Amherst College

Amherst, MA · founded 1821 · 1,850 students · liberal arts college · NESCAC

Known for: Amherst is a top-tier liberal arts college celebrated for its open curriculum, which has no required core courses, and its membership in the Five College Consortium, allowing students to take classes at four other nearby institutions.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #2
Forbes: #13

Top programmes

Economics
English
Political Science
History
Psychology
Neuroscience

Notable alumni

Calvin Coolidge — 30th President of the United States
David Foster Wallace — Influential novelist and essayist
Dan Brown — Best-selling author of 'The Da Vinci Code'
Harlan F. Stone — Former Chief Justice of the United States
Joseph Stiglitz — Nobel laureate in Economics
Connie Britton — Award-winning actress
Emily Dickinson — Iconic American poet (attended briefly)
Harold E. Varmus — Nobel laureate in Physiology/Medicine

Traditions

Mammoth March
Primal Scream
Homecoming bonfire
Amherst Reads common book program

If Amherst College were…

As a food: omakase at Masa — Tiny, eye-wateringly expensive, and utterly bespoke. The chef (faculty) knows exactly who you are, what you need, and crafts each course (class) specifically for the twelve people at the counter.
As an athlete: Tim Duncan — Quiet, fundamentally sound, never flashy but consistently elite. Amherst doesn't showboat like the Ivies but has been dominating its conference (liberal arts education) for decades with disciplined excellence.
As a person alive today: Dan Brown — Amherst alum who turned intellectual puzzle-solving and archival research into blockbuster success — exactly the kind of deep-dive analytical thinking the open curriculum cultivates.
As a historical figure: Emily Dickinson — Amherst's most famous neighbor and spiritual patron saint: fiercely independent, intellectually uncompromising, and produced world-changing work from a small New England town most people couldn't find on a map.
As a movie or TV show: Dead Poets Society — Elite New England prep-school intensity meets genuine intellectual freedom and close faculty mentorship. The open curriculum is literally 'seize the day' in academic form, minus the tragic ending.
As a US president: Calvin Coolidge — Amherst alum who embodied New England restraint and quiet competence. Not the loudest voice in the room but deeply principled and effective — exactly Amherst's institutional personality.
As a city: Kyoto — Historic, refined, steeped in tradition yet quietly innovative. Beautiful but not showy, small enough that everyone knows the best spots, and surrounded by natural beauty that shapes daily life.
As an element: Platinum — Rarer and more expensive than gold, incredibly dense (intellectually), resistant to corrosion (maintains standards), and used in the most precise instruments. Small quantities have outsized impact.
As a car: Porsche 911 Carrera (air-cooled era) — Amherst is the purist's sports car—small, fiercely independent, engineered for intellectual performance over comfort. It's the choice of connoisseurs who know the open curriculum handles like nothing else, and it costs a

Campus life

Amherst fosters an intellectually vibrant and socially engaged community. The open curriculum encourages academic exploration and independence. Social life includes campus-wide events, parties, and easy access to the other colleges in the consortium, particularly UMass Amherst.