New Students

Orientation
2008 Orientation will be held Aug. 24-Sept. 1.
The Orientation site is in the process of being updated. Updates will be complete by May 1, 2008.
Dean of New Students
First-Year Orientation Outing Trips
Outreach Trips
Summer Science
Student Telephone Services
Cars on Campus
IT for New Students

Dean of New Students

Professor Allen Hart, Dean of New Students, teaches Psychology. He has special responsibilities for first-year and other new students. He may be consulted on matters relating to the general and academic counseling of first-year students, College regulations and requirements, the Orientation Program and the First-Year Seminar courses. Professor Hart is a member of the Committee on Academic Standing and the Prize Committee, and is chairperson of the Orientation Committee.

First-Year Orientation Outing Trips

The First-Year Orientation Outing Trips (FOOT) have proven to be one of our most valued and enjoyable experiences for first-year students. Organized and led by upperclass students, the FOOT program provides an ideal opportunity for new students to get to know one another while enjoying the beauty of New England’s great outdoors. In recent years, these trips have become an increasingly popular part of new student orientation, as they foster lasting friendships among students who may not have otherwise met.

The program offers hiking and canoeing trips at every level, and in some years includes rock climbing and biking trips, depending on student interest and the availability of trip leaders. Trips may take place in the scenic Delaware and Connecticut Rivers, and the White Mountains, among other locations. Beginners, don’t be shy! Even if you’ve never been on a camping trip, you are strongly encouraged to take part in the FOOT program!

A trip fee of $200 covers the cost of rental gear, supplies and transportation, but a fee waiver or adjustment will be given for any student requesting financial assistance.

Detailed information about the trips is included in the information packet sent to all new students by late May. Trip registration forms are due by mid-June each year. By the last week of June, you should receive a letter telling you which trip you’ve been selected for.

We strongly encourage you to be a part of this program—there’s no better way to start off your four years at Amherst!

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Community Engagement Orientation Trip

The Amherst College Center for Community Engagement works to strengthen connections between college students and the local communities that surround our campus. We invite you to join us in building these partnerships, as you are now a member of the larger Amherst community.

The Community Engagement Orientation Trip will provide you with an opportunity to join a dynamic network of more than 500 Amherst students who are actively engaged in community service and social change organizing. During the three-day Community Engagement Orientation Trip you will take your first steps in building relationships with local organizations, community activists, and public educators in the Pioneer Valley. Fifty participants will be placed, in small groups, at local organizations involved with a variety of community needs and issues.

Some of our past placements and projects have included painting and renovating a homeless shelter, providing childcare at a battered women’s shelter, harvesting organic produce at the Food Bank Farm, door-to-door organizing with an advocate for affordable housing, urban gardening with the Holyoke Latino community, sorting canned goods at the Food Bank warehouse for distribution, working at a community computer center and clearing a lot for Habitat for Humanity. Participants generally stay at the same placement for all three days. During the evening, Community Engagement student leaders and community activists facilitate interactive workshops and discussions. Topics may include youth empowerment, the cycle of poverty, homelessness, welfare reform, equality in education, the global economy and grass-roots community organizing.

No previous volunteer experience is necessary. You will receive detailed information on the Community Engagement Orientation Trip in your May mailing packet, which you should receive by late May. There is a $100 fee for the program, to cover the costs of food and transportation, but financial waivers are available to anyone requesting assistance.

If you are interested in learning more about the Amherst College Community Engagement Program, please visit us at http://www.amherst.edu/~outreach/.

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Summer Science

Summer Science, a three-week course for about 20 selected members of the incoming class, is designed to help you make a smooth transition between high school and college approaches to math and science. Invitations are extended to students who express a strong interest in math and science and whose records indicate that they might need supplemental work before enrolling in Amherst College courses in these subjects.

Begun in 1997, the Summer Science Program has proven a wonderful opportunity for scores of students to learn how science and math are taught at the college level in a friendly and supportive environment. Many of its alumni have gone on to careers in medicine, research and industry. Students who attend Summer Science have the advantage of getting a preliminary exposure to specific topics drawn from introductory math and science courses at Amherst College. While starting to learn the college approach to science and math, they also get to know other students, faculty and the campus resources that will be available to them at Amherst. As one alumnus of the program has attested, "Summer Science was a way to become familiar with the college and the faculty. It also prepared me for what to expect as far as workload is concerned."

Students live with tutors in one of the college dormitories. In addition to academic work, the program also arranges social activities in the town and vicinity, including dinners out, movies, day trips and field trips. By the end of the program, students have bonded with one another and their tutors.

The College pays the entire cost of participants' travel, room and board for the length of the program. If you are receiving financial aid, the College will also pay a portion of the summer income expectation of your aid package.

For further information about Summer Science, call the Moss Quantitative Center at (413) 542-8331.

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Student Telephone Services

Coming soon!

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Cars on Campus

First-year students are not eligible to receive a parking permit. Exceptions to this rule are rarely granted, only in cases of medical or family emergency, and only with the permission of the Dean of New Students.

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