Are small classes more common at the University of Washington or Amherst College?

Amherst College is much more likely to give you small classes and regular professor interaction. It is a small liberal arts college built around discussion-based teaching, and most courses are taught by faculty rather than graduate instructors. The University of Washington, by contrast, is a large public research university where introductory classes are often much bigger, especially in popular departments.

At Amherst, small seminars and close access to professors are a core part of the academic model. Classrooms are typically designed for conversation, writing-based feedback, and office-hour relationships that can become pretty personal over time. That does not mean every class is tiny, but the overall structure strongly favors face-to-face engagement.

At UW, you can absolutely find smaller classes, especially in upper-level courses, specialized majors, honors, and some humanities seminars. But the baseline experience is different because the university enrolls far more students, and many first-year and prerequisite courses are held in large lecture formats. In those classes, discussion sections may be led by TAs, so direct contact with professors can take more effort.

Another practical difference is advising and academic scale. Amherst’s size makes it easier for faculty to know students well, which often matters for mentoring, recommendations, and independent projects. UW offers enormous academic breadth and research opportunities, but for the specific question of small classes and a more personal classroom experience, Amherst has the clearer edge.