Reply to What’s the deal with Amherst?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We absolutely loved Amherst when we visited. One of the few schools that had nothing in the "dislike" column, other than very minor concern about it being the same size as DC's high school. Didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous fall day, and students seemed happy and were friendly. Sadly DC, with high stats, was not admitted. 
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Can you describe what you liked? It's really hard to tell when all the people who hate on it have concrete issues, and all those who love it just talk about student happiness or law school.[/quote]

I'm not that OP, but I think the campus is gorgeous with all the trees and a mix of buildings and the nature preserve right there and the view over the mountains with the war memorial.  (Frost Library is not attractive, but its dedication was the last place that JFK spoke publicly before traveling to Dallas to be shot, so no one is inclined to knock it down.) The new science building is amazing and the dorms are all really nice now, with guaranteed housing all four years.  It has that small school feel.  The little town is adorable with the green and the old churches and a great pizza place and coffee shop, but if you want more amenities you can easily be at the WF, TJ, Target, or go to Northampton which is one of the cutest little towns in America with some of the best food.  There is a huge focus on the professors being available to the students.  Most classes are small seminar type classes.  The professors are required to have regular open office hours, and even get a budget to take kids out to lunch or dinner to get to know them better.  The professors that go there do so because they want that experience of being able to connect with the students.  And it has long had a focus on trying to pull a diverse set of kids from around the country -- so, yes, you have the contingent of rich kids from Dalton, Brearley, etc, and the kids whose grandparents went there -- but you also have kids from all around the country and all walks of life.  For the most part, they aren't filling their diversity numbers with rich kids from abroad.  I think the consortium is a very small added plus -- I think some small percentage of kids lean heavily on it, some larger percentage might make very small use of the libraries or maybe 1-2 classes -- so I wouldn't let that be the driver.  But having Northhampton nearby with its food and indie music scene is a major plus, and one that maybe differentiates it from Williams and some of the other rural LACs.  (And UMass also works to pull in bigger acts if you like things like concerts.)

None of my kids are going there -- my oldest wanted a bigger school, and the younger ones won't have the stats.  But I think it's a very nice school with a lot to recommend it.  If you don't like small schools, and don't like the bucolic New England vibe, you're not going to like it.[/quote]

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