Amherst College is a small liberal arts school in (you guessed it) Amherst, MA; think the middle of Massachusetts. The town of Amherst is a true college town with Amherst College, UMass Amherst, and Hampshire College all calling it home. Amherst is arguably the most elite of any of the nearby schools, and Amherst students can take classes at UMass, Hampshire, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College (all nearby). However, what pulls many to Amherst is the fully open curriculum. Yes, that means no core classes.
Amherst is hard to get into, even as a transfer. Last year, their transfer admissions rate was only around 8.6%, which is very low (it was even lower than their first-year acceptance rate, which was around 9.8%).
If you are serious about transferring to Amherst, you must have a history of excellent grades, great scores, and eye-catching extracurriculars. Even with all that, there are a couple of things you need to do.
Amherst’s Requirements
Before you get your heart set on Amherst, you need to make sure you are eligible. To transfer to Amherst, you need “at least 32 transferable semester hour credits (or equivalent) as a college student in a liberal arts curriculum.” This is a little confusing, and notably more so than some other schools.
Most colleges only require at least 24 credit hours. This is because, generally, 12 hours is the minimum needed per semester to be considered a full-time student. However, at the same time, most schools count classes as four credit hours… so you should be fine. We say should because there are a few things that could complicate things:
If your school counts hours differently. For example, you are at a school that counts classes as three credit hours, and the standard class load is 5. These colleges exist and this would come out to 30 credit hours.
You have taken classes that are not “liberal arts curriculum.” For example, pre-professional courses in business or engineering. You should check all of your classes against their departments. Usually, if a class corresponds to one of their departments, they count it as a “liberal arts” course.
If that sounds like you, please reach out to us; we would love to talk about your specific application. But more generally, you have some options. We spoke to a Dean of Admissions (yes, they didn’t have great information online, and we had to take it all the way to the top…. TBH, we would love it if Amherst published more info themselves going forward). If you are otherwise a great candidate and are just a couple of credits shy but were a full-time student during your first year, they may accept you and add a note to your acceptance that you need to take summer courses before you are able to register for classes in the fall. You could also apply as a spring transfer. However, they are very serious about you coming in with 32 credits. So, if you can, complete 32 credits: it makes your application much stronger.
Pick the Right Classes
Amherst doesn’t have required classes, but that doesn’t mean you should randomly choose courses before you apply. It isn’t a good plan, as other schools you might apply to transfer to may have required courses. Maybe more importantly, you need to have a good backup plan if you aren’t accepted as a transfer (we assume your current school has required classes: take them).
That being said, you need to choose a major and then take classes that align with that major. For example, if you are applying to Amherst as a history major, your transcript should include history courses. You can’t be undecided as a transfer applicant; they are looking for transfers with solid academic plans who are on track to graduate in four years. You want to ensure your transcript supports that you are that kind of student.
Get Really Good Grades
Once you have the right classes, you need to get the right grades. To be a competitive applicant, you should have had excellent grades in high school and need perfect grades as a first-year college student. This goes back to class selection: if you struggled with Calculus in high school, don’t take a challenging math class this year (if you can help it.) Try to play to your strengths and take courses that you can succeed in.
If you do find yourself struggling in a class, get help. Go to the writing center, sign up for tutoring, and/or go to office hours. Use the resources you have to do as best as possible in class.
Develop Your Niche
Just like you want to shine in your classes, you want solid extracurriculars. We know that first-year students usually join a bunch of clubs first. But that isn’t the best plan. You want to prioritize quality over quantity. Try to find a couple of meaningful opportunities that fit with your overall package. For example, if you plan to be a pre-med/biology major, joining the student medical response club and researching at a lab tell a good story. Generally, we love it when students get involved with research. Ask your professors if they have any openings or look into undergrad opportunities. We suggest making a plan and then getting involved with activities that make sense for you.
Write Good Essays
While this comes into play a little bit later, it is important to write great stand-out essays. Amherst asks transfer students two required questions.
Essays #1 and #2 (required): Your required responses to Essay #1 and Essay #2 are intended to demonstrate your ability to organize thoughts, think critically and express yourself. Our most successful applicants utilize each essay to convey distinct themes, ideas and experiences that may not be captured in other areas of the application. Your responses should help us get to know you better as a person and a student.
Essay #1 (required): Tell us about your educational journey. Within your essay, please address your reasons for transferring, as well as any objectives you hope to achieve. (250-650 words)
This essay really boils down to “Why do you want to go here?” but there is a twist. We have a bit of a formula for how to answer these questions. We explain it in depth here, but it boils down to three easy steps:
Tell a short personal story that connects to what you want to study or your academic goals and end it with that is why you hope to study it at Amherst.
Speak to specific opportunities like classes and professors to back up why you want to study this major specifically at Amherst.
Discuss some specific on campus opportunities that align with your extracurricular interests and why you are excited to be an involved student at Amherst.
Throw in a short conclusion that leaves the reader with the idea that this is the best place for you and you are golden. However, with this question, we mentioned a twist. You need to add the context of being a transfer student. Your essay can hit the same beats, but you need to add in that context.
The first thing you need to figure out is your reason for transferring. Often when we work with students their reason is “well it's a more prestigious school.” You can’t write that! Dig deeper. Maybe you love the open curriculum at Amherst and you are at a school that has a lot of requirements. Keep that in mind while writing this essay, how will that influence which opportunities you take advantage of? How does the open curriculum support your academic goals? Or maybe you are at a huge state school and you want a smaller college community. How will that influence who you are on campus? Weave this narrative through every step of this essay.
Don’t be afraid to get specific both about Amherst and your passions. These essays work best the more we know about your academic wants and needs. Finally, you don’t want to trash the school that you are currently at, but you want to make it clear that they don’t have something that you are looking for and Amherst does. You want your essay to show the overlap between what Amherst offers and what you are looking for. You know you have written a good essay if the reader walks aways thinking that Amherst is the best school for you and you would be an asset of a student to Amherst.
Essay #2 (required): Describe the life experiences, personal circumstances and notable challenges that have most affected you as a student, community member and person. How have these factors influenced who you are today? (250-650 words)
This question is really broad and really just asks you to write a good personal story. Every personal story is about an experience or circumstance and a good one will show how you grow or changed from that experience. In many ways, this is another Common App essay. That being said, please don’t just use last year’s Common App Essay. Hopefully, you have grown and changed and experienced so many things in the last year, you want your essay to reflect that. The first semester of college challenges you to learn so many new things about yourself, this essay should speak to that in some way,
Analytical Writing Sample (optional): Applicants who would like to share a sample of their analytical writing prepared for an academic course may upload a recent academic essay or paper through the "Writing Sample" tab in Amherst's "Documents" section of our Program Materials quadrant. The submission of an analytical writing sample is optional not required.
If you have a good piece of writing that you are proud of you should do this! If you are struggling to think of something or thinking of rewriting something, skip this. Don’t send in anything from high school please!
It takes hard work and planning to get into Amherst as a transfer. When it comes to transferring the earlier you can start planning the better. And if you are feeling lost or overwhelmed, we can help!
Reach out here to speak with a counselor today!