Ah, Hampshire. Warts and all, I loved and miss you my alma mater. I attended Hampshire from 1993-1998, and I don't regret a single moment of it (ok, well maybe there were some moments I did regret, but hey it was before ALL the embarrassing stuff was on social media, whew!) especially since Hampshire had been at the top of my college list since the get-go. What they say about Hampshire being a "self-selecting" student applicant pool is ABSOLUTELY true. Hampsters KNOW this is "THE" school for them instinctually. When I was applying to colleges and universities, I didn't know anything initially about Hampshire until I got some information from a colleague of my father's who taught at the same college, and sent away for an information packet (hey, this was the early 90's, so no websites yet) which then further peaked my interest. That being said, the education you can get at Hampshire (and across the other four campuses of the consortium) is top-notch, if you stay focused, motivated and driven. Hampshire gets a "bad rep" academically within more traditional academic circles as it's a young school, with an alternative curriculum and no grades. Let me just say this: a graded system teaches you ABSOLUTELY nothing. At least for me for that's the case. I learn best from performance evaluations, strengths and weaknesses, what I'm excelling at, and where I need to improve. Hampshire professors write INCREDIBLY detailed and concise and in-depth evaluations of your work and progress throughout the Divisional system. Hampshire IS "graduate school for undergraduates" but it took me until I was in my second year to figure that out. And four words of advice: USE THE WRITING CENTER!!! They helped me at EVERY divisional level. Hampshire is also an AMAZING college for artistic and creative students and has (in my opinion) superior facilities for creative student work compared to a lot of other small colleges I looked at. I concentrated in both Theater & Film and found that although the Theater facilities were a bit sub-par, (ONLY because there were SO MANY theater students and not enough performance space, there were only two "black box" style theaters, a Studio for smaller productions and a Mainstage for larger ones), it was challenging. I quickly learned that serving on the Theater Board is the BEST way to make sure you get access to the Theaters (I started as a Theater Board alternate my first semester and during my Div III, I was the Lead Facilitator of the weekly Board meetings) if you plan on doing production work. I directed, acted in and produced my Division II production (a small two-character piece) in the Studio Theater my third year, and then directed and produced my Div III production (a MUCH larger ensemble piece) in the Mainstage Theater my fourth year. I also directed and workshopped scenes from my own written work (a play), that were presented at Word! The Five College Multicultural Theater Festival every Spring. It's hosted by a different campus each year, and in Spring 1998 (the year I graduated) it was at UMass. The Hampshire College Theater Program is run like a small repertory theater company, and out of all the consortium's Theater Departments is the MOST student-run. The larger Pioneer Valley area itself is also a VERY culturally rich place for Theater because I did post-graduate theater work in Northampton & Springfield after I graduated (I moved into Northampton from campus), and it was great to do that instead of just immediately going on to graduate school. Hampshire also has an AMAZING reputation amongst graduate schools, and I got into EVERY single MFA program I applied to. UMass/Amherst even offered me a spot in their MFA program in Theater before I even graduated from Hampshire; because they were aware of my undergraduate work. If you truly utilize the Consortium, it becomes an indispensable academic resource that way. Hampshire's Film/Video/Photography program, by contrast, was chill and relaxed (and WAY less hierarchical and political than the Theater Program was) and afforded a lot of student access to the facilities. In fact, now, compared to back then, I think the Liebling Center has been expanded from the original Film & Photography Building, and the facilities for Film are now even BETTER. My work in the Film program was mainly project-based as an outgrowth from classes, and I acted in some student films and did a short film during my Division III, as well as a couple of multimedia pieces that combined performance with Film/Video during my Div II. I wouldn't have traded my Hampshire educational experience for anything, and I know a lot of other Hampsters, past and present feel the same way. Fantastic school, but you HAVE to make sure it's the "right fit" for YOU. Don't go there without visiting or sight unseen -- otherwise, you will waste time and $$$$ just to transfer out. read more

My alma mater is one of the other 4 colleges in the area but I did take a class her as part of the 5 college consortium. My oldest followed 2 generations and went to that school as well but my middle son marches to the beat of a different drum. So I was not too surprised when he applied to Hampshire College. My son was very carrot and stick orientated so very focused on grades and he was accepted to 9 of the 10 schools he applied for ... RPI being one of his top two choices with Hampshire being the other. I was intrigued how he would deal with a evaluation based classes. He has adjusted pretty well. So far I am thrilled with his experience and he seems to be fitting right in. read more

I attended Hampshire from Fall 94-98. Bridging the years where Hampshire went from the grads who took 10 years to get a diploma (LOTS of "student sabbaticals" which weren't allowed after some school changes) and the "new kids" who fell under stricter guidelines. Pre-2000, a lot of Hampshire students were left with a "sink or swim" style of education. The faculty were amazing (Marion was excellent with Tai Chi and other classes and the outdoor programs were excellent, David Kerr and others were supportive and definitely helped me stay on track. Being one of a small number of financial aid students, the feeling at the beginning of each year was incredibly stressful (if you couldn't prove you had the funds, sometimes making the difference up in cash before matriculation, you couldn't start the school year). Financial stresses aside, it was one of the best times of my life. Hampshire College gave me insights into the way I work and strengthened my belief in self worth and my ability to achieve whatever I set myself up to do. Hampshire is a direct reason why I was able to take more risks after college, pay off a tremendous amount of debt in just a few years (yeah business consulting!) and achieve a lot of the successes I have now. I learned the undergrad education wasn't so much about what I studied, but how I set goals, researched, learned, and achieved whatever I set out to do. Those lessons have given me more than any piece of lambskin was worth. Yes - there were Hipsters at Hamp before Hipsters were a "thing" and there will continue to be the trust-fund babies who opt to float through four years of f-ing around and not really doing anything but spend money and get high. There are more, way more, motivated students who are pushing themselves to be more than what most colleges and universities expect. I'd argue there are more alumni from Hampshire (graduates or drop outs) who've succeeded because they were real examples of what a Hampshire student is - motivated, dedicated, self-assertive, risk-taking, and willing to fail several times to achieve success at whatever they're doing than there are from other more "normal" schools. I loved Hampshire and while it still definitely needs to improve its alumni relations, it's a constant work in progress and it's great to see awesome kids coming and going from there still... read more

This is my alta mater! I agree that this school is not for those people who are not looking to change or be given food for thought but at the same time, is similar to a lot of liberal arts colleges. I really enjoyed my time there (I majored in women's cardiovascular health, yes, I know, being a pre-medical student at Hampshire college). But don't let the people saying "OMG! This school is so PC!" deter you. While that may be true, sometimes being challenging and looking into different things is what college should be about. In terms of my professors, they were all very supportive. They really want the best for their students and reward those who meet their expectations. Library could be better, but then again there is the five-college lending system so there goes the complaint. There is a lot to say about this school but I will post that later! read more

My Son just informed me that my step daughter has just graduated from Hampshire College. It's tough to be cut off this way by a still spiteful Mother. Yet, I can hold my head up high knowing that her success would not have been possible without my support. Congratulations CTE! I'm very proud of you. read more

My wife went to Hampshire College and I'm gonna give it 4 out of 5 stars. I can't say if it's the school itself that is great, but rather, it's the professors, librarians, and fellow teachers, which are really unmatched in comparison to the other 4 colleges. The Physical Plant staff are also really amazing too. You'll find a lot of talented people at Hampshire, and the rigorously unique process at Hampshire will weed out the pretentious hipsters after the 1st year. However, other aspects of its administration and public safety are either incompetent, corrupt, creepy or all three! Nobody likes the school president, and this liberal college has an Ironic tendency of crushing unions and acceding to the whims of the Public Safety department (however, i've heard they've been replaced by the more competent UMass Police in recent years)... Example: My wife is an Alum. HR put up a job announcement that Hampshire colleges was seeking to hire an Alumni Relations Officer, since Hampshire College has serious a relations problem with its alumni. She applies for the job, and Irony of ironies, they don't even dignify her application with a response. But they do keep us on their mailing list to beg us for donations. Well, what does the school expect? A college is supposed to improve a student's chance at a career! Their CORI office is not very helpful, and the school hasn't tried hard enough with networking its graduates. As long as Hampshire is unable to put most of their Alumni on the path of successful high paying careers, the school's endowment is always going to lack the donations it highly needs. read more

Once upon a time I went here. For a year. I thought I hated it but now I have come to appreciate it for the entertaining conversation fodder that it has bestowed upon me. Some of the classes here are some total uber-PC bullshit classes ever. I had some awesome classes but not enough for me to stay here. read more

Burnt out from four years of stressing out over grades and classmate competition and eventually graduating from high school with a 3.2 (that's on a 4 point scale) in the bottom half of the class, I chose Hampshire College for my undergraduate career. I didn't need a break from the academic rigor, just from the nonsense surrounding grades. Essentially, Hampshire has two types of students: the ones who barely meet the requirements, major in something generic or completely hipster-ish, and never leave their rooms; and the students who actually choose to thrive at the school and make the most out of their four years. Those latter set of students are the ones Hampshire truly wants and that everyone gets so excited about. Certain students like yelling about "privilege" and the "personal experience." Unfortunately, Hampshire babys them and allows them to yell at everyone with pale skin, male genitalia, and/or a trust fund for coming from a privileged place -- without even knowing who the people they're yelling at are! The liberal bias in social science (now called "Critical Social Inquiry" -- a laughable title dripping of PCness) is absurd. If you're looking for a healthy academic debate (or even a chance to play devil's advocate in the interest of learning more), don't waste your time. I really wonder sometimes whether those students truly believe they are actually solving anything. I have never had a professor at Hampshire I didn't like. A good relationship with the faculty overseeing your concentration (Division II) and your senior thesis (Division III) is vital. Faculty want students to succeed and are willing to help, as long as the student makes the first move. Personal responsibility is valued highly at this college. While at Hampshire, a student can take courses at Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke and UMass. There are a few hoops to jump through, and unfortunately the process is never as smooth as it can be. This is where Central Records comes in. Probably the least Hampshire-esque office on campus (and the one that deals most with students), Central Records deals with your schedule and takes care of passing you from one semester and one division to the next. Heaven forbid you ever have a problem with your schedule that Central Records will need to fix -- past or present. Chances are they won't, and will refuse to work you until you leave their office in rage or in tears. I only had one such (minor) incident, but many other students have their horror stories. Also, for a college that took a green initiative, there are a lot of paper forms strewn around campus. Many of those trace back to Central Records. If you can manage your own academic career and float above all the PC nonsense without getting sucked in or letting it take you over, then by all means, seriously consider attending Hampshire. But make sure you visit first -- not just a tour, do an overnight if you can manage it. I love my school, I have a fantastic committee and I love what I'm studying, but some days I truly wonder what I'm doing here. read more

I went to a Fabulous wedding at the Red Barn. Amazing! A very unique place to start a unique life with your new bride or groom. I played the part of a "Maid of Honor" and was responsible for overseeing the food/liquor logistics; the staff were awesome (I think a few of them could have been Hampshire College students). The ceremony was magical on the breathtaking back drop of rolling New England hills and the Red Barn was an exceptionally cozy place for a very classy, exceptional reception. read more

I went to Hampshire. It's truly what you make it. If you have the drive and direction to design and build a greenhouse on campus, you can do it. If you just want to read Shakespeare all day, that is fair game. If you want to design a portable gynecological table for use in rural areas in Africa, that is doable. These are all examples of things I witnessed while at Hampshire. Now I am in grad school at Columbia and I miss Hampshire tremendously. But not everyone can do good in this environment. Those students that make it to graduation are the best, but nearly 30-40 percent of people can't hack it, can't handle the freedom, and drop out after year one. I noticed the "hipster" population drop dramatically after the first year. But those folks who make it through are really exceptional people. Hampshire has community, you just have to find your place in it. Don't be afraid to fight for projects that you feel passionate about. Take advantage of the 5 colleges. It's a rare and wonderful place. read more

Take it from me: I'm politically conservative and I love this uber-PC, hard-left, frequently frustrating college to no end. The students are downright brilliant (when I take off-campus classes, professors always light up when they learn I'm a Hampshire student). The professors, though some are obnoxious and have their heads up their ivory-tower asses, are passionate and love what they do. The school, evidenced by its educational model, empowers its students and treats them like adults. Con-wise...well, a lot of the offices have problems (ugh, Central Records and Special Events. They're just...unpleasant to deal with). I'm gonna estimate that 30% of the students hold the most assinine, I-just-discovered-Marx-and-think-I-know-everything views. The buildings are ugly. But I wouldn't transfer for the world. I love it here and will be eternally grateful I discovered it. For the first time, I feel like I'm home in an educational institution. read more

The food sucks. Hard to find anywhere in campus with good wait staff. I thought the Korn performance was pretty okay, but the mod it was in was a little cramped and had a sink hole. Someone put some shopping carts on buildings as their division 3. read more