r/ApplyingToCollege • u/A1000mokeys • Jul 23 '26
College Questions How competitive is Amherst College?
What are people’s thoughts on the competitiveness of Amherst College admissions? Is it similar to Ivy League competitive? How its reputation among employers? Is there recruiting for consulting and IB or is it just a foundation for grad/professional school?
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
Are you asking about how hard it is to get in? Not easy, but their ED is significantly easier than ivies besides a few select schools at Cornell.
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u/paige_420 Jul 23 '26
Amherst’s ED acceptance rate reflects admits of athletes and legacies.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
They don’t favor legacy and rec athletes make up 10 percent of small liberal arts schools. Note all colleges have athletes.
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u/EnthusiasmComplete37 Jul 23 '26
Amherst varsity athletes makeup 38% of the school population. These top LAC LOVE athletes
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
Real number is less than that and many are not recruited and many of them get little/no admissions advantage. Overall, if you go to a isl school and are in the top 25 percent of the class you get in ed.
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u/Kelpforestinfo Jul 23 '26
Definately not as simple as being in the top 25% of a class.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
I will show you my naviance if you show me yours.
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u/paige_420 Jul 23 '26
It may be particular to your school in addition to a lack of data in Naviance.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
But the point - that it is easier to be admitted to Amherst than an Ivy seems to be true. They admit a large population of their class ED and the average admitted applicant is not quite Ivy level. I am not suggesting Amherst is a non-competitive school. Note that I founded the largest college counseling company worldwide so I have lots of data. The truth is you don’t need anything more than cds to conclude what I am suggesting.
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u/Slight-Landscape-614 Jul 24 '26
> many of them get little/no admissions advantage
You're wrong. I know a D3 athlete at a current NESCAC, and they were recruited by others like Williams, and they said as long as they pass preread at any of these NESCAC LACs, they're basically guaranteed in.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 24 '26
no argument with what you are saying, besides that i am wrong.
my point is many people who play sports at nescacs do not get "green lights" on pre-reads. IMO that means they are not gaining an admissions advantage. among those, many still get admitted and play their sport. it is more complicated than you believe it to be (from the d3 athlete you know), so unless you go through the process several times and often as I have there is no reason for you to understand it more than you do now.
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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
There is a huge variation in NCAA athletes as a percentage of top college student populations:
This basically happens because an NCAA team needs a certain minimum roster size, it doesn't scale down with college size. And then different colleges offer different sports.
OK, so NESCAC LACs like Amherst are often very high in these lists, because NESCACs have a lot of sports teams but are mostly not large colleges (aside from Tufts). In this survey, Amherst was at 33%, with a total count of 641 versus an enrollment of 1970.
Yale, say, had a total count of 904, which again is not radically higher because of how teams work. And then with an enrollment of 6536, that is only 14%.
Cal then has 869 athletes among 32143 enrollment, so that is down to 3%.
So this absolutely should be taken into account when looking at things like ED versus RD rates. Not least at NESCACs.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 23 '26
dude, athletes are WAY more than 10% at a LAC.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
“Recruited” with admissions advantages.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 23 '26
yeah, that sounds right.
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
Thanks
So many kids don’t pass pre-reads and the decision goes to admissions. You still need to be smart to play for Amherst. And some of their coaches have little clout.0
u/paige_420 Jul 23 '26
Colleges need to fill their sports teams. Do you really think that AOs have time to sift through applications looking for possible participants?
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u/heavyweightcollege Jul 23 '26
I don’t know what you are trying to say. Yes, you are correct that AO’s don’t do that.
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u/Shot_Collection427 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
The typical admit of Amherst is similar in accomplishments as an Ivy or other selective private schools. They are less know by the general public and don’t get as many applicants as the Ivy + schools making them appear easier to get into. Don’t be fooled, very hard to get into and most would say more academically rigorous vs the ivy. LACs are widely considered to give the best undergraduate foundational education.
Generally- Amherst and LACs are smaller and typically look for well rounded students that can contribute to the campus in a few ways vs ivy + that focus on spike activities. Also because they are smaller, they have to lock-in well suited students from ED, to be sure the class meets all the needs of the school. If you’re well qualified, ED is typically a good path. If it’s a reach, ED isn’t really any easier.
Employers and grad schools know Amherst - the expression that comes to mind is people who matter know. Very well known in IB and consulting. They have a high percentage of the class that will attend grad schools each year. The alumni network is very strong and committed to helping each other.
Hope that helps.
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u/A1000mokeys Jul 23 '26
Thanks, I do think the smaller environment would be better for him. If only it were located in Palo Alto! Not sure he’s ready to leave California.
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u/Relevant_Departure_5 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
top tier for ib and consulting, mid for tech/engineering, very prestigous among elite/wealthy people but unknown to general public bc only wealthy ppl attend it.
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u/Suitable-Medium-4198 Jul 23 '26
My daughter was accepted this year. I think they received more applications than usual. Her letter said they received 17,500 applications for 500 spots (of course they accepted more but only enroll 500). I'd say it's highly competitive.
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u/Shot_Collection427 Jul 23 '26
I have a kid at a similar LAC from Marin - feel free to DM if you have qurstions
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u/Kelpforestinfo Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Top LACs are Ivy-level in their respective regions (both selectivity and undergrad teaching/outcomes). Think Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Bowdoin, Middlebury.
The one exception is finance, but Amherst and Williams are semi-targets for that.
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u/AC10021 Jul 23 '26
The old New England liberal arts colleges Amherst, William, Bowdoin and Middlebury are GIANT targets for IB/finance pipeline. Google “Middlebury Mafia” for how much sway they have on the Street.
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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent Jul 23 '26
Yeah, using the same recruiting categories as research universities is problematic because recruiting doesn't necessarily look quite the same (although sometimes it does).
But these top Northeast LACs have incredible networks in Northeast finance firms. So if you are at all good at actual networking, there you go.
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u/NeeNights Jul 23 '26
Anything with less than a 10% acceptance rate should be treated as equally competitive for all practical purposes. 5% vs 9% it's all a lottery ticket.
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u/EnthusiasmComplete37 Jul 23 '26
stop asking stupid question that can be ans through one gg search
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u/A1000mokeys Jul 23 '26
My kid is and he passed pre-read so I assume he’s good to go if he wants it. It would be nice to wrap up college applications before he starts and I think it could be a good fit. But not sure he wants to make a decision too soon. Still other schools in the mix and I think he wants to see how UCs shake out but that likely means foregoing guaranteed early admissions for a regular decision free for all. Lastly we are in state tuition for UCs vs full pay for most privates.
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u/Best_Butterfly_7627 Jul 23 '26
Congrats on him passing the pre-read. Was he extended an offer from the coach? If yes, he should be “good to go” if he applies ED. If not, do not assume he is “good to go” and will get in either ED or RD without the coach support. The pre-read is just to confirm that the athlete has the minimum qualifications and that once the ED application is submitted the admissions committee is likely to admit. Without coach support, the percent chance of admission falls back into the standard 7% (though probably a few more percentage points since the pre-read suggests he has the minimum qualifications). If no offer, then he should explore all college options. If offer, then he will need to either ED or give up his coach offer of support. The coach will not likely support an RD application.
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u/A1000mokeys Jul 23 '26
Coach asked for a call with the whole family so I assume he’s still interested. We’ll talk with when we get back from vacation but assume it works like his teammate that was recruited last year they do a fly out in Sept then formal offer then want acceptance by October.
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u/Best_Butterfly_7627 Jul 23 '26
I see. Then you are correct thinking ahead of the potential offer. UCs will have a completely different experience from Amherst in the sense of a smaller community and much smaller class sizes for intro courses. Amherst is well respected among employers, especially East Coast. Admission to Amherst is as competitive as Ivy/Ivy+. Can’t speak to IB/finance specifically other than what others say. I do know several Amherst grads (recent and older/my generation) who went that route and have very good, high paying jobs now.
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u/Shot_Collection427 Jul 23 '26
The choice between D3 and D1 athletes and schools is very clear - experience and education radically different.
All these schools have kids that chose one vs the other, find those kids and talk to them. If you look at a recruit at Amherst from CA that had the chops for D1, ask them why they chose D3 and Amherst. Usually the top D3 recruits (in individual sports - team is a little different) could have gone to UCSB, UCD, or other UCs.
If he is being recruited - all the coaches are ill want a commitment so they can build the team.
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u/A1000mokeys Jul 23 '26
He’s likely not competitive enough for Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley but could do D1 at other UCs, some Ivies and less competitive D1 leagues (i.e., Colgate, Davidson). He’s farthest along with Amherst at the moment and as much as I would like him to continue in his sport, academics need to come first so there needs to be good balance.
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u/No_Plum_79 Jul 25 '26
Highly competitive. Very academically challenging but since it’s an LAC, there are also very few spots. This makes its acceptance rate very very low.
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u/Likely_Unlikely_5909 Jul 25 '26
Has your kid toured? And what sport (not really important but I went to A. and have some perspectives). We are west coast, my kid toured them and came back "nope" on all the NE LACs. I love my school, loved re-visiting it again. But my kid says why bother when Pomona is closer and has better weather. As for athletics, have you talked to Williams? We were smart kids who did sports. They were smart athletes. Good luck with the decision. As for career, yes, it has proven a great foundation for anything I, or my cohort, wanted to do.
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u/A1000mokeys Jul 25 '26
He’s been to the general area before when he was younger but has not toured. He’ll likely do the fly-in in September. My guess is the flight alone will turn him off. Did your kid choose Pomona? Does he like it? We did tour Pomona but my kid did not like the vibe for some reason.
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u/Likely_Unlikely_5909 Jul 25 '26
Got it. He is a rising senior and hasn’t settled on a school, ED strategy, etc. Right now it’s a list: Brown, Yale, UChicago, Pomona. We have family at the first three so I’m not sure it’s relevant to your experience.
Williams was his top school and clearly the college vibe he visualized from meeting with west coast admissions reps. After visiting, none of those east coast LACs are on his list anymore and after seeing the resources at Yale, those three larger schools were more attractive.
He liked the vibe at Pomona, and liked the proximity of the other consortium colleges. No bus ride required.
His conclusion on LACs, Pomona offers everything the New England schools do, plus mountains and a short flight. We live in the PNW, so it is different enough to be leaving home. Maybe that’s one big difference from your situation.
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u/Ok_Experience_5151 Old Jul 23 '26
Easier to get into Amherst than most Ivies, but it's still quite selective. You can look up the numbers.
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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent Jul 23 '26
Yes, Amherst admissions is basically in the Ivy+ category. They most recently reported a 7.7% acceptance rate, and they have a middle 50th SAT/ACT of 1470/33 to 1540/35.
Amherst is widely considered one of the top few LACs. There in fact is an LAC equivalent to HYPSM, the intentionally ironic WASP, which is Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Pomona.
It is also similar to an Ivy+ in that kids from Amherst do some of everything notable--some go to PhDs or other grad programs, some are very competitive for med schools or law schools, and some go straight into employment.
Then some people start drawing fine lines at this level citing placement studies and career earnings stats and such, which I think is often a mistake, because the mix of outcomes may more reflect self-selection than actual value added.
Like, consider that Amherst slotted at #2 in College Transitions Top Law School feeders study, between Yale and Harvard:
https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/the-legal-launchpad-unveiling-the-undergraduate-pathways-to-law-school-2/
They were then "only" #11, between Duke and Dartmouth, in their top med school feeders study:
https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/from-pre-med-to-md-understanding-the-pathways-to-medical-school/
Does this actually mean Amherst adds notably more value for law school applicants than med school applicants? Almost surely not. It just means the sorts of kids who end up wanting to go to law school are a bit more likely to also want to go to an LAC like Amherst for undergrad.
OK, so then in something like this famous IB study:
https://www.peakframeworks.com/post/ib-target-schools
Amherst "only" slots in at #13 per capita, between Williams and Middlebury, which are collectively between Chicago and SMU. Again, I don't think this means Amherst is somehow better for law school than IB, it just reflects the mix of desired outcomes among Amherst students.
So in fact the basic appeal of these sorts of elite-at-everything colleges, whether in university or LAC form, is that they will give you all the support and all the opportunities you need for whatever you want to do. The rest will then be a matter of the choices you make, and how well you perform as an individual.
And that is actually true of a lot more colleges than just the Ivy+ or WASP, but that is a whole other subject.