Amherst College Top Questions

no one feels out of place, unless you are unsure of yourself or not comfortable with your sexuality. But then again you could just find others in the same boat as you. Wear anythign you want. Yea all ppl interact, just not a lot. Separated by sports...usually. All over. Rich ppl. yea some. predominantely left. no

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.

Students are mostly left. However, because of the privileged nature of Amherst, it seems to me that most people are more interested in talking about left-y, political things than actually doing anything direct about it. The focus is so much on the academics here that I think it ignores the context of the world in which these ideas live. Really I think Amherst is a pretty accepting place. The one thing that is critical is to really dig into the place and be willing to meet people, or at least place yourself in situations where people will meet you. There are people here who don't do that and consequently have very few friends, but this is entirely their own lack of initiative (or it seems that way to me).

Racially diverese,. Everyone finds their own cligue. Kids are relatively relaxed about attire. Students are from everywhere. Very diverse backgrounds. Politically diverse as well. Everyone seems to be geared towards becoming successful.

Amherst students are from all over the country--and world. There are lots of students from New York, California, and Boston area however, and they show their pride. Particularly when it comes to sports. Amherst does a great job bringing in diversity but once all these diverse students get here unfortunately often they hang out with like people.

fairly homogenous, but as liberal arts colleges go, more diverse than most. really, as long as people can keep up academically and speak coherently, i think that they find a way to be comfortable and accepted here. i don't really know much about people's financial backgrounds- its not really relevant when you're in college to know how much money someone's family has. money isn't discussed as a big issue, especially now that the school has eliminated loans.

All different kinds of people go to Amherst. Part of my education here has been learning how to live with over 1600 different people. If we were all the same it would be pretty boring. It is never boring at Amherst.

Very few students would feel out place. there is typically a niche for most groups of people. you dont find many goths, and anyone too much like hampshire students tend to be slightly ostracized. people where fairly regular clothes, t-shirts, pants, not many polo shirts, a bunch of sweat shirts. people tend to come from the northeast and west coast. a great deal of students are on financial aid

People are pretty smart here and generally good at everything, so I have learned not to compare myself to others at amherst. I just remember that being a part of this community is a huge accomplishment on its own.

Nobody should feel out of place at Amherst. There are so many different types of people here, despite the size of the place. This is because everyone has more than one thing going for them: the science whiz might also be an a cappella singer, the soccer star a poet, the student body president a jazz guitarist, and so on. The great thing about Amherst is that its size allows people of different types to come into close contact and form far more interesting and heterogeneous social dynamics than you would find elsewhere. Most students have healthy, controlled egos; they have good self-esteem but don't talk about themselves too much.

I think most students at Amherst can find some sort of niche to become a part of, but the interactions and divisions among students from different social, ethnic and financial backgrounds is probably more significant than the college would like to admit. The sports teams some times tend to take over the social scene, but really most people can probably find some sort of social network. I would recommend that people get involved in some sort of activity or on campus organization so they can meet people.

equal opportunity to everyone, diverse backgrounds, should have more internationals and blacks

There are certainly cliques and groups but many different people do come together. Athletic cliques, however, are very common.

The student body would benefit from more interactions outside of their comfort zone. Opening up to new experiences and learning about other peoples journeys is a piece of education that is overlooked and unused far too often. People could be a bit more friendly on the path toward each other too. I mean, life can be rough, but sometimes just one smile can lift you or someone else out of a ditch and realize that crap happens to everyone but you don't have to focus on that.

I don't think any person would feel out of place at Amherst. Amherst has the most diverse student body I have could imagine. There is a friend here for everyone. Most people where clothing to class. What kind of stupid question is that? No, sorry, most people where gorilla suits. I'd say the majority of students are from New England. I am one of two people form Louisiana in my class. I'm not sure about the political leanings of most students. People that I hang around don't talk about how much they will make one day, although I am pretty sure anyone who goes here is going to make a ton of money someday.

There really is no single type of Amherst student, and I can honestly say that this is the most diverse group of people I have ever come across. The school is committed to making college affordable for students, regardless of their financial situation, and the aid office is really great about working to make the costs to students and their families manageable. The campus is very inclusive, and students hailing from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences mix and interact. Diverse perspectives make class discussions an incredible opportunity to learn from your classmates. Almost everybody you meet is passionate about something, whether it's a cause, a sport, an instrument, or an activity. The energy on campus is truly astounding. Any student who is hard-working, motivated, and willing to approach things with an open mind will fit right in. We're all a little quirky in our own ways, and this is what gives Amherst its allure.

I don't think there is a particular kind of student who would feel out of place at Amherst--although it's small, there are all different kinds of people and groups. There are definitely some very intellectual, somewhat pretentious people here, and there are also some somewhat frivolous superficial types, but for the most part, people are friendly, engaging, and interesting. Some students are very politically aware and active, and get frustrated with those who aren't, but overall the student body is well-informed.

I have never once felt that there was not enough to do at Amherst. Most of the student body is involved in something, which is reflected in the broad range of activities.

Student body is VERY open and accepting of all walks of life and belief systems.

At first I thought everyone was middle class just like me, but I've started to notice a slight subculture of students who come from very rich families, who wear very preppy clothes, all have Iphones, read the Wall Street Journal, and somehow know all about finance and banking jobs. There students are involved in the party and athletic scene, but very little in cultural, community service, or academic (ie debate team) kinds of groups. Different types of students interact when on sports teams and in common clubs. Students wear jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers, brown shoes, polo shirts, t-shirts, northface jackets, etc to class. A little preppy, but rarely do I see sweater vests and loafers. Some kids are politically active, but overall the campus is apathetic. Most kids are liberal since we are in the Northeast, but many kids, especially from other regions or rich backgrounds are conservative. As seniors, kids talk about the salaries of the jobs they are applying too, but thats it, and only among close friends.