Amherst College is an exceptional college full of passionate, engaged, and inquisitive students and community-members in Amherst, Massachusetts, about an hour and a half from Boston. There are just under 2,000 students, and about half are domestic students of color. As part of the Five College Consortium, students at Amherst have access to the courses and resources of Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Hampshire, and the University of Massachusetts. The vast majority of classes have less than 30 students, and there are 42 majors. The acceptance rate is 10%
Amherst is test-optional, meaning that you don’t need to submit SAT or ACT applications as part of your application. However, don’t take that as a quick way of choosing not to submit scores. 55% of first-year students in the fall of 2023 had submitted an SAT or an ACT score. This tells us that Amherst prioritizes scores when reviewing an application, even if they don’t say so. When deciding whether to submit your scores, the most important thing is whether they underline and reinforce your academic ability. If your scores don’t suggest a shiny potential future at Amherst, you shouldn’t submit them.
In this post, we’ll break down an even more important piece of your application — the supplements. Amherst has a lot of options, and it can get pretty confusing to navigate. Be sure to read through all your options at least twice before making any final selections.
Applying to college can be complicated, and the Amherst supplement doesn’t make it simpler. Contact us for expert assistance navigating every step of the process.
The Amherst supplement is long, and it’s complicated. There isn’t a massive amount of writing to be done, but they use long introductions and descriptions that can lead to confusion. We’re here to help, so let’s dig into it.
OPTIONAL QUESTIONS
First, there are two optional questions mixed into the college-specific questions sections. These are genuinely optional questions that should only be done if they apply to you — and you should definitely not stretch them to fit.
Optional Identity Question: If you would like to share more about yourself that is not captured elsewhere in your application, please tell us more here (175 words max)
This prompt is designed to offer students who identify as LGBTQIA+, students of color, or students who have parts of their identify that have not been addressed elsewhere, an opportunity to share that without having to dedicate a larger piece of their application to this identity. Amherst recognizes that your identity is a key piece of who you are, and they want you to be able to celebrate that as part of their inclusive and diverse community.
You don’t have a ton of space, but you still have room for story. So, don’t write this as a mini-biography or cut-and-dry list of facts. It needs to read like a mini story that shares this piece of you. We’ve had students successfully write about the experience of coming out to a friend, the moment they accepted themselves fully, and so many other beautiful little stories that show the beautiful messiness of life.
Optional Research Question: If you have engaged in significant research in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences or humanities that was undertaken independently of your high school curriculum, please provide a brief description of the research project. (75 words max)
This supplement is only for students who have engaged in research independent of your high school curriculum. They don’t define “significant,” but we think of it as work that is structured and with a clear goal or outcome. A hobby project that didn’t amount to any tangible result doesn’t fulfill the requirements here, but if you’ve done work that resulted in a paper, presentation, or report, you should definitely highlight it here in a short abstract written in a professional voice.
REQUIRED QUESTIONS
Now we’re getting into the ‘real’ supplement. These are the required questions all applicants have to answer.
Please briefly elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience of particular significance to you. (175 words max)
This supplement is short, sweet, and an opportunity to emphasize your interests in a way that connects the head and the heart for the reader. They want to feel your earnestness and enthusiasm. We especially like when a student can write about a work experience here, and it’s not a problem if it doesn’t directly overlap with your area of academic interest. In fact, we love when a student can write about a job that required them to go outside of their comfort zone, but that capitalized on skills they’ve built through pursuit of what they love. For example, maybe you worked as a server over the summer and had to put your math brain to use tallying checks. Or maybe you were a summer camp counselor and led science modules.
In addition to the essay, you are writing as part of the Common Application, Amherst requires a supplementary essay from all applicants. There are three options for satisfying Amherst’s supplementary writing requirement: Option A, Option B or Option C. You may select only one of these options. Before deciding, carefully read the descriptions of all three options.
Amherst gives you so many options and so many prompts, and it can be quite overwhelming. So, you need to start by deciding which of these options and prompts you definitely won’t do because narrowing it down will open up ideas and opportunities. Our advice is to begin by reading through all the options, crossing off (mentally) the ones you definitely won’t or can’t do, and then narrow it down to your perfect fit.
Option A: Choose one of the following quotations, and respond to the question posed, in an essay of not more than 350 words. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.
First, let’s just make it really clear that if your instinct is to write an argumentative essay you are incorrect. Now that’s clear, let’s get into it.
Prompt 1: “Amherst College is committed to learning through close colloquy and to expanding the realm of knowledge through scholarly research and artistic creation at the highest level. Its graduates link learning with leadership—in service to the College, to their communities, and to the world beyond." – from the Mission of Amherst College
Question: What do you see as the benefits of linking learning with leadership and/or service? In your response, please share with us a time where you have seen that benefit through your own experience.
The beginning of this prompt is phrased in a way that makes it seem like you should answer analytically or argumentatively, but obviously that’s not what they want — they said just as much. So, what do you do?
You tell a story.
The meat of this supplement, including the start, needs to be a story that shows the link between learning and leadership or service in your own life. This story should be small, but should speak to a larger experience or commitment. For example, if you are going to write about a volunteer experience with a STEM camp for younger students you should focus on a specific moment with a student, but also speak to the larger commitment you made to the program. We encourage students to only write supplements about volunteer experiences that were long-term, and local.
Make sure to reflect on the why of the importance of linking learning and service/leadership, but don’t use that to close out the supplement. Finish by circling back to the core experience you focused on first, keeping story as the focus of the supplement.
Prompt 2: “We seek an Amherst made stronger because it includes those whose experiences can enhance our understanding of our nation and our world. We do so in the faith that our humanity is an identity forged from diversity, and that our different perspectives enrich our inquiry, deepen our knowledge, strengthen our community, and prepare students to engage with an ever-changing world.” – from the Trustee Statement on Diversity and Community
Question: In what ways could your unique experiences enhance our understanding of our nation and our world?
This supplement is interesting, and it may be an ideal one for you, but we also want to ensure that you aren’t being redundant in your application. So, if what you want to write about for this prompt is something you’ve already mentioned in your main Common App essay, this isn’t the option for you. If there is something about your background or experiences, though, that hasn’t come up in your application yet, this could be the perfect place to spotlight it.
If you do choose to tackle this supplement prompt, you want to be specific in order to illustrate big things, not to speak in big, sweeping ways. The themes you tackle here may be broad, but you need to make them specific by tying them to specific lived experiences and examples — ideally only 1-2.
Prompt 3: “Strong commitment to the freedom of inquiry lies at the heart of Amherst College’s mission to create a home in which the liberal arts may flourish. As a small residential liberal arts college that prides itself on the ability, curiosity, and diversity of its students, Amherst seeks to create a respectful environment in which members of its community feel emboldened to pursue their intellectual and creative passions.” – from the Amherst College Statement of Academic and Expressive Freedom
Question: Tell us about an intellectual or creative passion you have pursued; what did you learn about yourself through that pursuit?
We like this prompt a lot, because it’s perfect for anyone with a passion — which should include you as a strong Amherst applicant. To answer in a strong way, you need to pick one passion and then weave the lesson, or lessons, you’ve learned from it into the essay. The most important thing, though, is to make the reader feel a bit of the same passion you feel. It should almost be infectious. If you love writing songs, they should want to hear one. If you compete in chess, they should ask a friend to play a match. They should want to experience a piece of what drives you.
Based on the two examples we just gave you may be wondering whether the passion you pick for this prompt should be strictly academic in nature. Generally, no, it doesn’t have to be academic. However, it should match, in topic or spirit, what you propose to study at Amherst. Using our earlier examples, writing songs may work if you want to study something to do with language or music. Competing in chess may work if you are a potential STEM major, or someone interested in political science type avenues of study.
If you aren’t sure which option or prompt to do for Amherst, this is the one we recommend the most.
Option B: Please submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological, or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. If you have submitted an analytical essay in response to the “essay topic of your choice” prompt in the Common Application writing section, you should NOT select Option B.
Our first response to this prompt is: “Who does that?” Who submits an analytical essay for the Common App main essay? We would never advise a student to do that, and we certainly don’t encourage you to do so. So, every student, including you, should be eligible for this prompt.
With that out of the way, that doesn’t mean that you should do it. If you are emphasizing an interest in historical research, the study of literature, or the examination of cultures in your application, then it makes sense to consider this option. What matters most, though, is that you have a piece of writing to submit that is at the high bar Amherst expects.
In summary, this option is only a good one for you if:
You have interests that perfectly match what they want to see.
You have a piece of writing that fully represents your academic success and future potential.
If both of these apply to you, put this option in your ‘maybe’ bucket. If not, move on to the next!
Option C: If you are/were an applicant to Amherst's Access to Amherst (A2A) program (https://www.amherst.edu/admission/diversity/a2a) , you may use your A2A application essay in satisfaction of our Writing Supplement requirement. If you would like to do so, please select Option C. However, if you would prefer not to use your A2A essay for this purpose and you want to submit a different writing supplement, select either Option A or Option B. Option A, Prompt 2 is the same prompt as the A2A application essay; if you would like to submit an updated version of your A2A application essay, please choose Option A.
[Please note that Option C is available only to applicants to Amherst's A2A program. Non-A2A applicants must choose either Option A or Option B.]
This one is another easy option to rule out for most applicants. If you are, or previously were, an applicant to the Access to Amherst (A2A) program, this supplement may be an option. However, we don’t recommend doing it. You have the opportunity to write something new, or submit a paper, for this application. Submitting work they’ve already seen is like saying “I don’t care that much.” In short, don’t do this prompt. It is easy, but it’s not worth it.
We dislike the Amherst supplement because it asks a lot of you (it is actually so annoying). We love the Amherst supplement because it offers you a lot at the same time. You get to show so much of yourself to them, and that’s an exciting opportunity.
Supplements like the Amherst supplement benefit from a helping hand. Email us to learn more.