An Amherst Summer “Bucket List”
By Rebecca Ojserkis ’12 • July 27, 2011
Amherst students love the protection and comfort of the so-called college “bubble,” but we all need to escape into the real world from time to time. For most of us, summer is a great time to do just that—get a break from campus and return home or go elsewhere. But what about the students who stay at Amherst for the summer, interning or doing research? As one such undergraduate, I’ve found that, unlike during the school year, my fellow students and I have been able to spend a lot of time exploring the town of Amherst and the Pioneer Valley.
It makes sense, when you think about it: Many of us are living, for the summer, in residential halls close to town—the residence halls on The Hill, Cohan, Newport and Seligman, for example—and our jobs or studies often give us the flexibility to work in places other than the libraries and classrooms where we spend so many of our waking hours during the academic year. As a result, we’ve been able to get to know the Pioneer Valley in ways that snow, schoolwork and a hopping campus life often preclude.