Amherst College

Drugs at Amherst

The college is not extremely strict about drugs, but it does work to restrict underage drinking and use of illegal drugs. It's really not very difficult for anyone wanting to drink or smoke pot to obtain some. Drugs really aren't a nuisance though. Probably the majority of students drink, but usually moderately and for parties. Pot is almost always kept to one's dorm room. There is only very, very mild pressure to drink.

In general, the college is fairly laid back, drugs are available but not a nuisance, and everyone's chill about it.

Very Diverse Campus

Amherst is extremely diverse. The generous financial aid program ensures that there are many students of all socioeconomic positions. There is also significant racial and geographical diversity. There are students from all over the country, and 10% of Amherst students are international (I have friends from China, Zimbabwe, Uruguay, New Zealand, Jamaica, etc.). I'm not sure of the percentages, but there are a pretty large number of blacks and Asians. There's also a reasonably sized gay community at Amherst. The college places quite a lot of emphasis on tolerance and acceptance, but it's quite unnecessary. Everyone at Amherst is very open and accepting. Religious diversity is moderate, with many Christian faiths, a sizable Jewish population, and a large number of atheist/agnostic/irreligious students, though few representatives of Eastern religions.

Good College Town Dining

First on the list has to be Antonio's. Antonio's is frequented by almost all Amherst College and UMass Amherst students. It's got great pizza (and something like 100 varieties) at fairly low prices - generally around $3.00 a slice (the slices are fairly large).

There are numerous other restaurants, including Vera Cruzana (Mexican), Bertucci's (Italian food), Pasta e Basta (more Italian food), Sugar Jones Cookies (they deliver cookies), Baku's African Restaurant (gluten and lactose free), Bart's Homemade Ice cream and Cafe, Loose Goose Cafe, Bueno y Sano (more Mexican), Amherst Creperie, Mango Mango, Arigato Sushi, and probably just as many I've forgotten.

The food is good almost everywhere. Some places are pricier than others, though. The Creperie, for example, might be a little out of a college student's price range so far as the price to mass ratio goes. The variety is excellent. For some students it's tough to say no very often to Val's "free" meals, but when they get old, there's a lot of good food to choose from.