Amherst College Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Jamie

Not at all.

Natasha

Some of them, but Amherst is truly an extremely diverse college.

Jen

students are not generally awkward, but i think we console ourselves after a night of mayhem or an embarrassing moment by saying that we are all awkward. preppy/rich? sure, there are kids like that, but there's also a ton who's not.

Julie

Some of the professors remain from the old amherst era. And it does feel like everyone around you, for the most part, is either way richer than you are or, these days with Tony Marx's campaign, way more poor. The liberal thing is much more true- conservatives have voiced feelings of ostracization. But so has everyone else.

Tristan

I'd say that, to a large extent, the stereotypes listed above can be found in a very large chunk of the student body. I'd say the majority of the school doesn't fit that mold. However, there are enough arrogant, boarding school pedigreed Abercrombie and Fitch lovers to really stand out at such a small place.

Reese

These stereotypes capture the basic idea of Amherst with a few exceptions. The academics are predicatably strong, with a committed faculty and determined students. Athletics are a large part of life on campus, with about a third varsity athletes (and the majority of the rest play intermurals and/or take pride in their classmates athletic achievements). The vast majority of the student body are openly liberal, but their are some quiet conservatives. The students are more diverse racially than people assume, and a large portion of kids come from public schools.

Madeline

Any generalization about Amherst is untrue. There are some rich kids, a few hippies, some brainy nerds, and people who think they are huge partiers, but the parties at Amherst are nothing like those at a bigger school.

James

For preppy and cocky, I would say its probably true for just over half the student body. For liberal, It's true for 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of campus, and there is only one conservative professor left, who is probably going to retire soon anyways.

Joanna

On the whole, absolutely not. Amherst students are a diverse, hardworking, fascinating bunch. People who you might associate with this stereotype--legacies, maybe some athletes-- are intelligent, motivated, and bring a lot to the school, as does everyone else.

Scott

No, many students, especially those who participate in some sport are also involved in many extracurricular activities.

Tristan

Yes.

Chelsea

I think the reason it's hard for students on campus to have relationships isn't actually because we're bad at it, but because it's such a small school, so we have limited choices.

Terry

There are a lot of studious kids

Sasha

They are absolutely exaggerated. Amherst students are fairly typical of college students generally and liberal arts college students in particular. There is more diversity on campus than people give it credit for and people are more tolerant than you may hear. As for stereotypes about athletes, etc, they are just a misunderstanding. I think that people who don't play a sport hear that someone is a recruited athlete and automatically assume that person is far less intelligent when in fact even just from casual observation I would say athletes tend to be at least as smart and hardworking in school as the average Amherst student.

Rebecca

No, these stereotypes are not correct. Yes, the people who play sports here are smart, but they do not fit the "jock" stereotype. People who do and do not play sports mingle here much more than is thought

Alexander

Many of them are rich and preppy; many of them are not. There is no sense of exclusion from groups, however, based on one's background. The people who claim Amherst students aren't intellectually interesting are the ones who are not interesting. My friends come from every part of campus life (jocks, nerds, artists, intellectuals, etc), and nobody has ever turned away from a debate because they're uninterested. I find that most students are highly intelligent and will readily engage you in discussion on any number of topics. Those who say otherwise have simply cornered themselves in a minority niche of uninteresting people, and have made no effort to make other friends in the college community.

Red

Not at all. While we may be elitisit, we are not elitist about our background or to eachother, but instead elitist about our school. We are proud that we go to Amherst, and we do not like to keep it quiet. THe kids here are also extremely diverse, both racially and economically, thanks to our new, hip president Tony Marx (he is an icon on campus).

Brett

for the most part no

Dylan

Not really...part of the student body is made up of rich white kids, but Amherst works hard to attain not only racial but also socio-economic diversity. The financial aid is generous enough that it can be hard to tell that some students come from low-income backgrounds, because they don't necessarily have to work more while at Amherst.

Jack

The smart one is and the other two not really but some people are like that, but you'll find that at all places

Michael

Mostly.

Owen

Yes and no, people are often pretty intellectual, but rarely pretentious, we like to make fun of ourselves, and not everyone is rich and white, although there are a lot of people like that.

Katrina

To a great extent, the stereotypes are accurate--they wouldn't last if they weren't somewhat true. There is a lot of money at Amherst, a lot of Lacoste and J. Crew. The only thing false about the preppy stereotype is that those people see themselves as better than other people at Amherst. There is a very strong sense of elitism, but it's directed at the people outside of Amherst College.

Simone

These stereotypes are completely false. Not only is the student body incredible diverse (socio-economically, ethnically, geographically, politically), Amherst students -although extremely intelligent- express their aptitude in an unpresumptuous way.

Maria

Most kids here don't really seem to fit that stereotype.

Yasmin

I don't think so, I just think you get tired of having to go through the everyday formalities with people you see everyday yet you don't really know well.

Harper

Like most stereotypes they have some base in reality but are by no means factual. We have all kinds of people here, some of whom may fit some stereotypes in some ways and some of whom do not at all. I think the preppy/Ivy reject stereotype especially is becoming less prevalent as the College continues with its initiative to create a more diverse student body.

Brendan

there are certainly some kids that follow the stereotype, but for the most part, it is inaccurate.

Kat

yes, to an extent.

Ashley

Not everybody here is preppy and stuck up but, coming from the Midwest, there are quite a bit of the population that fits into this box of being born into privelage, going to the best private high schools in the nation that feed them into schools like Amherst. But in part due to President Marx's and Admissions' goal to create more "socioeconomic diversity" (our new favorite phrase) there are a lot of really amazing, interesting, varied people here at Amherst that make up for the stereotypical students that we're known to have. And as for being liberal: people here are very in-tune with their way of life and while they may be voting for Obama, they aren't necessarily aware nor do they sympathize with many liberal ideals and aren't quite as accepting of diversity as they might seem.

Charlie

the school's mostly white, and even if your skin isn't, your mindset is. most kids have money. if you don't have money, social life here is very uncomfortable. not everyone is stuck up and not everyone is smart.

Kat

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.

Sarah

no

Adam

Indeed they are

Royce

not really, no school is prefect

Tate

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.

Max

Not really. There are plenty of each, but I don't think either dominates the student body.

Trip

Yes but we also have fun

Lauren

Yes and no. There are quite a few rich, preppy kids here. But the student body is so diverse that you can find all kinds of people here from all diferent backgrounds. There are socially awkward moments--especially since there's only one dining hall. I think that there are cliques at every school, no? That's not necessarily a bad thing and the cliques certainly aren't exclusive.

mel

a bit. but not especially more than at other places

Lauren

Not at all. I don't think a single stereotype can accurately describe the many types of people that make up Amherst College.

Morgan

Most are accurate, though I would contest the point that all amherst students can be stuck up. i went to another NESCAC school before transferring to Amherst. and i have a twin sister at brown, where i have spent a good deal of time. It is my opinion that Amherst students are not nearly as pretentious as those other places, and are in fact quite down to earth. there is almost no preppy atmosphere whatsoever, rather a cohesive desire to achieve.

Nicole

no, not at all. many amherst students are laid back, cool people who are really normal. But most poeple at Amherst are pretty smart, no doubt about that.

Pete

Amherst students are certainly not cutthroat when it comes to academics; they are serious about their schoolwork but do not compete with each other over grades. While there are certainly some rich, preppy students, people come from a wide range of backgrounds. There are plenty of international students, and many students come from average middle-class families.

Sophia

These stereotypes are accurate to an extend, but they are counterbalanced by other social activities and there are many students who don't party at all, and just work.

Brett

no

Elise

Mostly no.

Andre

Of course

Jimmy

Maybe for a few people, but most of the students at Amherst are incredibly interesting, extremely social, hardworking and genuinely fun to be around. It is the perfect fit for any personality.

Torry

It's true that students work hard, and can sometimes be a bit cocky, but in reality, even the athletes are smart kids who deserve to be here. The diversity is real, at least ethnically, racially, and geographically, but there is very little deviation from the staunchly liberal majority, which can at times make discussions on campus very one-sided.