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Comparable Schools'
Diversity Grades:
College Prowler Take
Whether Amherst is diverse enough is one of the most disputed questions among administration and students. Many call for special programs to attract more minorities to the school, which suffers, as all New England private colleges do, from a stigma of being a WASP-only country club for young adults. The truth is, Amherst makes a considerable effort to make itself known to minorities and to make its expensive education more affordable. The College offers a need-blind application process to American citizens, and large percent of students receive financial aid. International students can also apply for financial aid, although this will reduce their chances of admission. Most importantly, the fact that this issue is debated constantly on this campus shows a level of awareness and willingness to formally admit and socially accept eclectic groups of students each year. Still, many students feel that more should be done to have a more-diverse student body. The current Amherst student body is far from being all white and will probably never be all white. Living in such a diverse community requires a very high level of tolerance, which is present most of the time. It seems people here don’t really allow racial and discriminatory practices, ideas, and words to penetrate everyday life. In this sense, Amherst does feel like a bubble tightly insulated from the outside world. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
chuckpratt says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided  |
The campus is pretty diverse, but...
The campus is pretty diverse, but I feel like everybody is pretty well assimilated into the dominant culture, whatever that is. It's hard to notice differences unless you really get to know the people, and then you find out all these interesting things about them.
Diversity: March 04, 2009
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AmhSL says: Amherst College 2015 Biological and Biomedical Sciences |
Our campus has a fair amount of...
Our campus has a fair amount of diversity. Since financial aid is given to students who need it, we are able to have a wide range of economic backgrounds. We also have a lot of international students. This is the part of the population that is well publicized, but otherwise the majority is white, upper-middle class.
Diversity: February 18, 2009
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AmhAG says: Amherst College 2016 Other |
Amherst has every type of person....
Amherst has every type of person. It's the most diverse, liberal place I've ever been.
Diversity: February 17, 2009
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AmhDJ says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided |
There are many different groups...
There are many different groups represented here. While I feel it is a diverse college, the majority of students are still white. Even so, I feel like everyone is very accepting of all different races and sexualities.
Diversity: February 16, 2009
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AmhKD says: Amherst College 2015 Law and Legal Studies |
There are a lot of wealthy WASPS...
There are a lot of wealthy WASPS at Amherst, but it's far from exclusively rich kids. A large amount of people are on financial aid who you would never think were. Racially, it has gotten more diverse and has always been extremely liberal in terms of religion.
Diversity: February 16, 2009
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FactsEconomic Status
Most students come from wealthy families, and there is a considerable part of the student body that comes from a lower economic status. In any case, your economic background rarely comes into play at Amherst in any circumstance, social or otherwise.
Gay Pride
The prevailing notion at Amherst is that a person’s sexual orientation is their business. The campus is very accepting of homosexuality. Here are some student organizations concerned with gender issues on campus: the Amherst College Pride Alliance (LBGTQA), Amherst Feminist Alliance, the Women’s Center, Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect.
Minority Clubs
There are many organizations, as well as theme houses at Amherst. They hold many fascinating cultural events during the academic year. Examples: AIKYA, the Asian Student Association, the Black Students Union, Chicano Caucus, International Student Association (ISA), Pacific Islander/South East Asian Students (PISEAS). Culture theme houses: Asian Culture House (ACH); African, African American, and African Caribbean House (Drew House); La Casa.
Most Common Religions
Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism
Political Activity
The campus is mostly very liberal, although the Amherst College Republicans is a very lively and combative organization. Most students don’t live and breathe politics, but those who do are really ardent about it. Many students like to complain about the student government, but the truth is that they have helpful and practical initiatives, such as arranging for free shuttles to the nearest airports on breaks, and purchasing cardboard boxes for students to put their stuff in on breaks.
Most Recent Contributing Author
Name: Lem Atanga McCormick
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Pre-Med (Biology and French) Lem has been to 17 different countries. Contributing Author Internship
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