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The most frequent comment you'll get if you come here is "Amherst? You mean UMass, right?" Despite others' complete lack of knowledge about the College (which I admit, I had as well), Amherst is full of academically-minded and knowledgeable people and a welcoming atmosphere to all. The only thing to complain about is the food, which isn't bad but can get very boring after a little while. You learn to be creative, but other than that I love it here!

Small classes with low professor-student ratios. The largest class I've been in was an Intro Chem course and that was 75, maybe. The best part about the academic life is that there are no core requirements at Amherst, beyond a first-year seminar and the requirements for your major. That means you are free to take advantage of the broad range of courses available in any area! Also, the Five Colleges collaborate to allow students to take a course anywhere in the Consortium. So if that really interesting course in Mount Holyoke is catching your eye, you can go for it!

My favorite classes this semester are History of Sexuality and the Environmental History of Latin America. The two couldn't be any different, but I find myself pushing myself to learn more about these fascinating subjects. Courses here are very unique, and the Psychology Department is a great place. I frequently have e-mail discussions with my professors about anything and everything. It's really amazing, the dedication professors have to the students, and the respect that everyone has for each other.

Amherst is a fairly diverse campus, with a large community of foreign students and students from every socioeconomic background. I don't think there's a way you couldn't feel out of place! The only clique-y activity I've noticed around campus is the slight tension between the competing interests of our two all-female a cappella groups. Students are very politically and socially active, lending to an environment highly focused on information and action. It's really a charging atmosphere!

There is no greek life allowed on campus, but I know of one or two underground frats that meet off-campus. There's no Frat Row where girls get harassed and guys get hammered, and it's not as important to the students as other social activities. I know that alcohol is very prevalent here on campus, but it is possible to live a chem-free social life. My a cappella group consists mainly of drinkers, but when we go to parties together they never pressure me to drink. People are pretty understanding about life choices here: we have a large amount of vegetarians and vegans and numerous religious life groups. The Gay Pride Alliance and other gay pride groups are in their prime, and I've heard of disco parties somewhere but haven't been able to find one yet. Activities that don't involve drinking include: watching a movie in town or at FLICS, going to the mall, hanging out with friends, going to a lecture or school-sponsored party, concerts at the music hall, drama productions, the school musical, playing pool in the campus center, community involvement, dance lessons, and many many more.

Amherst students are highly studious over-achievers without a sense of fun, stuck in a town where there's little to do and nowhere to go.

Absolutely not! Sure, we all do our homework well, sometimes too well, but we all love to have fun. There's always something going on around campus, whether it's an interesting lecture, a movie screening in the campus center, or a party on the Quad. The town has a myriad of great restaurants and bookstores, as well as shopping areas. The PVTA is the second largest bus system in the country and you're minutes away from Northhampton, the Hampshire Mall, and the other four colleges in the area.