Admissions and student experience at Amherst and Princeton for physics, math and economics

[atyy]

There is.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have kid with above average intellect and kid with below average intellect...

Having said that, I like to believe that people have some distinct characteristics and have different things that make them "tick". It's only a question of finding out what. Then they'd be able to do anything. Then again, I might be wrong and I'll never be able to play soccer very well nor will that girl I know be able to solve a simultaneous equation in less than 10 minutes.

Sure, but we're talking about undergraduate education here. I believe anyone can pass MIT (but maybe not Amherst or Princeton), although not everyone can play soccer.

 

[twofish-quant]

Also I should point out that in my experience (Harvard with some second hand information about Princeton) undergraduate and graduate are completely different worlds. There is a lot of "sense of entitlement" among undergrads, but none that I've been able to detect in the graduate schools, which was really surprising to me.

 

[spamiam]

Hi Thy Apathy,

I am a recent graduate and math major from Amherst College. I was actually admitted to both Princeton and Amherst but ended up choosing the latter over the former. I was pretty put off by the eating clubs at Princeton, since these seemed to be nothing more than institutionalized cliques. More than anything, though, I simply like the atmosphere at Amherst better when I visited, so I will echo others in encouraging you to visit schools to which you are admitted.

Things I liked about Amherst:

Small faculty
There is a very tight-knit math community at Amherst. Professors are almost always in their offices and welcome unscheduled drop-ins. What's more, the faculty is top knotch. Dan Velleman's How To Prove It is one of the most-used introductions to proofs and David Cox has a very good book on Galois Theory. And then there's the ageless Norton Starr, who gave the best Calc II lectures I've ever seen and offered chocolate to anyone who could catch him making a mistake at the board. As a math major, you are both invited to and expected to attend the regular talks hosted in the afternoons and the weekly math table was always a fun, nerdy lunch.

The Five College Consortium
As a student at Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, UMass, and Smith, you can take classes at any of the aforementioned schools. As n1person pointed out, the small size of Amherst's faculty reduces the number and breadth of courses offered, but with the addition of any and all math courses at the other 4 schools, I think it's safe to say the selection is even broader than the average university. Two other math majors from my year took grad level classes at UMass in algebraic topology and differential manifolds. There are even students who have completed honors theses with advisors from other schools. There are also many collaborations between 5 College professors and joint conferences as well (e.g., http://www.math.umass.edu/~siman/seminar.html).

n1person mentioned there are many students at Amherst who have math as a secondary major, but I hardly counted them as a part of the math community. If I'm not mistaken, the completion of high level math courses is a requirement for admission to grad school in economics and physics and I imagine you might find a similar percentage of math-______ double majors at other schools.

I have no idea what the admission process is like, and I don't think anyone does who hasn't actually worked in the admissions office. There was an enormous variety of different types of people at Amherst, and I sincerely doubt that there is some "formula" for how to become the perfect applicant. I had very good SAT scores and grades and took several AP classes, but I came from a tiny high school in the sticks.

Frankly, if you're looking for more information on any department in any school, I think you should simply email one of the professors with your questions.

 

[Mépris]

Hi Thy Apathy,

I am a recent graduate and math major from Amherst College. I was actually admitted to both Princeton and Amherst but ended up choosing the latter over the former. I was pretty put off by the eating clubs at Princeton, since these seemed to be nothing more than institutionalized cliques. More than anything, though, I simply like the atmosphere at Amherst better when I visited, so I will echo others in encouraging you to visit schools to which you are admitted.

International student. Visiting...yeah, not so easily done! :P

Are the five colleges quite close? Is it "easy" to mix with people who go to different schools? Student bars or something? How's living there, in general, like?

Nerdy lunch sounds like fun. I like what you've described. Thanks. ;)

 

[spamiam]

International student. Visiting...yeah, not so easily done! :P

What I meant is that you should apply to schools without visiting, but, once you've received your admission decisions in the spring, make one trip and visit schools to which you've been accepted to see what they are like before enrolling.

Are the five colleges quite close? Is it "easy" to mix with people who go to different schools? Student bars or something? How's living there, in general, like?

Yes, it's very easy to get around. There is a bus system (http://www.pvta.com/schedules.php) that runs very frequently and is free for students of the consortium. There are many area events (e.g. concerts) that attract students from many of the different universities, students often participate in extracurricular activities at one of the other schools, and of course students often attend parties held at the other schools--it doesn't hurt that two of the five are all-girls schools ;). All of this in addition to students that you meet in your classes. Anyway, I will conclude my plug by saying that I had a great time at Amherst and learned a lot.

 

[Mépris]

What I meant is that you should apply to schools without visiting, but, once you've received your admission decisions in the spring, make one trip and visit schools to which you've been accepted to see what they are like before enrolling.

America is still on the other side of the world and I'm not sure I'll have that kind of money. But we'll see how things pan out... :) :)

Yes, it's very easy to get around. There is a bus system (http://www.pvta.com/schedules.php) that runs very frequently and is free for students of the consortium. There are many area events (e.g. concerts) that attract students from many of the different universities, students often participate in extracurricular activities at one of the other schools, and of course students often attend parties held at the other schools--it doesn't hurt that two of the five are all-girls schools ;). All of this in addition to students that you meet in your classes. Anyway, I will conclude my plug by saying that I had a great time at Amherst and learned a lot.

That's enough for me. Girls, and lots of 'em, can't be a bad thing. Well, they could be but I'd rather not think about that part right now. :D

Cheers mate.