How many undergraduates are enrolled at Amherst College?
I'm currently making a list of colleges I'm interested in, and I want to get a better feel for the size of the student body at each school. Could someone tell me how many undergrads are at Amherst College?
I'm especially curious because I know Amherst is known for being a small liberal arts college, but I don't know what 'small' really means in numbers. For those of you who go there or know about it, does the size impact your experience in terms of classes, campus life, or community?
I feel like I'd do better in a close-knit environment, but I just want to know more specifics before deciding if it should stay on my list.
I'm especially curious because I know Amherst is known for being a small liberal arts college, but I don't know what 'small' really means in numbers. For those of you who go there or know about it, does the size impact your experience in terms of classes, campus life, or community?
I feel like I'd do better in a close-knit environment, but I just want to know more specifics before deciding if it should stay on my list.
7 months ago
•
79 views
Lily Fang
• 7 months ago
Advisor
Amherst usually enrolls ~1,900 undergrads, or about 475 students per class.
I'm a 2018 grad and the small size of Amherst definitely made an impact on my experience. Academically, my largest classes were 50-70 people for Multivariable Calculus or Intro Psych. My smallest class was 6 people in a music seminar. Most of my classes were around 20 people. Professors knew us by name, had office hours, and some even invited us over for dinner.
Socially, this does mean that there are going to be fewer interest groups, but I still found community in the orchestra and in culture houses (dorms centered around a specific interest like French language or Asian culture).
One of the reasons I chose Amherst was actually the small size. I was deciding between Vanderbilt (undergrad enrollment ~7,000) and Amherst, and people who had gone to similarly-sized research universities told me that they didn't get to know their professors very well and still had bigger courses.
All this to say that I think Amherst's close-knit environment might be a good fit for you!
I'm a 2018 grad and the small size of Amherst definitely made an impact on my experience. Academically, my largest classes were 50-70 people for Multivariable Calculus or Intro Psych. My smallest class was 6 people in a music seminar. Most of my classes were around 20 people. Professors knew us by name, had office hours, and some even invited us over for dinner.
Socially, this does mean that there are going to be fewer interest groups, but I still found community in the orchestra and in culture houses (dorms centered around a specific interest like French language or Asian culture).
One of the reasons I chose Amherst was actually the small size. I was deciding between Vanderbilt (undergrad enrollment ~7,000) and Amherst, and people who had gone to similarly-sized research universities told me that they didn't get to know their professors very well and still had bigger courses.
All this to say that I think Amherst's close-knit environment might be a good fit for you!