Application Type	Deadline	Notification	% Accepted
Early Decision	11/15	12/15	39
Early Action	--	--	--
Regular Decision	1/1	4/5	18

Type of Early Action: n/a
Application website
Common Application


Essays
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Essay Questions 2010-11

In addition to the essay you're asked to write as part of the Common Application, Amherst requires a second essay of no more than 300 words. We do not offer interviews as part of the application process at Amherst. However, your essays provide you with an opportunity to speak to us. Please keep this in mind when responding to one of the following quotations. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the text from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.

"Rigorous reasoning is crucial in mathematics, and insight plays an important secondary role these days. In the natural sciences, I would say that the order of these two virtues is reversed. Rigor is, of course, very important. But the most important value is insight--insight into the workings of the world. It may be because there is another guarantor of correctness in the sciences, namely, the empirical evidence from observation and experiments." Kannan Jagannathan, Professor of Physics, Amherst College "Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He's the happiest man on earth when he's performing, but when the show is over, he's sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future. Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name."Ilan Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst CollegeFrom "The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilan Stavans" by Saideh Pakravan for the fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review "It seems to me incumbent upon this and other schools' graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest... unless the graduates of this college... are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion... then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible." John F. Kennedy, at the ground breaking for the Amherst College Frost Library, October 26, 1963 "Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior." Elizabeth Aries, Professor of Psychology, Amherst College From her book Men and Women in Interaction, Reconsidering the Differences "Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted." Attributed to William Hastie, Amherst Class of 1925, first African-American to serve as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals Candidates who have completed a significant piece of independent scientific research may include a brief abstract describing the work (50-75 words maximum).

Essay Questions 2009-10

pdf available: https://www.amherst.edu/admission

1. Common Application

2. Supplement Essay

In addition to the essay you’re asked to write as part of the Common Application, Amherst requires a second essay (250-500 words). We do not offer interviews as part of the application process at Amherst. However, your essays provide you with an opportunity to speak to us. Please keep this in mind when responding to one of the following quotations. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.

• “The world as revealed by science is far more beautiful, and far more interesting, than we had any right to expect. Science is valuable because of the view of the universe that it gives."

-George Greenstein, Professor of Astronomy, Amherst College

• “Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He’s the happiest man on earth when he’s performing, but when the show is over, he’s sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future. Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name.”

-Ilán Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College

From “The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilán Stavans” by Saideh Pakravan for the fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review

• “It seems to me incumbent upon this and other schools’ graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest...unless the graduates of this college…are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion...then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible.”

-John F. Kennedy, at the ground breaking for the Amherst College Frost Library, October 26, 1963

• “Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior.”

-Elizabeth Aries, Professor of Psychology, Amherst College

From her book Men and Women in Interaction, Reconsidering the Differences

• “Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted.”

-Attributed to William Hastie, Amherst Class of 1925, first African-American to serve as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals

3. Optional Science Supplement

Candidates who have completed a significant piece of independent scientific research may include a brief abstract describing the work. (50-75 words maximum)

Passport's take


Essay Questions 2008-09

1. Common Application

2. Supplemental Essay:

Respond to one of the following quotations. (250-500 words)

• “The world as revealed by science is far more beautiful, and far more interesting, than we had any right to expect. Science is valuable because of the view of the universe that it gives.”

-George Greenstein, Professor of Astronomy, Amherst College

• “Literature is the best way to overcome death. My father, as I said, is an actor. He’s the happiest man on earth when he’s performing, but when the show is over, he’s sad and troubled. I wish he could live in the eternal present, because in the theater everything remains in memories and photographs. Literature, on the other hand, allows you to live in the present and to remain in the pantheon of the future. Literature is a way to say, I was here, this is what I thought, this is what I perceived. This is my signature, this is my name.”

-Ilán Stavans, Professor of Spanish, Amherst College
From “The Writer in Exile: an interview with Ilán Stavans” by Saideh Pakravan for the fall 1993 issue of The Literary Review

• “It seems to me incumbent upon this and other schools’ graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest...unless the graduates of this college…are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion...then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible.”

-John F. Kennedy, at the ground breaking for the Amherst College Frost Library, October 26, 1963

• “Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior.”

-Elizabeth Aries, Professor of Psychology, Amherst College
From her book Men and Women in Interaction, Reconsidering the Differences

• “Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted.”

-Attributed to William Hastie, Amherst Class of 1925, first African-American to serve as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals

3. Optional Science Supplement:

Candidates who have completed a significant piece of independent scientific research may include a brief abstract describing the work (50-75 words maximum)

Testing Policy Link to testing policy on admissions website
________________________________________________________________________

Required tests: The old SAT I and three SAT II/Subject Tests, the new SAT plus two SAT Subject Tests OR the ACT*

Score-choice policy: Superscore, highest sections used

AP policy:

*If we receive all your SAT scores before we receive your ACT score, our system will mark you waived for the ACT. If we receive your ACT score before we receive your complete SAT and SAT II/Subject Test results, the system will indicate that your SAT scores have been waived. In fact, we record all test scores we receive. Amherst's policy is to focus on your strongest test results.

Recommendation Letters Link to letters policy on admissions website
________________________________________________________________________

Letters of Recommendation required?

Total letters of recommendation allowed?


Coursework
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Subject	Required	Recommended
English
Language
History
Math
Science
Social Studies
Visual/Performing Arts

List of majors offered: (link)

List of sports teams offered: (link)

If you like this school, you might also like: (list schools then insert poll widget)


Rankings and Lists

(ex: US News rankings, Princeton Review Lists, colleges that change lives, etc)

Selectivity

Selectivity Rating*
Avg GPA (unweighted)
Avg GPA (weighted)
% in top 10% of HS class
% in top 25% of HS class
% in top 50% of HS class
Avg ACT
Avg SAT Reading
Avg SAT Math
Avg SAT Writing

*on a scale from 60-99, produced by The Princeton Review

Educational Quality

4-year graduation rate
6-year graduation rate
Freshman retention rate
Professors interesting rating*
Professors accessible rating*
Student/faculty ratio

*ranked on a scale of 60-99 by The Princeton Review


Financial Aid

Financial Aid Rating*
Total Annual Cost **
% undergrads receiving non-need-based aid
Avg non-need based aid award
% undergrads receiving need-based aid
Avg need-based loan
Avg need-based gift aid
Avg % of need met
Financial Aid forms used

*ranked on a scale of 60-99 by The Princeton Review
**includes tuition, room and board, fees, books, and misc. expenses


Student Characteristics

Undergraduate enrollment
Total students
Male/female ratio
% undergraduate live on campus
% freshmen live on campus
% African American
% Asian
% Caucasian
% Hispanic
% Native American
% International
% join fraternities
% join sororities