The main quadrangle, colloquially known as the first-year quad, is home to the dorms where all Amherst’s first-year students stay. Personally, I love living in the first-year quad because of its location. I live in the Appleton dorm, which is known as a quiet dorm – therefore, the noise level in my dorm is relatively…Continue Reading An Introduction to First-Year Dorms
At Amherst, we don’t have to declare a major until the end of our sophomore year, so many first-year students enter college with only a vague idea of what they want to major in. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to explore possible majors that help students determine which department they wish to declare their…Continue Reading Opportunities to Explore Your Major
Especially in recent years, Amherst College has made efforts to be more inclusive of intersectional identities. As someone who holds intersectional identities in terms of ethnicity and gender, these efforts have been particularly important for me and how I find a sense of belonging at the school. In addition to the resource centers providing safe…Continue Reading Intersectionality at Amherst
Every college semester, we’re required to take 4 courses, which might not seem a lot compared to taking up to 7 courses in high school. However, the workload for each course is much more intense as each course only lasts a semester, and students are required to finish learning a whole textbook of material or…Continue Reading Study and Organization Tips for College
Part of adjusting to college is learning how to study effectively for classes, and for most students, that also involves finding a study spot. While most people often assume that the only places to study are in your dorm room or at the library, which in our case is Frost Library, there are a plethora…Continue Reading Finding a Study Spot
Having grown up in the Bay Area, I have always been part of a community that’s largely Asian Americans. In my hometown, a large portion of residents identify as Asian American, specifically Asian immigrants or Asian American first-generation children of immigrants. Coming to Amherst, I wasn’t sure whether I would experience the same sense of…Continue Reading Amherst’s Asian American Community
Admittedly, Amherst’s location is a little far from major cities as it is about an hour-and-a-half drive away from Boston and an hour’s drive to Hartford. I know a ton of my friends had worries about transportation when deciding whether to come to Amherst College or not, especially because first-year students are not allowed to…Continue Reading Transportation in Amherst
I can’t lie – the conclusion of my first semester at Amherst College was a little hectic and stressful with finals, having to pack for winter break, and figuring out travel plans. However, I can’t deny that it has also been an enjoyable experience. Even though December is finals season, it is also the holiday…Continue Reading Concluding My First Semester at Amherst
First snow day. My first snow day! I have grown up in Los Angeles’ climate all seventeen years of my life. The chances of seeing snow are very very low, I had never seen it fall from the sky with my eyes. At Amherst College, I was aware I would be experiencing all four seasons….Continue Reading My First Snow Day
If you know me, I enjoy my time learning through storytelling and discussions. Amherst students recently hosted an event called Alza Tu Voz, Raise Your Voice, as an opportunity for students to share about Latinidad through poems, stories, songs, etc. Coming from an Oaxacan household, I am always looking to connect to others and their…Continue Reading Alza Tu Voz