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Amherst College
- Diversity

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Amherst College - Diversity - Diversity - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.24

Diversity

A-
Where does this grade come from?View all Diversity rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Diversity Grades:

Quick Stats

African American 10%
Asian American 10%
Hispanic 10%
International 7%
Native American 0%
White 42%
Unknown 15%
Historically Black College/University? No
Tribal College? No
Out-of-State Students 89%
Common States of Residence
  • California
  • Florida
  • Foreign countries
  • Maryland
  • New York
Student Age Breakdown Under 18: 2%
18-19: 45%
20-21: 44%
22-24: 8%
25+: 1%
Female Faculty 44%
Male Faculty 56%
Faculty Diversity African American: 3%
Asian American: 10%
Hispanic: 5%
International: 4%
Native American: 0%
White: 77%
Unknown: 0%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

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.

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Amherst Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Diversity at Amherst College

klferendo

History '15

5.0
A+

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.

Jan 19, 2012

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Diversity at Amherst College

azshen

Mathematics '14

5.0
A+

Very Diverse

There are so many people from all over the world. Amherst tries really hard to diversify the student body, so there are a lot of international students. Even among the domestic students, it is diverse. Pride Alliance is also an important presence on campus, as well as Amherst Christian Fellowship and Black Student Union.

Jan 25, 2011

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Diversity at Amherst College

chuckpratt

'12

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.

Mar 04, 2009

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Page 1 of 7
User rating for Amherst College - Diversity is 4.6 out of 5 based on 19 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How diverse is the student body in the following areas?

How diverse is your personal circle of friends in the following areas?

How accepting is the campus community as a whole toward someone who falls into the minority (ethnic, sexual, or religious)?

How would you best describe your personal political beliefs?

How would you best describe the political beliefs of campus as a whole?

Facts

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.

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.

Economic 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.

Most Common Religions

Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism

Minority Clubs on Campus

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.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Lem Atanga McCormick
Hometown
Chicago, IL
Major
Pre-Med (Biology and French)

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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