Tate

Amherst is a very lovely campus. It's laid out with plenty of open green spaces, old New England Architecture, and a great view of the hills. We have great running/biking trails through the woods. The town of Amherst is nice, but students rarely leave the campus (except for real food). It is definitely a bubble community. Amherst Town has a ridiculous amount of restaurants for such a small area, which is a great change from our one dining hall. This is one of the complaints almost every student shares: our repetitive and greasy food. I think the size of the college is perfect, we really do have small classes, except for intro science courses- those can go up to 100. The administration is really great, and are all very helpful. They really do want every student to do well here.

Most professors I've encountered really do care about the subject they are teaching, and many are quite passionate about it. Most of your professors will make an effort to know your name, and most are very open to forming friendships with students. Class discussion and participation has been high in all the classes I've taken. Academics are extremely rigorous here, especially some majors. Students are very frequently stressed all the time. The students are all extremely competitive with one another, which is an attitude the administration seems to subtly encourage. People often judge one another by their grades/resume. Amherst offers some really great classes, some of my favorites have been The Value of Nature, and West African Dance. The Biology Department is really great. There are a few professors who definitely fall into the "old boys club" mentality, but more and more younger professors are entering the program. These younger professors are all extremely engaging and bright.

Many of my LGBT friends feel really marginalized here, or even actively discriminated against by some elements of our student body. These elements are small, but that can be enough to ruin someone's experience here. Most Amherst students come from a Prep-school background, and most are very well off. Some people are quite snobby and judgmental, but I've found many wonderful friends here.

There are no shortage of interesting talks and events put on by the college. These are well attended, as are the sporting events here. In this way the college is fairly well balanced. Most people go out partying at least once a week. Some people go six days a week, but this is more rare. Most parties here are open to everyone. They often consist of a keg and half-hearted dancing, but there are some really excellent ones as well. These will have a live band, wild dancing, and a wide variety of drinks. Not everyone drinks at Amherst, and it is possible to have fun at parties without drinking. The Frats are underground, and while there is a definite percentage of students involved, they aren't that important to the social scene. There is a really minimal dating scene, it's almost entirely a hook-up culture. I know of maybe 10 on-campus couples (through-out all grades even).

Amherst college is seen as an aloof elite institution with a very challenging academic life. The students are all supposedly exceedingly wealthy, high achieving, exceedingly intellectual, and driven. While the president works hard to spread a new image of social and economic diversity, we are seen as a very preppy homogeneous group.

Yes, very. Though the diversity of the student body is continually getting better. If you come from a low income bracket however, you may often feel uncomfortable with the general attitudes here.

Amherst is a stressful but challenging college. If a person isn't native to the East coast, the different atmosphere can be very hard to adjust to, even suffocating. There are people and activities for anyone though.