What do you remember about your experience with the Summer Science Program?

1.	It was a very good experience as it prepared me in areas that I was not up to par with my peers. It also helped me in getting to know the science and math professors beforehand so that they knew my areas of concern.
2.	I really liked the tutors that I had as a student in the program. The professors were also always willing to help, which I thought was really important. The fact that we got to meet the deans was also really helpful in feeling like we were part of the College. Getting to know other members of our entering class was also great because it made the transition that much easier.
3.	I absolutely ADORED my experience with summer science. Everything about it is still salient to me : meeting fellow entering first years, meeting the upperclassmen, meeting Amherst faculty. I remember having very structured days (and liking that), and REALLY fun weekends. Summer science was great because the students were introduced to many of the College's resources - the Writing Center, the Q-Center, meeting the professors early (including one's academic advisor), resources at different libraries; during Summer Science, one acquainted oneself with what Amherst had to offer BEFORE the madness of Orientation.
4.	-Formed meaningful friendships -Greatly helped me to transition into college life, socially and academically -Established a wonderful support system from professors, staffs, and other participants of the program for all my years at Amherst -Provided a great exposure to academia at the college and gained valuable information from summer research students, as well
5.	Summer Science set the tone for my entire Amherst experience. It showed me I was behind without emphasizing to me (either implicitly or explicitly) that I was "out of my league". It introduced me to the caliber of student and work ethic I would be up against at the college. Summer Science gave me intimate access to professors that I would have otherwise not even attempted to gain. I would have never attempted to think that any professor would take the time to talk to me just because I had an issue or a question. Summer Science helped to show me that Amherst professors (at least this exposure to them) would be accessible and open to my questions and concerns.
6.	The people I met, many of whom I stayed friends with throughout college and beyond. We all went into school with that extra knowledge and prep that, at least for me, gave confidence.
7.	To be honest, this is where I met my future husband. That was the best thing about the program! ;-)
8.	Spending hours studying chemistry with my fellow summer science folk, which was great preparation given that my high school's science curriculum was weak. Making long lasting friendships in a comfortable environment, without the pressure of hundreds of new faces.
9.	I remember being a little nervous about attending college and the summer science course really just boosted my confidence level. The experience also pointed out important services that are available to students such as the writing center.
10.	At first I felt bad that I was selected (i.e., that I needed extra help) but once I got there I was excited to learn more, meet new people, and get a feel for the campus. Our counselors were extremely helpful and fun, we were allowed a lot of freedom, it wasn't stressful but it was challenging.
11.	It was a low key and fun introduction to Amherst. I made some good friends, and I remember that the writing seminar helped a lot.
12.	I remember the program being intensive but flexible. Our math professor (I think he was from UMass) learned what our strengths and weaknesses were and adapted his lessons accordingly. For example, my group could do the math but we had trouble problem solving concepts so he got us to do practice in big groups, with a partner and on our own. In chemistry, I remember Professor O'Hara made chemistry very approachable though when I took her class later, I did terrible on the exams so I probably would've benefited if the program focused on chemistry exams! I don't really remember the writing seminar other than Dean Snively was a great speaker and discussion moderator. That was extremely helpful preparing me for the small classroom discussion format. However, I could've used more writing drills like timed exercises or strategies to deal with writing at an Amherst quantity and level.
14.	I remember enjoying the classes and having a group of people to share an experience with once school started in the fall.
15.	SS was a balanced in such a way that we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but also vastly improved out academic backgrounds. I appreciated the oppurunity to begin my academic career at Amherst in such a welcoming and encouraging environment. We had a lot of fun, studied hard and laid a great foundation for our four years at Amherst.
16.	I think the most valuable experience for me was getting to know other minority students at Amherst and experiencing life away from home before the college semester began. The science classes were not very helpful to me because I did not have a solid background in Chemistry and I remember feeling pretty lost in the class. If the goal of the Summer Science Program is to encourage students to consider and/or major in a science field then I think the professors need to be approachable and teach on a level that is appropriate for the background of the selected students.
17.	I recall that I was never interested in Science but needed more math preparation so I was encouraged to attend.
18.	Meeting future classmates and my best friend to this day. The introductory courses and of course, the 'fun' events.
19.	Academically the program I attended was not quite as intensive as the program seems to be today. So in terms of academics the thing I remember most was that the classrooms were a welcome air-conditioned respite from the heat and humidity of the dorms. Meeting professors and being able to interact with them one on one set a good precedent for asking for help later in the year.
24.	I remember the introduction to science and mathematics at Amherst College in a small, personal environment. I also remember the encouragement of collective learning among the Summer Science participants and administrators.
25.	The Summer Science program helped acclimate me to the college before the "real stuff" began. I remember meeting like-minded peers and faculty who were interested in me and in my preparation for future success.
26.	Overall, I remember Summer Science as my first introduction to Amherst students, professors and Administrators; a nice start to a very challenging four years of academic work. I think I was probably one of the students the admission committee may have been concerned with given my SAT scores and certain red flags in my highschool transcript. Although I was never scientifically inclined, Summer science instilled the beleif that if I needed help, I could find easily it on campus. This is an invaluable lesson to learn as a freshman, and particularly as a student of color, early on in the college years.
27.	I remember building relationships with professors, incoming students (like me) and upperclassmen. The experience definitely helped me to adjust to college. Furthermore, I was able to get a “feel” for lectures, homework and just living away from home. It really allowed me to understand the academic expectation at Amherst.
28.	The summer science program was very important to me. First, it introduced me to Amherst College and the town of Amherst which created a sense of comfort and home. Second, the program helped me brush up on my science skills which was critical to getting out of the gates succesfully. Finally, the program introduced me to a group of people who were dynamic and who stayed in touch most of our 4 years at Amherst.
29.	I remember bonding with the other students in the program and professors. It reduced a lot of the anxiety of transitioning into college. I felt I had a support group even before the freshman academic year started.
30.	I found the Summer Science Program to be very valuable. I majored in Pyschology, but there is no way I would have made it through courses like Calculus 5 & 6 had it not been for the Summer Science Program. Not only did the program give a much needed education (whether it was a recap or seeing the material for the first time) in the various subjects, it also provided me with the confidence to tackle areas that I was weak in. Without that confidence, I would have quickly given up once on campus. Even more importantly, it also showed me how invested the College and professors are in our education and how Amherst valued our stated desires versus just what we had demonstrated on paper in high school. Because of the relationship that I had developed with Professor Cox during the Summer Science Program, I then didn't hesitate to ask him for help once I was in his class. It also was just as valuable socially. I think very few of the Summer Science Program students my year went on to do any of the camping programs, so it was wonderful to arrive on campus and already have so many friendly faces to look forward to seeing.
31.	Realizing the amount of available resources on campus.
32.	I remember the people I met the most. It did acclimate me to college life. I remember feeling that the science was irrelevant to what I wanted to study in college. At that time summer science was only 2 weeks and we did lab science, but I was interested in psychology.
33.	one month of chemistry and calculus each.
34.	I remember the most the friendships that were started. The bond between the summer science students was one that was not broken and gave me friendships that will last a lifetime. On a more educational note, it gave me the chance to meet with professors and get to see the type of work that I was going to be immersed in over the course of four years. Helped with math skills
35.	Overall, I remember being happy that I participated. First, I was very impressed that Amherst offered such a program. The work was difficult but gave me a good sneak preview of what college-level math and science work would be like.
36.	This program was highly beneficial and a very positive first impression I got from the college. It helped me on a very personal level. Coming in as a student unfamiliar with what was to be expected from a liberal arts college, it gave me the tools to learn how to approach my work when the fall term started. But beyond the intro to the academics, the program gave me the opportunity to develop friendships and a bond with a small group of very unique people. People I learned to trust and later considered to be among the closest friends I ever had at the school.
37.	Camaraderie, financial aid (books, room and board), caring tutors and professors, thoughtful activities.
38.	Building relationships with new students and becoming familiar with a new college setting, including coursework and general environment.
39.	I remember that it gave me a chance to live at Amherst instead of just visit it. I learned that I COULD write, that I COULD create, and that I COULD keep up with my peers.
40.	During my stay at Summer Science, only two fields were covered, calculus, and chemistry. Both of which assigned lots of work, and VERY LITTLE instruction. In fact it is because of the vague instruction that I received at Summer Science, that I decided to no longer pursue a career path in science. I felt the work was too much compared with the lack of time spent on any one given subject. I felt that it was very easy to fall behind.
41.	I remember the people I met and the professors that worked with us.
42.	I remember staying up until 3 am with our tutors on many occassions to complete a lot of the homework that was assigned. I thought it was an intense program, but I also thought it was necessary to experience studying sciences on a college level. I remember studying a lot, but I also remember being able to explore and become familiar with Amherst before the year began.
43.	Everything. One of my most memorable Amherst experience
44.	The people, I ended up marrying one of my classmates from the program. It was beneficial to get more instruction with Math and Science before the school year.

How did attending Summer Science impact your Amherst College (or later) experience?

1.	It was very good because it prepared once classes started to know what I was up against. I had a relation with the professors my 4 years of college, that I believe if it had not been for Summer Science I would not have had.
2.	Because I was a student in the program, I got to be a tutor the following two years. That helped me hone my teaching skills quite a bit. The other tutors and I ran review sessions during the program and throughout the year for the summer science students. On a more personal level, it provided a support system of faculty and students that guided me through the science curriculum at Amherst. I ended up graduating with biology major with honors and now i'm a grad student at columbia working toward my phd.
3.	I absolutely loved Summer Science. I do not want to parrot everything I said in response to the first question of this survey, but Summer Science impacted my Amherst career in that during those three weeks, I was able to orient myself to life on campus WITH other students WHILE studying WITH the aid of Amherst professors/tutors/resources/etc. In comparison to friends who had not been on the program, I found that I was much more aware of the resources available to students if needed and was much more at ease during Orientation.
4.	The great support system that I gained from the faculty, staffs, and other students during the summer continued throughout my college years. That tremendously helped me to many ways, making my experience at Amherst more wonderful. Furthermore, it initiated my interest in research, which led me to participate in the summer science research and to consider research as part of my future career.
5.	I truly appreciated the fact that there was at least one Caucasian person in our group (summer of '95). The friendships that were bonded during the program basically lasted throughout my college experience. Having a Caucasian there was like saying, you're not just here because you're Black and behind, as expected. Other groups aren't always at the "Amherst level", which you quickly discover is pretty high. Because I am presently a teacher, and a Special Education emotional disturbance teacher at that, I now know that there are all kinds of ways to tell people you're not good enough/ready without actually telling them. Whether you want to or not, you assimilate the message. I knew what was up while I was there, but I never felt like I was being pandered to. Summer Science was very helpful to me.
6.	Besides the close friends I made, it also made me more comfortable around professors, specifically Professor Cox and Professor Judith Frank. That was a huge help to me.
7.	I wish that I'd known just how much more I had to study for college vs my high school. I did really well in high school with little effort. The summer science professors did "warn" us that college is different. But I didn't realize just how hard it was until the fall semester. Tests for the science courses that I took were unlike any I'd seen before!
8.	It was very important for me. The previews we got of the various intro sciences, and the personal support we got from professors (and each other) really shaped how I approached my freshman year. There were various study techniques that I learned in those first few weeks that I used for the rest of my college career.
9.	I meet some people in the program who I connected with and remain friends with today.
10.	Summer Science definitely made me more aware of what Amherst College would be like academically and also gave me a head start in developing relationships/potential support systems in my math and science courses.
11.	I felt more comfortable as a first year. I knew more people and some of the relationships I made during that summer are the people I am still in contact with 12 years later.
12.	It made me feel like I was valued at Amherst even though my academic preparation in sciences and math was not very strong. I ended up majoring in psychology and taking calculus which I don’t I would have done without the support and encouragement from the summer program.
13.	The Summer Science Program gave me a strong bond to the faculty and administration at Amherst. They provided a lot of academic support and life guidance. The RCs were also good mentors and prepared us for the culture of Amherst. The program gave me the confidence to pursue science though I soon learned that was not my strength! Overall, it had a very positive impact on my Amherst College experience. After Amherst, the experience has been a model for how to tackle challenges in the work place and life. I don't just prepare, I "pre-prepare." Being a "pre-frosh" makes you want to "pre-prepare" for any new challenge.
15.	I felt better prepared and not as frightened to ask for help.
16.	My experience with summer science (SS) provided a valuable means by which to assimilate to college life. It helped me greatly, both academically and socially. I also completed the program having already formed some of the strongest friendships that I would form through my four years at Amherst. I am currently involved in environmental education and natural resource management, putting to use skills and knowledge that I gained from my geology degree on a daily basis.
17.	It helped to ease the transition from South Texas to Western Massachusetts. The most important outcome for me was becoming familiar with the Amherst campus, professors and students. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the science classes I took in the Program confirmed that I should not attempt to take science classes at Amherst (referring to Chemistry, Physics and the like - not Biology, Psychology) because I did not have the background in those sciences to make the leap from high school to college at Amherst.
18.	I think it was extremely useful as my entire career has been in the financial services sector. I was able to address my fears and concerns early on and opportunities were therefore open to me. Had I not attended the program, I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to pursue this career path. I am now Chief Operating Officer of a Hedge Fund in Beverly Hills. My prior roles have included financial analyst, business manager, and director of marketing and client service. It is impossible to pinpoint why I have been successful in this field across so many different types of jobs but I believe the confidence I gained that summer helped me to make broader career choices which may have seemed out of reach prior to that summer experience.
19.	I felt well adjusted upon entry: I had found myself a work-study job early on, I knew the campus and buildings well, I was able to move in early (this was when Summer Science was right before Orientation), I had a support network early on.
20.	When I started, I was not ready to take advantage of all that Amherst had to offer. Being so far from home and feeling so far from my own class and culture was pretty overwhelming, but having the opportunity to make friends in a relatively intimate setting, while also being able to explore the 5 college area ahead of time helped me feel just a bit more psychologically prepared at the start of my first semester.
25.	Although I did not major in science or math, I did draw upon the resources such as the Writing & Quantitative Centers throughout my Amherst College tenure.
26.	My experience in Summer Science was perhaps the most impactful event in my time at Amherst. Coming from a school I later found was not as strong as most of my peers, the preparation of the summer science program helped prepare me for "Amherst level" work. It helped me develop a social network which would help me get through the next four years of college (e.g. study groups). Most importantly, I was able to develop relationships with faculty who would be mentors throughout my college experience (and in one case, beyond). I would later go one to be one of the "survivors" of the pre-med curriculum, even win a few awards at graduation. Most importantly, I would later achieve one of my most important goals - I am now an attending pediatrician at a medical center in Boston.
27.	Some of the friendships I made during summer science continue to this day. During Amherst it gave me the head start I needed to successfully approach college level work.
28.	My first year of college was difficult BUT without summer science it would have been awful. I was aware of the academic resources that were available to me and I felt comfortable approaching professors and basically asking for help. By the time I graduated I was really able to keep up and succeed at Amherst.
29.	I think the program just helped me adjust and transition into college more successfully: socially, academically, culturally, and emotionally.
30.	This was a long time ago, but I don't recall it having a great impact in my math and science courses. It did have an impact in terms if giving me extra time to make the potentially difficult transition from a NYC public school to a school like Amherst. I was very appreciative of the extra time and attention I received with the Summer Science program, although when I was doing it I don't recall it having such an official title.
31.	Looking back, I'm unsure how many of the students my year became academically successful in the Sciences in a traditional sense, however in many ways I don't believe that ultimately matters. More importantly, I think the program demonstrated the College's commitment to us (students who might not have been the shining stars) and in return, I have always tried to contribute positively to the College community. I may not have been a star in the classroom, but I took a leadership role within my sport and I've been active alumni since graduation (helped plan 5-year Reunion, Chair of 10-year Reunion, and now active in my local alumni association). My husband and I have also increased our donations to the College in the past year and plan to continue to do so. It's these programs, even if they only affect a small percentage of students, that I would feel proud to support.
32.	I stayed in the sciences.
33.	More than anything else, attending summer science linked me with people who would be positive influences on my academic study. The math would have been more useful if I had not abandoned my interest in computer science. In retrospect, summer humanities would have been more practical for me. Time management, in terms of completing reading and papers, was always my short fall at Amherst. Still attending summer science gave me a good feel for what college life should be like. I learned how to manage my time effectively. Even though I abandoned that training through the bulk of my college career, I use it every day in my career.
34.	it made me choose not to go pre-med. I did not take any chemistry or calculus afterward
35.	It gave me a head start on having friends in a place where I knew no one, gave me a certain comfort with my professors that were there and let me see the work I would do, minus the geology part.
36.	Honestly, the experience convinced me that I was not really interested in serious math and science courses! I never took another math class at Amherst, and as a lawyer now, am happy with that decision. I did take a few science courses, but they were more conceptual (geology) that intensive (biology). Again, I am happy with my decisions. I actually found that participation in the summer science program showed me what college level math and science classes were like, so I felt that I was making an informed decision when I chose not to enroll in them later on. I must say that in hindsight, I can think of a half dozen or so courses that I wish I had taken at Amherst, but not one of them involves math or science.
37.	In my case, it gave me the much needed head start to prepare myself for the rigors and mindset of Amherst academics. Coming from a large public high school, from parents who were not college graduates, this program made my transition into college much more manageable than it would have been otherwise. The program gave me a sense of what to prepare for and how much time and effort was needed to be successful. I also learned through the program to find my voice and share my perspective on everything. No matter how different we all were, we all had very similar goals and values. I had times where I shared my thoughts and felt smart - and that gave me the confidence to feel that I deserved to be a student at Amherst.
38.	Summer science was a non-threatening introduction to the rigors of college work. My participation in the program gave me a support system (peers, tutors, professors) to rely on when college work would later start to come quickly in big waves. I felt welcome on campus and a valuable part of the college.
39.	It helped establish some of my early friendships and gave me a sample of what future scholarship might look like.
40.	Although the summer program was supposed to help me bridge the gap, inferring that I was deficient, it actually bolstered my confidence. After the program, I knew that I would succeed at Amherst. And I did -- I got my B.A. with honors.
41.	It made me realize that I probably should rethink my career interests. Since graduation, I have participated in science courses elsewhere.
42.	I established close friendships with many of the tutors and the other participants. We all felt like we shared a close bond with each other. I did not end up continuing studying science as a major at Amherst. I decided at the end of the program that I would prefer to study and explore other majors rather than focusing on the sciences. The Summer Science program impacted my decision, but only because I was able to see that I was not interested in continuing to intensely study the sciences.
43.	A lot, I knew that I wanted to continue with science and it helped me establish long term relationships with great people; very essential when starting my freshman year.
44.	It helped me get accustomed to school before it started as I felt I had a leg up on other freshman but I never pursued a degree in science so it didn't affect me too much other than meeting my wife.

Please list any other important goals for the Summer Science Program. Any comments or ideas for changes would be greatly appreciated.

1.	I think having a panel of current students talk to the summer science participants about their experience with the science/math curriculum would be helpful -- either students that have participated in the program or otherwise. Also, maybe setting them up with alumni mentors if they want. I would be more than willing to participate and help organize a program like that. In case this survey is anonymous my name is Daniela Hernandez and I was class of 2003.
2.	Summer Science is great and I highly recommend and hope that the program continues in the future. I majored in both a humanities and science discipline, and I have to say that upon entering Amherst, while I perhaps (?) was a bit behind other students in preparation for the hard sciences, the best things I got out of Summer Science was being introduced to how college classes operate and familiarizing myself with the College's resources BEFORE the madness of Orientation. Taking classes with fellow first years and living on campus before college 'officially' started, getting the help I needed from Amherst professors themselves was definitely the best part of summer science for me. And the field trips were great, too!
3.	Develop a mentor/advisee system that would continue for at least the first year at the college.
4.	* Have whites and asians in the cohort * Emphasize the writing aspect more * Have a dinner/roundtable with students and professors. Can't remember if this was done when I was part of the program, but it can be an activity in accessibility of professors without having the stress of academic performance.
5.	I really enjoyed my experience, so don't have anything to add here. Lots of what I'd comment on -- such as accessibility of faculty and peer support -- were noted above in the survey. I hope the program continues!
6.	I think that taking tests for each of the mini-courses would be helpful. I should hope that this is an aim to improve the program and not get rid of it! It was a great program.....
7.	Possibly connecting students with faculty and student mentors that will follow them through their time at Amherst.
8.	I think it might be a good idea to have past participants accessible to current/recent participants, at least once the academic year gets under way. (It is entirely possible that this already goes on and I just don't remember.) Some of our outings outside of the academic setting were some of the most memorable parts of the program, and really helped to solidify friendships and support systems that are so necessary at an intense place like Amherst.
9.	The program has a lot of important goals. I would add something about helping students identify early on what their problem areas are and that they can seek help from faculty. The program taught me faculty were accessible but I had a hard time admitting I struggled academically b/c everyone seemed to be breezing through classes. Professor Armacost advised me to get a tutor which I thought was a revolutionary idea at the time, but I was so behind I dropped out of his calculus class. Prof. Harms and Cheney saw early on I wasn't doing well in geology so they assigned me a tutor and paired me with a very patient lab partner and I made it through the class. After their examples, I finally had the awareness to do those things for myself at the first sign of trouble. I know the summer program students would hate this, but I would suggest there be classes in the evening. I remember some casual homework sessions in the evening but studying every waking moment should be the expectation. Or a more low key suggestion would be assign a different library each evening for study locations which would encourage studying and exploring the campus. Another suggestion would be more practice exams and assignments like "finish reading this book in one week." I hope the program continues and finds renewed success. Thank you for allowing me to participate and to share my thoughts. Feel free to contact me with any more questions.
11.	I'm not sure how much improvement can be expected by exposing students to a different science each week for three weeks. If there is a particular science course that freshmen students struggle with (those that are pre-med for example) then perhaps it would be best to focus on that science for three weeks rather than changing every week.
12.	Amherst should take pride in its efforts to help students excel. I feel very blessed to have graduated from Amherst and I would be very disappointed if incoming students did not have the same opportunities. Perhaps the emphasis on science should be reviewed as that was never my interest. Math and certainly writing were very useful tools and this program was very successful in helping me transition into the Amherst experience.
13.	Summer Science (in my year) I remembered as walking a very thin line-- Students had come into the program feeling they were hand-selected due to their achievements in the Sciences not due to a possible deficit in preparation. My understanding is that this has been corrected. If not, it should be. Other goals should also be to create long-standing relationships between a mentor so to speak (from the summer science program) that can encourage and tutor students throughout their college career.
14.	Although students who attend might be in need of a little extra academic help it is important to help them realize that it is not they who are lacking in intelligence rather it is that their academic training to this point has been somewhat lacking. Kids coming to Amherst from public schools have rarely had most of the academic or even social opportunities of those kids from either private schools or wealthier public schools. That distinction is more important that one might realize.
19.	I think it would have been great to have at least yearly meetings with each class of summer science participants as a sort of "check-in." Certainly some people decide to pursue other career goals, but it would be great (especially for underclassmen) to be exposed to those who continue to successfully pursue the same goals they had when they got to Amherst.
20.	It is important to introduce students to other campuses/neighborhoods around Amherst. Having an evening out in Northampton provided a great way to relieve stress and have fun away from Amherst. Amherst students should take advantage of the 5 college system and neighboring communities earlier rather than later in their academic career.
21.	Since I attended Summer Science there have been a number of changes. I def. think that the addition of a writing seminar is a big plus and would have really helped me. I really think Summer Science should be offered. It was a very valuable experience for me.
22.	I valued this wonderful opportunity that Amherst offered me and hope future students will have the same opportunity.
23.	I think the most important skills were writing, critical thinking tasks and learning to deal with complex problems. I wish there would have been someone with an economics background involved in the program, such as a professor. I struggled terribly with the sciences at Amherst, especially in the chemistry department. I recall one professor stating simply that I had no "chemistry intuition". I was perplexed and discouraged. Is this something one was born with? It was tough but I persisted and still made it to medical school. Today I am Board Certified in Emergency Medicine.
24.	I agree with all of your goals. In regards to the two I noted as less important, it's because... 1) I think improving writing is less important b/c the rigors of the science courses will be more immediately demanding to incoming Freshman. It still should be included in the program though. 2) I think it's less important that the program have an immediate impact on grades. It was more valuable for me to be excited about the math/science courses and to have the discipline and appropriate support to pursue it. Despite my poor grades in Calculus, it's one of the courses in which I challenged myself the most, grew the most as a student and was genuinely committed to sticking it out. Like many of life's most important lessons, the journey is often more valuable to our growth than the end destination or outcome.
25.	A seminar on time management would be useful to incoming freshman. The program has probably already undergone significant changes since I was in it 10 years ago. My only suggestion would be to widen the range of courses offered in summer science. In retrospect, I wish I had taken economics in college. I didn't because I had never been exposed to it before and I was probably slightly intimidated by it. Had it been one of the summer science courses, I would have been more likely to take it in my regular courseload. Other than that, how about summer humanities or summer language? :)
26.	I would suggest not doing geology, I thought it was pointless and time could have been spent better. Keeping some togetherness throughout the four years for help. Have more reliable tutors and really help with the GAP esp for Chemistry (Organic) and physics.
27.	I really enjoyed participating in the program. Most of all, I was impressed that I was about to start attending a school that cared enough (and had the necessary resources) to host such a program, and I made great friendships that made the first few weeks of classes more enjoyable.
28.	I recall working in the same classroom for the entire program. Maybe doing different subjects in various classrooms would have been more stimulating and given us a sense of what the different learning environments at the school were like. That would be my only change. Overall, the program was as close to a perfect experience as I can remember.
29.	Suggested changes: 1. Extend the program into the school year -- a week here, a few days there. Perhaps extend it for the entire first year or at least through the period each semester when students have to decide to drop classes. 2. Offer more concrete information indicating the classes previous first-years have dropped, including the professors of the classes that were dropped. I don't know how to put it diplomatically but it is in the best interest of the Summer Science participants especially to avoid (in their freshman and sophomore years) professors that teach on autopilot (gasp--there were a few--especially in introductory courses!) and professors so advanced in their field that they have difficulty explaining very basic concepts. 3. Combine Summer Science programming efforts with a larger campus-wide commitment to revamp introductory courses, as necessary. I believe introductory courses should emphasize teaching and learning rather than just quickly reviewing material and rewarding those that already know it. I remember vividly the feeling that some intro courses didn't seem to be fun for the professors teaching them. Thank you for reaching out to me. Thanks also for the time you're taking to thoughtfully review my response.
30.	I think the social aspects are the most important part of the program, letting students get to know future possible professors and the resources available to them. To lesser extent is the importance of actual science/math training; while that is certainly important, in retrospect I felt that the value of the program was a larger social integration, which as a minority at Amherst can be difficult.
31.	One thing that I feel is very important is to make sure that that the students chosen for the program do not feel that they are targeted because they are ethnic minorities.
32.	N/A. Besides making a few life long friends, in retrospect, I would not have attended Summer Science. The reality is that this setting does not directly translate to accurate course life on campus
33.	I enjoyed my time during the Summer Science program. I felt that it was an intense program, but I needed the experience. Although I did not end up studying very many science courses at Amherst, I knew what to expect from courses when I started my freshman year. I felt more confident when the year began because I knew what level of intensity I would be experiencing. Now that I have graduated, I wish I could go back and take more science courses. The only suggestion I would have is possibly including some sort of course work for classes geared toward non-majors (possibly even just a discussion about these sort of classes). This would still get students excited about taking science classes even if they decide not to commit to a science major.
34.	Best program ever, please do not get rid of it!!!
35.	I think it should be opened up to more students.

Below we list several possible goals for the Summer Science Program. Please rate each goal using a scale from most important to negligible/not important.
	most important	important	less important	negligible/not important	Rating Average	Response Count
Introduce the students to the culture of the College	54.2%(26)	37.5%(18)	8.3%(4)	0.0%(0)	1.54	48
Make students aware of the support services available	73.5%(36)	24.5%(12)	2.0%(1)	0.0%(0)	1.29	49
Show students that faculty are accessible