Amherst College Top Questions

Many of the students (about 1/3) are athletes, so that is their main extracurricular. However, there are plenty of groups on campus for non-athletes (and athletes as well), and most students participate in multiple activities/groups. Popular groups include the school newspaper, investment club, one of the many singing groups, radio, and a variety of other opportunities...

To be honest the social life kind of sucks. People can be a little awkward. Probably because each person is so different in their makeups and goals in life. Which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. I say it makes for interesting conversation.

I met my closest friends through my sports team and in my dorm. You really meet your core friends in your freshman dorm. Since there is no greek life, the sports teams tend to create the party scene, but the parties are always open to everyone. The pressure to drink is not that strong because people do not put the pressure on you to drink if you don't feel like it. If I'm awake at 2 am on a tuesday, which i usually am, I'm in the common room hanging out with a few other people from my dorm.

Guest lectures are really good and informative, and high-profile ones get lots of crowd. A capella performances are very popular. 2am on a Tuesday, definitely working or trying to work while chatting and fooling around with friends. Frats exist off-campus, but they are not all that....noticeable or significant, or that's how they seem to me. There is definitely a significant minority of people who do not drink regularly. I respect their choice and most Amherst kids do.

A cappella groups are really big here. Partying is a big deal but it's certainly not the only choice on a Saturday night. There are frats but they're kind of underground. Hooking up is totally standard, unfortunately for the monogamously minded.

A Cappella, and singing in general in choirs/glee clubs/etc are HUGE at Amherst. However, there are many other things students to do. There's a new Center for Community Engagement for students interested in community services, several tutoring groups for helping local poor high school/middle school students, a very vibrant jazz scene (many jazz bands/ensembles), several NCAA athletic teams obviously (30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the school competes here), intramural basketball is quite popular, a zillion publications (literary reviews, humor magazines, journals of punditry), an outing club to kayak/hike/ski/climb through the great outdoors around here, a popular improv comedy group, religious groups (ie Hillel with Friday Night Shabbat), cultural groups (ie German House with its popular weekly coffee), and so much more a student can do here. I was involved with a magazine called the Indicator as co-editor-in-chief. We collected submissions of Maureen Dowd-esque 800-1600 words opinion pieces to print in the campus journal of social and political thought. The bi-weekly publication also had a popular humor section in the back with cartoons, mock advertisments, etc. Students in dorms tend to leave their doors open. Amherst is a pretty trusting place. Basketball is extremely popular at Amherst because of the great success of the team. Football is somewhat popular. Other sports aren't that well attended. We get speakers on topics as diverse as physics, philosophy, geology, fine arts, and religion. We've had CIA directors and Supreme Court justice. A speaker can be found just about every day so most talks aren't that well attended. However, controversial speakers (ie John Bolton and Ann Coulter) can drew several hundred students. There are a few students very involved and in love with theater at Amherst. However, at the singing college, there is generally little interest in theater here. The casual dating scene is, unlike at a big university, pretty non-existent at Amherst. There is a very vibrant hookup scene, especially within the athletic community. Moreover, there are a few very close relationship (I have a few friends who are engaged!). Basically, people at Amherst are either basically married or basically "f***-buddies". There's little in between. It'd be somewhat socially out of place here to ask someone out to a Friday night movie. I met most of my closest friends through freshman orientation/freshman housing. And I'd say that's how most friends here meet. However, I met other close friends through random occurrences such as meeting through a mutual acquaintance or a sports economics class. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm either studying or having a late-night conversation with my roommates about anything ranging from women to philosophy over some late night beers. There are many annual traditions. There's a spring concert, spring carnival, spring formal, homecoming game, luau party, "Hollywood" party, the "endless summer" party, Crossett Christmas, and, of course, D3 March Madness. I'd say most people party here on Friday and Saturday exclusively. The more adventurous do Thursday too. And, for seniors, Wednesday is bar night. Frats/sororities don't have many brothers/sisters. (They're all underground) However, for the people who join them, they can provide a community and great relationships (and, of course, hazing). The standard Amherst Saturday is crowding into a Triangle/Social Dorm party with hundreds of other drunk kids, finding the keg, getting the last drops of bad Natty Ice, and coming back either disappointed (for not hooking up) or disappointed the next morning (for having a great morning, but hangover and awkward week coming up). However, though drinking is dominant here, there is a substance free scene here. Plus, there are always plays/concerts/poetry jams/etc. on the weekends. Amherst Cinema, a great artsy theater, is walking distance, and, for me at least, often a great weekend excursion. Most people tend to stick to all the stuff to do on-campus. However, Northampton is a cute little town that's only 45 min away, Boston's only 2 hr away and NY's only 3 hrs away and can provide great relief. For me, the great nature of the Pioneer Valley was my escape from Amherst. The Connecticut provides great kayaking/canoeing opportunites, the Deerfield is a great place to tube, and there are many great places around here to rock climb/ski/hike.

All Amherst parties are open to the entire campus. You will never be turned away from a party. There is a fair amount drinking at parties, but you never pressure to do anything you don't want to do. There are large college-sponsered parties that get the whole campus together. Athletic teams are very inclusive set up a lot of the parties. The vast majority of the campus drinks, and goes out between 1 and 3 time per week. There is not a big drug scene at Amherst. For sober fun their are tons of options. Movies on big screens, video games in dorms, exciting sports, theater, dance, music shows all the time, a good campus center, and a fun town. Girls seeking guys have it real good at Amherst, with a high proportion of good-looking, athletic, smart, confident males. Males can find pretty, fun, confident girls at Amherst, Holyoke, and Smith. There is dating on campus as well as random hook-ups.

Freshman year everyone leaves their doors open and talks to everyone on their hall. Often the kids in your hall freshman year will be some of your closest friends for the next four years. After Freshman year people are certainly social, and you definitely make more friends, but things are a little less open. There are always parties going on on the weekends and often during the week, but I would hardly say that Amherst is a big party school. Most kids go out may two or three times a week and the level of drinking varies from student to student.

There are no fraternities at Amherst anymore. Rumors of underground fraternities exist, but anyone caught anyone found to be in a fraternity is in big trouble. That said, many students go out to drink and party a lot. The amount of partying varies: some people go out once every weekend, others even less, but some start parying on Wednesday and go on til Sunday. There are some social circles which do not drink, and the substance free dorms form really tight communities. As far as the dating thing, it depends. Some people are looking for relationships, others aren't. There are plenty of drunken hook-ups at/after parties, but there are also a fair number of actual relationships as well. The 5-college area (Amherst, UMass, Hampshire, Smith, Mt. Holyoke) provides plenty of events, including some really great theatrical performances and concerts. (including Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Fat Joe, Evanescence, and Third Eye Blind among others this past year) Some athletic events are also very popular, and UMass almost made the NCAA tournament this year. Any Amherst-Williams game is a big event, since the two schools have one of the oldest rivalries in the nation. We HATE Williams up in here.

Ultimate Frisbee is the coolest group on campus. Best people you'll ever meet.

Since it is a small school, but it still has a large number of varsity sports, a big percentage of the population is involved in athletics. Freshman year it is easy to get to know people because they leave there door open and stop to say hi all the time. If you want to party at Amherst, there are plenty of opportunities to party, but if you don't there are many other things to do.

Many people are engaged in singing groups, sports, theater & dance, and many others. No, students in dorms do not leave their doors open, but their is a "floor community", because of the common rooms, I guess. The dating scene is not very big, some people do date, but that's a rarity. The hook-up scene is pretty big. I met my closest friends in different ways - some through the international community, others through classes, through organizations, through summer work, through the job application process. If I'm awake at 2 am on Tuesday, I am studying or procrastinating with friends in the common room. People party on the weekend, although Fridays tend to be quiet. On a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking you can go to a concert/theater play, watch a movie in a suit with friends, just hang out, go to a restaurant, or study with friends (although that never turns out to be productive). If you want to get off-campus, you can go to a restaurant or cafe, to the mall, or to Northampton.

Every dorm has different activies in which they enjoy participating. Walk into one dorm, and you might find people playing video games, another, and there'll be an intense board game going on. Others are known for partying, and in some you'll only hear people speaking in a foreign language!

Decent social life, campus police lets you do what you want, but that seems to be changing. There are bars or dorm parties to go to on the weekends. Wednesday Nights are also big at the bars

Popular groups: A large percentage of people play sports. This probably seems larger for some people because athletes tend to group together, even if they are in different sports. There are a lot of other groups and clubs with various purposes, but none that I would say stand out as being really popular, or well attended or who have a dominating presence on campus. Dating scene: people talk about how no one dates, and they do, and in fact at least this year it seems like people do more than I expected. That said, more casual relationships are common. Closest friends: Most of my best friends are people on my sports team or people I lived with freshman year. I also have some friends I've met through classes and other activities. The nice thing about the size of Amherst is that you can still wind up running into people who you don't normally hang out with.

People are ALWAYS doing something here! Everyone is so involved in so many activities, that many times it's difficult to schedule free time to hang out with friends!

Student publications thrive at Amherst. They are entirely student-produced and -run. There are political, scientific, art, literary and miscellaneous publications, each of which publishes from 2 to 10 times per semester. All the normal varsity sports, plus popular crew, frisbee and rugby teams. Most students leave their doors unlocked. It tends to depend where they come from more than where they live on campus (students from New York City lock their doors; students from Maine leave their doors wide open). There are no official frats/sororities at Amherst, but there are several off-campus ones. On weekends the options are generally partying around campus, or going to town for movies, bowling, dining, etc. There are free movies shown in the campus center every weekend and all sorts of events put on by student organizations (speakers, film screenings, theme dinners, ethnic foods, etc).

The social scene at Amherst is more laid back then at big state school. There is alot of drinking, but mainly jsut on Thursday or Saturday. Fraternities and sororities have been abolished, however there are four underground fraternities that throw open parties on campus. People go to football games and basketball games, but other than that not many people pa attention to the sports scene, unless its a Williams game.

Fairly legit party scene

For me, the social scene can be a slight negative about Amherst. People are friendly, but after freshman year, it is hard to make new friends. There are generally big parties a couple times a week, with more artsy/live band parties on Fridays and sports team oriented parties on Saturdays. People hook up after parties, but there isn't a lot of traditional dating. The dining hall serves as the best place to meet up with friends, probably, because there is only one on campus.

Students are very social with each other, though teams tend to hang out with each other. They have replaced fraternities as "fraternities." Depending on athletic commitments and such, you can party any time you want, though the biggest party nights are in order: Saturday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

We love our sports teams. And rugby. I always leave my dorm room unlocked. I met my closest friends through class and pledging. I do physics well past 2 am every tuesday. People drink usually on wednesday-saturday, and there is a large lull on friday nights. Saturday nights can be spent watching a movie with friends, attending concerts or events around, or playing board games.

There are always things going on- lectures, plays, accapella, etc. There are always parties, but they usually aren't huge like at big universities, and there is no greek life. There's not much dating, but a lot of hooking up. Most people are friends with the people in their dorm.

There is always something going on on campus. Sports games aren't a huge draw, but they pretty steadily attract people. Amherst isn't really known for its sports, but all of the teams are good enough to make their games worth watching. The college and various organizations on campus frequently bring speakers or hold events, and there are theater performances throughout the year. There are a lot of good concerts in Northampton, which is about an hour away on the (free) bus. People hang out a lot on weekdays with their dormmates, in people's rooms and in the common areas, often into the early morning. While there is probably a party going on somewhere any day of the week, weekends are the main time for parties, with Saturdays being the most popular, then Fridays, then Thursdays. Amherst parties generally involve copious amounts of alcohol, but there are many non-drinkers who still go to the parties and enjoy themselves. The library has an extensive VHS and DVD collection in the basement, which is always worth checking out.

Sports teams dictate the social life on campus, but all parties are open to everyone and everyone attends. No one is ever excluded from any social event on campus, ever. I'm the head of Program Board -we bring in mentalists, comedians, illusionists, and other performers throughout the year on random nights for the students to gather and release some stress. These events are really well attended! Don't worry about the Smith and Mt. Holyoke girls, they really don't come over too much and even if they do they're just an afterthought to most Amherst guys. Freshmen are totally into each other -always leaving their doors open and attending every event ever. It's great -they're like a huge family. People party anywhere from 1-5 nights a week, depending on who you are. Most people just go out on Saturdays, or Wednesdays (bar night) and Saturdays. To party more than that is somewhat rare and occurs mainly among upper classmen.

A lot of people play sports (whether competitively or club) and a lot of people also participate in a cappella groups, which are huge on campus. People are also very involved in campus publications such as the Olio (yearbook), Amherst Student (newspaper), the Indicator, and others. During freshman year, you'll tend to be friends with the people in your own dorm. The best time to meet people in other dorms is during orientation week. Honestly, you don't want to associate exclusively with people in your dorm. Branching out is very helpful and refreshing so that you always have someone you can talk to in the dining hall. Social scene is so-so. TAPs (The Amherst Party) are put on by Social Council and they can vary from really good to super crowded and disgusting. Some of the best parties are put on by students orgs, and the music tends to be better. There isn't much pressure to drink, unless you hang out with people who put that pressure on you. It's college, and everyone respects everyone else's decision for the most part. Most weekends there are parties, movies, performances, etc. to keep you busy. Also, going into town to a restaurant or taking the bus to the Hampshire Mall to watch a movie is a way to get off campus. There are no frats or sororities on campus. As far as dating goes, some people are in relationships, whereas a lot of other people just hook up at parties. The common culture doesn't seem to be one of looking for long-term relationships.

It's sufficient to say that people are very involved in lectures/performances/show/events. There's always something going on and when I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday night I'm probably doing work...but at least I know that I'll have friends just an instant message away because they're up doing work too!

Since we have such a small student body and a full varsity athletic program, a lot of kids are athletes and non-athletes can feel excluded from this culture (which is why I joined a club sport-rugby), but students can and do get involved in tons of other ways. I'd say most people are involved in at least one extracurricular; a lot of people get involved in way too many things and overcommit themselves but eventually figure out how to even out their schedule. All freshmen live together in freshmen-only dorms (on the freshman quad), which is a great way to meet people your first year-most of my best friends now are people from my freshman dorm. Social life is mostly on campus- there are usually a decent amount of parties every weekend. Some people go out 4 nights a week, some people 1 or 2, but whatever your style, it is easy to be social and have fun on your own terms. The social scene can sometimes seem repetitive or boring, especially when its always with the same cast of characters, but, despite being a small college, I'd say Amherst has a pretty good social scene overall.

The social life at Amherst is generally quite mediocre. The Amherst Parties are terrible. There are no official frats/sororities in the school. The dating scene is random and not very exciting. There are a variety of events going on on campus, but only certain groups of people go to each type, and there is rarely an overlap, which divides the campus almost entirely based on interest.

The college has a ton of really great and diverse events on campus, especially speakers on varied subjects, all supported by a different organization on campus. These lectures bring to light many current political and social problems in our world and are very interesting and stimulating. Technically, the College has banned fraternities and sororities, but last weekend was one of the biggest parties on campus, held by an "underground" frat. The fraternities here pledge out in the open, proudly wear t-shirts advertising frats, and throw parties focused on the frat. But what can the College really do? If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night, you can always lacadisically hang out with others in the common areas or dorm rooms and have silly/engaging conversations, watch movies, but that's really about it. Most people who are active on the weekends are going out to parties. You dont necessarily have to drink, since there's always music, dancing, and sometimes a live band. But it makes the other wasted kids a bit more bearable.

most popular groups: ethnic affinity groups. dorm doors: open in freshman dorms for the first few months. closed under all other circumstances. athletic events: fairly well attended. guest speakers: depends on who it is. theater: moderate attendance, again depending on who's showing if you're awake at 2am on a tuesday, you're procrastinating on that paper due at 10 am. frats/sororities were banned a couple decades back. people party all the time. if you're looking for something to do on saturday that isn't drinking, you can smoke. off campus... is usually limited to parties at other schools.

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.

Many students play sports here. The athlete crowd and the non-athlete crowd are somewhat separated. Not many people are go-betweens like myself. Since I dance and play field hockey, I have many friends in both. People are generally very friendly and eager to be involved in campus activities. The dating scene is big and the hookup scene is also big! The hookup scene is definitely talked about more often because i think people find it more exciting. I'm usually awake at 2am on a Tuesday, and I'm either doing schoolwork, playing ping-pong with my roommates, chatting with friends, or hanging out with my boyfriend. Fraternities and sororities are not important at all. They are all off campus and there are only a few in existence. Only one accepts women, so they are mostly all-male and associated with sports teams (football, tennis, lacrosse). You can do millions of things on a Saturday night that don't involve drinking such as: playing Wii with your friends, dancing, going to a concert, going for a walk under the stars and watching a movie. The outing club has campfires and cookouts and the campus center has laid back, coffee shop jazz nights and free movie showings.

Sports teams rule the social scene with an iron fist. In most other campuses this would seem insane, but due to the idiotically high percentage of varsity athletes, it's a brutal fact of life.

basketball, nasty. yea leave my room open sometimes. not very popular unless its basketball or playing williams. yea some good ones. Theatre is popping. more of a hookup culture although i got a girl. just by chance. hw definately although many are not. you gotta get here to know. party all the time. not very. had a track meet, then had to go to work, then went out and did my thing. Dancing, chillin with friends, videogames. Go to umass, go into town, go to other schools

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).

There is a fuck-ton of drinking here. Upperclassmen generally provide it for underclassmen, usually for free at the parties. But speaking as someone who is against drugs and alcohol, I found it easy to occupy myself with people and things that don't involve drinking in a pretty active social life. People are friendly and you'll generally get to know people on your floor really well. There's always lots of events and stuff to go to (lectures, recitals, etc.) so between that and your work you will be well occupied.

Teams and groups are big with social life. Closest friends are typically made within these groups. Parties are frequent, and a large part of social life. Off campus is great for food and bar scene.

Most common groups are social and supportive groups like Black Student Union or the Asian Students Association. Most people leave their dorm rooms open, it's a pretty trusting environment. My closest friends are from my first year orientation trip or from my dorm first year. Most people work (very very) hard and play hard. People usually go out Thursday-Sunday but the heaviest night is Saturday. Although there are some couples and dating is entirely possible, Amherst has more of a hook up culture. This can become quite old quickly due to the size of the school.

dorm life is great. people leave their doors open, and i know i feel comfortable wandering into the room of anyone on my floor just to chat. at parties, people just wander into a party thrown by upperclassmen and feel comfortable socializing with almost anyone. the dating scene doesn't exist. either you're a single workaholic, a single party animal immersed in the hookup culture, or you're in a long term, practically married relationship.

There is so much to do here. Though we are a small school, we do as much as big universities. Most sports and clubs you can think of are already in place, and new ones are popping up all the time.

most athletic teams are fairly popular and athletes tend to know each other and support each other. the student health educators are big on campus as are the peer advocates of sexual respect. guest speakers are important or unimportant based on what they are taking about. theater actually is quite popular. the dating scene is varied and complicated. people tend to party almost exclusively on saturday, senior bar night is on wednesday, and thursdays are big for athletes not in season. the zu has parties on fridays. if im awake at that time im either sick and cant sleep, in the photo lab, or studying.

I do everything with my team mates. We eat together, live together, study together, hang out together, shower together...they are like my family.

Amherst does not allow on-campus fraternities and sororities. There are a few "underground" ones that everybody knows about, but they don't have much social influence. Sports teams often host parties, as do groups of friends. Saturdays are the nights when people party, other nights are quieter but you can still find people to whoop it up with if you so desire. Plenty of people don't drink or only drink minimally when they go out, although there certainly are elements of a normal college drinking scene as well. Outside of partying, there is plenty to do at Amherst, with a variety of renowned guest speakers, student performances, and entertainment acts. In addition, the Five Colleges bring a lot of bands into the area.

People can kind of decide whatever life style they want to lead. If people choose to live in one of the social dorms, then they will probably be up later and leave their doors open and hang out with their roommates quite a bit. People can also chose to live in more secluded dorms that are quieter and more conducive to working late. I think most people on sports teams tend to hang out with the people they meet through their sports and sports teams often throw parties that are attended by the rest of the school.

i am in team AMBIR, mountainbiking, people trust the community, leave their doors open, hard to date, a lot of awkward hook ups

Athletic events are pretty popular- men's basketball is one of the most popular teams. Students leave their dorms open. If I'm awake at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, it's because of work! I love traditions like Vespers, homecoming and the bonfire, and commencement.

I love my dorm. He people I live with have made my second semester so much better than my first. I moved out of the freshman dorms during interterm and I believe that it was the best decision I have made all year. I surrounded by students in every grade that are supportive, caring, and always there when I am seeking advice. Our dorm has the feeling of a home for me, and I will definitely miss that next year. Most of my friends are on the football team because thats who I'm around all the time, but I have been exposed to so many different people through my on campus job as well as my new dorm and have expanded my circle to a much larger degree than it would have had I not branched out of my football comfort zone. There is almost always something going on during the weekends to occupy your time or entertain your wild size. During the week the town provides a nice release as well from work related stress.

I am involved with the cross country and track teams. I also am involved with the college radio station. A friend of mine always leaves his door open because he lost his room key. Nothing ever gets stolen from his room. I had my laptop stolen from the dining hall once though. Athletic events are not that popular, at least the track and cross country meets aren't. I met my closest friends from cross country. If I am awake at 2AM on a Tuesday, I am working on a paper. People party most actively on Thursday, Friday and especially Saturday. There are no frats or sororities. You can sleep on a saturday night if you don't like to drink.

Social and community activism is popular on campus, and many students take advantage of the recently innaugurated Center for Community Engagement which helps students find service opportunities locally and beyond. A plethora of a capella groups, an orchestra, and an improv comedy troupe keep students busy and entertained. Athletics are huge on campus, with students participating in Varsity, Intramural, and club sports, or just taking advantage of the beautiful fitness center or one of several intriguing non-credit gym courses. Varsity teams can be rather close-knit, intense and cultish, but certainly keep things interesting on campus. Fraternities and sororities are non-existent, so the party scene is mostly dominated by sports teams which hold often zany themed parties that everyone is welcome at. Amherst is a very sleep-deprived campus, and generally you can find people up at odd hours of the night, just talking, hanging out, or getting into some kind of mischief.