Amherst College seeks to provide the very best liberal arts education to undergraduate students and outstanding support to a faculty engaged in teaching and research. The College brings a diverse group of distinguished faculty members and exceptional students together in a residential setting conducive to personal and intellectual development; it encoursges faculty to contribute to their disciplines and to society through scholarship, performance or professional work. Amherst promotes breadth of study for all students through its advising system and depth through its departmental majors. An Amherst educatioin fosters critical thought and creative achievement in the sciences, arts and humanities by emphasizing close interaction between faculty and students and by offering vigorous support for independent research.
< CollapseAmherst College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1821, it is the third oldest college in Massachusetts, and has been coeducational since 1975.
Founded in 1821, Amherst College developed out of the secondary school Amherst Academy. The college was originally suggested as a successor to Williams College, which was struggling to stay open. Although Williams remained open, Amherst was formed, and diverged from its Williams roots into an individual institution.
In 1812, funds were raised in Amherst for a secondary school, Amherst Academy. The institution was named after the town, which in turn had been named after Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, a veteran from the Seven Year's War and later commanding general of the British forces in North America. On November 18, 1817, a project was adopted at the Academy to raise funds for the free instruction of "indigent young men of promising talents and hopeful piety, who shall manifest a desire to obtain a liberal education with a sole view to the Christian ministry." This required a substantial investment from benefactors.
During the fundraising for the project, it became clear that without larger designs, it would be impossible to raise sufficient funds. This led the committee overseeing the project to conclude that a new institution should be created. On August 18, 1818, the Amherst Academy board of trustees accepted this conclusion and began building a new college.
According to Tyler:
As early as 1815, six years before the opening of Amherst College, the question of removing Williams College to some more central part of Massachusetts was agitated among its friends and in its board of trustees. At that time Williams College had two buildings and fifty-eight students, with two professors and two tutors. The library contained fourteen hundred volumes. The funds were reduced and the income fell short of the expenditures. Many of the friends and supporters of the college were fully persuaded that it could not be sustained in its present location. The chief ground of this persuasion was the extreme difficulty of the access to it.
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Top States for Incoming Freshman
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| Percent of Students International: | 6% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 101% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (New England Small College Ath Conf) Basketball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Baseball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Track (New England Small College Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 32,395 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 614 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,340 | 17% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,406 | 4% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 21,740 | 48% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,380 | 51% | |
Any Aid: |
74% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 19% (Most Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 93% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 670, Math: 680 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 780, Math: 780 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 13% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 29, Verbal: 29, Math: 28 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 33, Verbal: 34, Math: 33 |
| Application Fee: | $ 55.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
College Advice
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Question:
What are my chances at amherst college?
Unweighted cumulative GPA through junior year- 4.0 (5.15 weighted)
Ranked 10/393 students
taking max. number of AP/IB classes
IB Diploma Candidate
2120 SAT (taken it once...taking it again in october)
National Honor Society
-no "sports" but i have been dancing (ballet w/pointe work and jazz) for 10 years
-teach sunday school
-tutor young children
-did study abroad program in israel for 2 months during summer
-did program at brandeis university focusing on law
oh yeah, forgot AP scores and SAT II's
AP World-5
AP US-5
AP Calc AB-5
AP Environmental-5
SAT II
US History- 790
Math IIc- 740
16 months ago
Best Answer
I agree...your chances look VERY good -- especially if you can bring your SAT's up even more. I think if you get a 2250-2400, you'll be practically irresistible to Amherst!
If you've studied a foreign language, that's also a plus.
Here, this link might help:
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=2354&profileId=6
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Question:
how is it in amherst, massachusetts?
I'm from California and am browsing colleges right now(im 17), trying to see possible places to apply to. What is it like in Amherst, Massacusetts? Is there any type of city life, or is it all fields? Are there rivers/any type of water? im used to the beach lol. Right now I'm looking at Hampshire College, I love how their majors work(u dont need one specific area, you can choose to learn about a wide variety of things).last.... is there any college like that in california, oregon, or washington?
i have no idea why someone would tell me im not ready for college, u dont even know me lol, im far readier than alot of kids. i have straight A's at a challenging school and i got 1820 on SAT.
also, not to mention that 100% of kids at my school go to college right away
16 months ago
Best Answer
LMFAO. There is reason it is called ZooMass. Amerherst, Mass is in the middle of nowhere so all people do there is party LOTS. You are about 2 hours from Boston and about 45 mintues from Worchester. The campus is very flat. Im not saying UMass Amerherst is a bad school but considering it is a state school, you may be turned off by paying more then alot of your classmates because you are an out-of-state student, just saying.
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Question:
what do you think about these schools?
Amherst College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Clark University
Emerson College
Fordham University
Hampshire College
New York University
Penn State
Trinity College (Connecticut)
University of Texas
Williams College
anny comments or concerns are welcolme!!
17 months ago
Best Answer
the most prestigious on this list are amherst and williams, they are small liberal arts schools in the northeast that have served many generations of new england's elite.
texas and penn state are huge public institutions. texas is the more selective of the two.
NYU is the most popular school in new york, and is one of the largest private universities in the nation. it has great film and arts programs.
boston u and boston college are breeding grounds for future yuppies of america. both are very good schools.
brandeis has a lot of jewish students.
if your academic credentials are top notch, i would decide first if you want a small liberal arts college environment (amherst), a midsize university (boston college), or a big university (texas). then narrow it down.
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Question:
I want to go to Amherst college...?
I just got my ACT score back, a 30, (english 30, math 30, read 28, science 31) and I have a weighted GPA of 4.45 (out of possible 4.5 with honors) I'm in all the possible honors/AP available at my school. I'm also in a sport year round, and have a job and do lots of extracurriculars. But, I'm studying in Germany during my senior year, leaving me not able to take AP classes. Are these points good enough to get into Amherst? What other schools might you reccomend?
18 months ago
Best Answer
30 is about average for amherst (28-33 off the top of my head) so you're ok there. have you thought about taking it again or taking the SAT? you'll give yourself a better shot if you get that up to around a 32 or a 2150. sounds like ur good EC/courseload/gpa wise so keep it up. write a good essay and see what happens. i'd say it's a slight reach for you right now though.
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Question:
Information about Amherst college?
I know it is a very good school academically, but I am curious about the social life? Are kids at Amherst geeky or what?
18 months ago
Best Answer
You'll find some geeks and some snobs at Amherst (as you would anywhere), but most people are laid-back and nice; it's not a cutthroat school at all. The social life is like that of most small schools: you won't find raging keggers every night, but there's no shortage of stuff to do. I loved it there - it's hard to imagine a better place for undergrads!
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Question:
Amherst or W&M or U.Va.?
Let's say I've been admitted to Amherst College and the College of William & Mary. Which should I choose? Now let's say I've been admitted to Amherst College and the University of Virginia? Or all three? (In reality I've been accepted to Amherst only, but I want to know in advance of this week when I hear from the other two.)
By the way, I just got into William & Mary, too, right now.
21 months ago
Best Answer
University of Virginia's incoming freshman had an average GPA of 4.07 w/ a 37% acceptance rate.
It also placed on the following lists on princetonreview.com
Best College Library
Jock Schools
Best in the Southeast
Best Value College
Amherst on the other hand, I'm not sure about the GPA, but I know they had a 19% acceptance rate last year so REALLY consider yourself one of the select FEW. Congratulaitons, BTW.
Also, Amherst made the following lists on princetonreview.com
Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates
Professors Get High Marks
School Runs Like Butter
Best in the Northeast
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GPA: 3.67 (4.0 Scale)
Class Rank: Top 25% (385 students)
SAT: 1950 total (650 X 3 sections)
School: Public High School (one of the top 10 PHS in my state)
Extracurricular activities: 3 seasons of sports X 4 years
Volunteer Work: 150+ Hours (Hospital, Library, Schools, Town, etc.)
Location: Northeast, US
Work experience: 1 year
=> with that being sad can i get into one of these schools and what are my chances?
1. Boston University
2. Boston College
3. Northeastern University
4. Tufts University
5. Brown University
6. New York University
7. Villanova University
8. Cornell University
9. Pepperdine University
10. Amherst College
11. Williams College
12. WPI
13. Emerson College
*IF THEIR ARE ANY OTHER COLLEGES/UNIVERSITES THAT I SHOULD LOOK INTO LET ME KNOW. I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ANY COMMUNITY/JUNIOR/STATE COLLEGES OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES. I AM LOOKING FOR A PRIVATE 4-YEAR COLLEGE, PREFRABLY IN THE NORTHEASTERN STATES (NY, *MA*, ME, VA, ETC.) THANKS =]]
21 months ago
Best Answer
Well I gotta say, you put in a lot of information there, but you leave one important thing out:
What state are you from? The reason this is important is if it's a small one, top 10 PHS doesn't mean anything, + some of these schools are public ones, and acceptance rate change depending on your residency.
In my personal opinion, you seem decently qualified, but definately not quite Amherst, Cornell, etc. level. You've got pretty low SATs for these schools, and unless you have amazing grades and fantastic extracurriculars, if you're not in at least the average for test scores for these schools you're done.
I also have no idea what level of sports you played, and which they were. Were they varsity? Schools oftentimes will lower their standards to let in an athlete they think will make a difference, even if it's not a D1 school.
The community service hours are a plus, but if you don't sell them they aren't worth anything. 150 service hours is an impressive amount, but what the school is going to want to know is how you made a difference and how you were changed as a person (good essay topic).
Also, what are you interested in studying? These are all great/good schools, but they're good for different things. If you're a jock, you might not be happy at a really artsy/literature school, and vice versa.
Furthermore, I would reccommend you add some some more second tier schools to your list, and perhaps limit the number of reach schools to those you truly dream about attending. Applications are time consuming, and if you spend too much time on those you have a slim chance at being accepted for you might miss out on some schools you really want to go to. I would really reccommend some schools like Macalester, Grinnell, Carleton, Kenyon and Wooster to you. They are very good schools, and they'd definately be in your ranges, in fact you might be able to get some scholarship money. Just make sure you're finding schools that would be a good fit for you.
For closure, I do not know you or all of the facts about you, and thus this is just a shallow evaluation of what you've told me. I understand you're trying not to be too informative since this is the internet, but these are all things you should take into consideration. If you get your SATs up (take the ACT too, some people do better on that), you might have a better chance at those reach schools, I don't know. Anyways good luck.
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