the libraries and at their computers. Amherst students are always writing—in every discipline. Yet, for the most part, students are engaged in their work. While not every class and every profes- sor is well loved by every student, there are many that are. Class discussions are not restricted to the classroom, but are carried back to the dorms and dining hall.

Don’t get me wrong, I learned a tremendous amount from my classes and my professors, but it was the conversations in the hallways or dorms or around a Valentine lunch table that taught me how to really listen and how to be confident in speaking my own mind.

While Amherst is an extremely competitive environment, it is not cutthroat. Though it varies from department to department, students often work in study groups and are usually willing to help each other. The first few weeks can be intimidating to the freshman who, used to being at the top of the class in high school, realizes that he or she is now with the 400 other top students, but after a while Amherst’s collaborative atmosphere dispels these worries.

Professors

Professors, for the most part, are not out to get you. They have office hours and expect students to make use of them whether they are having trouble with the class or not. Most classes are small enough so that professors get to know each student personally. The class size very often makes it impossible to hide; students are expected to participate in class discussion.

It’s very hard to fail out of Amherst—professors want you to do well and are willing to help point you in the right direction. They expect you to work hard, but they also expect you to speak up when you don’t understand something.

Surrounding Colleges

If after a while, the classes at Amherst don’t hold that same thrill, or if you’re looking for a change of scene, make use of the surrounding four colleges: Smith’s art department, museum, and library draw Amherst students to its Northampton campus. The other all- women’s school in the valley, Mount Holyoke, also offers various classes not offered at Amherst. Looking for an experience in alternative education? Try taking a class at Hampshire College down the road. Or maybe you’d like to see what a large university has to offer; if so, take a class at UMass. Still looking for something new and different? Almost half the junior class spends a semester or two abroad or takes advantage of the Twelve-College exchange program.

Amherst veterans advise making use of office hours, the Writing Center and the Quantitative Skills Center. And don’t be afraid to use the add/drop period at the start of each semester—there’s no sense wasting a class on a blah professor or boring subject when Amherst has so many other incredible ones.

The Amherst academic program is a rigorous but rewarding one. At its cornerstone is the exchange of ideas between students and professors of various backgrounds and disciplines.

Amherst College Admissions

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.

Amherst College Financial Aid

Amherst makes its need-blind admission policy a priority. Indeed, the recent Amherst College campaign raised $35 million toward continuing need-blind admission. Those in the Development Office estimate that Amherst ranks among a dozen or so institutions that admit students without regard to financial need, and, more important, maintain the aid for all four years. Currently, fifty-two percent of students in the freshman class receive financial aid; the average amount offered is $32,892. There are plenty of jobs available on campus even if you aren’t in a work–study program. Although many jobs are posted, many are obtained from word of mouth, and the new Student Employment Office helps provide a central source for job post- ings. Students work in Valentine and the library, as well as in the Keefe Campus Center and administrative offices, physical plant, and custodial shop. Not only do students earn spending money, but they are given the chance to get to know the staff of the college as well as the ins and outs of running the school.

Amherst College Students

Just as Amherst students dedicate themselves to their studies, they dedicate themselves to their playtime. School-sponsored theme parties, which usually feature a DJ or band, have become increasingly popular in recent years: Madonna TAP, the Luau and Casino, to name a few. But for those of you who think that Amherst social life is limited to theme nights, think again. Parties not sponsored by the school, but by students, often kick off the evening. At Amherst, parties are usually open to everyone and they are usually free. The five neighboring colleges provide concerts, theater, sports, and a range of other events. Amherst and neighboring Northampton offer a wide variety of restaurants, great movie theaters, and clubs.

At Amherst, we work hard and we play hard.

The student-run Social Council and Program Board work hard to plan all-campus events. There’s bound to be a concert (most likely a cappella) or play either on campus or in the surrounding valley. And if you’re not watching something, chances are you’re helping to run it. Between the publications, musical groups, volunteer organizations, clubs, and athletics, Amherst students are always involved with something.

Publications and Organizations

Stacked in the lobby of the dining hall, floating from round green table to round green table of the Campus Center, or stuck into a backpack, Amherst publications abound. Besides the weekly newspaper, The Student, The Indicator, and Prism keep the flow of debate and opinion alive. The Amherst Review and A Further Room round out the literary magazines.

Amherst has been called the “Singing College,” and with good reason. Not only does the school have five a cappella groups, but men’s and women’s choruses, as well as many instrumental ensembles. There are also tons of clubs to join including Hillel, the Newman Club, Christian Fellowship, Noor, Pacific Islander Club, the Debating Club, WAMH Radio, and others, not to mention the many organizations that are active around campus: The Center for Community Engagement, Habitat for Humanity, Global Rights of Women (GROW), and the Pride Alliance.

Athletics

Amherst is an athletic college. While not everybody is a member of a varsity team, most students take part in some athletic pastime, whether it be a workout in the gym or a walk through the beautiful bird sanctuary. Amherst may be small, but its teams are mighty, regularly making it to the ECAC, NESCAC, and NCAA tournaments. Not only does Amherst offer a strong varsity program, but it also offers club and intramural teams as well. The women’s and men’s rugby clubs are among the best in the Northeast. Other club teams are the ski team, men’s volleyball, water polo, tae kwan do, and Ultimate Frisbee.

Students also participate in school activities on other levels. Many students serve in the student government, others sit on committees, while others act as liaisons between the admin- istration and students. The peer advocates, disciplinary advocates, and resident counselors play an active role in student life. Indeed, central to the character of Amherst social life is the residential aspect of the school. Students get to know each other well through common classes, interests, and living situations. And often how you know someone will overlap. Your next-door neighbor can be in your chem lab, your teammate can also be a member of your magazine staff, your RC may be in your English class. Amherst students get to know each other on many levels in many environments.

Sometimes the stupidest things will bring a floor or building together, like trying to fit an oversized couch through a door or having an impromptu study break or water fight. Then, when we really need to help each other out with the serious stuff, the bonds are already there.

There is always something to do at Amherst, whether it be a keg party or a theme party, a night at a concert or a play, or an evening spent at the movies or in a coffee shop. Amherst stu- dents spend time working and playing together, social interactions that help to build friendships that last well past graduation.

Amherst College Alumni

Amherst graduates are an interesting bunch. They can be found in many professions in many parts of the globe. You read their names in newspapers, you randomly run into them in restaurants, you meet them at Homecoming. Amherst grads all seem to have taken their education and run with it, though not in the same direction.

I never really understood how strong the ties to Amherst were until I went to my first Homecoming as a graduate. I was surprised and thrilled at how gen- uinely happy I was to see everyone again. There’s always a big turnout for Homecoming, and now I know why—as corny as it sounds, it really is like coming home.

Amherst does have a strong on-campus recruit- ing program for banking, consulting, and other careers, as well as a strong network in the nonprofit, education, and publishing fields. Amherst grads find what they are looking for—many are gainfully employed, many are in graduate school, many are pur- suing fellowships and grants. Whatever they are doing, Amherst grads are not sitting still; they are active and energetic, armed with their Amherst education and their enthusiasm for learning at all levels.

Prominent Grads

• Henry Ward Beecher, 1834, Preacher, writer, and thinker
• Melvil Dewey, 1884, Inventor of the Dewey Decimal System
• Calvin Coolidge, 1885, President of the United States
• Clarence Birdseye, ’10, Inventor of Frozen Foods
• Lloyd Conover, ’45, Inventor of Tetracycline
• Stansfield Turner, ’45, Director of CIA
• William Webster, ’45, Director of FBI
• Joseph Stiglitz, ’64, Nobel Prize-winning economist
• Scott Turow, ’70, Author
• Susannah Grant, ’84, Screenwriter
• David Foster Wallace, ’85, Author
• Dan Brown, ’86, Author
• Jeffrey Wright, ’87, Tony-Award winning actor

The Amherst alumni are deeply connected to the school, contributing to its strong professional network as well as in the school’s large endowment. About two-thirds of Amherst grads give to the school, the highest percent nationally. And when asked in a survey if they’d do it all over again, approximately ninety-two percent said they’d choose Amherst again.

I did not realize how extensive the Amherst network really was until my senior year. Whether it be chatting on the sidelines of a football game or in the corner office of a New York City firm, I was amazed at the amount of time Amherst alums spent answering questions and offering advice to students on future career choices

The Amherst experience is one that is taken with you past graduation and built upon; the school, for many, is the bedrock of graduates’ professional skills and personal outlooks.

Carnegie Foundation Classification

Baccalaureate Colleges — Arts & Sciences

General Characteristics

Highest offering	Bachelor's degree
Calendar System	Semester
Years of college work required	N/A
Variable Tuition

Special Learning Opportunities

Distance Learning
ROTC — Army / Navy / Air Force	— / /
Study Abroad
Weekend College
Teacher Certification