Princeton vs Amherst for economics: which is better for undergraduate econ students?

The biggest practical tradeoff is scale: Princeton gives you a much larger economics ecosystem with more faculty, more upper-level field coverage, and stronger built-in research infrastructure, while Amherst gives you a smaller department where undergraduates often get closer access to professors and a more discussion-driven classroom experience. For a student who is serious about economics as an academic discipline, Princeton usually has the edge on course breadth and institutional resources. Amherst is still excellent, but its strength is intimacy rather than sheer depth.

At Princeton, economics is one of the university’s most prominent departments, and that shows up in the visibility of faculty research and the range of ways undergrads can engage beyond intro classes. The senior thesis culture also matters here, since independent research is deeply embedded in the undergraduate experience.

Amherst’s economics department is highly respected and can be especially appealing if you value close faculty relationships and small classes from the start. You are less likely to feel like one of many students moving through a large, popular major. Amherst also benefits from the Five College Consortium, which can expand options somewhat, though that is not the same as having all of Princeton’s departmental scale in one place.

For teaching, Amherst may feel more personal on average, but Princeton should not be assumed to be weak for undergraduates. Princeton is unusually undergraduate-focused for a research university, and serious econ students often benefit from that combination of top-tier faculty and strong undergrad access. If your priority is the richest and deepest undergraduate economics menu, Princeton is the stronger pick. If your priority is learning economics in a smaller liberal arts setting with very close mentorship, Amherst makes a real case, but Princeton is the one I would choose for undergrad econ specifically.