The first day of spring semester at Amherst College was Monday, January 27th! You may be wondering whether the first day of classes in college is similar to the first day of high school. The answer is that they are similar with some nuance.
There is still that same mixture of excitement and anxiety on the first day of college as you probably experienced in high school. It can be nerve-wracking to find your course locations. Even though the Amherst College campus is smaller than most university campuses, it can still be difficult to find courses, especially in large buildings like the Science Center. However, you can walk around campus before the first day of school and locate your classes– my friends and I did this before the fall semester started. There are also maps inside some of the buildings to help with directions. To find the buildings themselves, you can download the mammoth mobile app for an interactive map.
Finding the perfect place to sit in your classes can also be daunting. Where you sit usually becomes your permanent seat for the rest of the semester. Think carefully about whether you want to sit in the front or back of lecture halls and with whom you want to sit. Don’t worry; you don’t need to know anyone before the first day of a class! Many of my close friends now are ones I met through my courses. I also prefer to sit close to the front of lectures but not quite in front of the professor (in case I fall asleep during chemistry lectures).
As for selecting first-day-of-school outfits in college, there is little stress. My mom would help me go all out in elementary school. In college, you can wear whatever. Some students showed up in crocs and sweatpants on the first day, while others wore dressy attire. I wore a sweater and jeans on my first day! Here is an Instagram post where you can see what other students wore for the first day of the spring 2025 semester: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFWFtJtJLcB/.
In high school, my first week of classes was always very relaxing. They were filled with fun ice-breakers and units that briefly introduced students to the course topics. I rarely had homework during this time. I also had ample time to transition from my “summer brain” to “academic mode”. In contrast, on the first day of college classes, you usually start learning the course material promptly. Professors do spend the first few minutes of class reading and answering questions about the syllabus. Since Amherst College has small class sizes, professors usually go around the room asking for students’ names, a fun fact, and their interests. At large universities, there are too many students for professors to ask for introductions. After introductions, though, professors usually begin a lesson on the first day. Yes, homework follows (I currently have a mountain of homework). First-day specifics depend on the professor and course, but the curriculums at Amherst are generally very rigorous and structured. Professors start teaching students immediately so they are sufficiently prepared for midterms/finals, and the topics on the syllabus can be covered in depth.
If you have any specific questions about the first day of classes at Amherst or anything else, feel free to contact me! You can find me at ipatel28@amherst.edu.