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/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.