Did you know that Amherst is part of a five-college consortium? My previous blog mentions the University of Massachusetts (UMass) regarding the students that rehearse and perform with the ASO (Amherst Symphony Orchestra). Those are one of the many connections you can get through Amherst. The consortium consists of five sister schools Amherst College, Mount Holyoke, University of Massachusetts, Smith College, and New Hampshire College which everyone is always able to visit at no cost if you take the PVTA. Because the colleges are open to all students, you can request books, attend events, collaborate between affinity groups, etc. This week my friends and I visited Smith College’s campus in Northampton, Massachusetts, a neighboring town. We visited the botanical gardens, the planetarium, the museum, and a couple of other cool places around town. Previous to this trip, I became familiar with Smith’s campus on behalf of the Smith College Creative Writing Pre-summer College Program I attended previous to my senior year. The town of Northampton was active and beautiful, and the campus has many areas to explore. Amherst students are not only limited to the Amherst campus but also have options for taking courses in the other five colleges.
Another way that I have connected with another of the Five College groups is through the Native and Indigenous Student Association hosting the Know Better, Do Better event. I met another one of the NISA representatives at Mount Holyoke, Naomy Paomy Poot. We bonded over the dinner before the event and conversed about the classes she finds intriguing at Mount Holyoke. She went into detail about the opportunity to be a part of one of Amherst’s art classes and recommended a class in the architectural studies department at Mount Holyoke. The five college consortium has a multitude of things to offer, hopefully, you can enjoy them even if it is just taking a small trip to explore their campus.