Life at Amherst is Unexpected
From spike ball on the Quad to comedy improv to giant art installations, life on campus is packed with fun and enriching experiences.
Find information about the College’s response to the evolving situation with COVID-19, including the plan for Spring 2021. Learn about the guidelines for coming to campus and the latest changes to the academic program, housing, dining, athletics, and more.
Amherst students have many opportunities to enrich their educations through co-curricular and extracurricular activities. A student might go to hear a guest speaker in anthropology, take a karate class, sing in an a cappella concert, and help paint a house with Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity—all in a single week. Explore the many aspects of social life at Amherst and see which ones excite you the most.
Students lead more than 100 autonomous organizations, including groups for activism, religious cultural affinity groups, intramural sports, arts clubs, a debate team, a radio station, and more.
97 percent of students live on campus, and housing is guaranteed for all four years. First-year students live in new or renovated residences on the Main Quad. Our Theme Houses offer learning-by-living opportunities.
The Amherst College dining experience is much more than great food. It is a community experience focused on great service, culinary expertise, and fresh, local and natural ingredients with a commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
Three floors of exhibits and tens of thousands of specimens, including the world’s largest collection of dinosaur tracks and North America’s first confirmed evidence of a dinosaur.
The Beneski MuseumMore than 19,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of global culture. A place to study, wander, mingle and gaze. The best part: open until midnight five nights a week.
The MeadA renovated steam plant turned nightclub. A popular spot for live performances, movie screenings, art exhibits, panel discussions, pub nights, outdoor picnics and more.
Welcome to the PowerhouseIncludes The Homestead, where Emily Dickinson was born and lived most of her life, and The Evergreens, home of the poet’s brother and his family.
The Homestead and The EvergreensOpen fields, wetlands, woods, plantation pines and ponds—500 acres of natural bliss, literally part of campus. Highlights: the Fort River, a trail system and downy woodpeckers.
Explore Our 500 AcresA defining space on campus. Breathtaking views of the Mount Holyoke Range. Ideal for reflection, dreaming, napping, sledding, flying kites.
A 20-acre vegetable farm adjacent to campus. Originally conceived by students, in 2015 the farm supplied 32,000 pounds of produce to Valentine Dining Hall.
Explore the farmSee the moon, planets, asteroids, comets, multiple stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and more through our large, world-class refractor telescope.
The ObservatoryA hollow tree in the Wildlife Sanctuary into which students place poems, love letters, pages from novels and other literary items that are considered worthy of residence within a lovely tree.
The Wildlife SanctuaryA stand-alone steeple, the height of a 15-story building, in the heart of campus. Has nine bells that chime on special occasions and serve as a Civil War memorial.
About the SteepleA partnership of four liberal arts colleges and one large research university gives Amherst students access to an astonishingly broad and diverse set of experiences right here at home.
Five College OpportunitiesFor more than 50 years Bassett Planetarium, located in Morgan Hall, has provided programs on the night sky to Amherst and Five College classes and groups and to regional community organizations and school groups.
About the PlanetariumAthletics are a vibrant part of life at Amherst, from recreation to intramurals to 27 NCAA Division III teams. Facilities include playing fields, a fitness center, a pool, courts, and an ice rink.
Grabbing a Slice at Antonio’s — an Amherst tradition since 1991.
Learn more about Town LifeAmherst Coffee or Share — which will be your favorite? We like both, for different reasons.
Learn more about Town LifeThe Calvin Theater in nearby Northampton is a top venue for major acts.
Calvin Show ScheduleThe Emily Dickinson Museum comprises two homes—and the beautiful grounds—that helped shape one of the world’s most influential poets.
Emily Dickinson MuseumAmherst’s bustling center has food and shopping for all tastes. A few examples: French cuisine, farm-to-table Chinese, independent bookstores and A.J. Hastings for your Amherst gear.
AmherstArea.comEnjoy bicycling, jogging or cross-country skiing? The 11-mile Norwottuck Rail Trail passes through Amherst’s Wildlife Sanctuary and connects to Hadley and Northampton.
Watch a video about our Wildlife Sanctuary