The following is list of resources to help you during your second year at Amherst College. If you have additional questions, please contact Jess Caldwell-O'Keefe, Senior Associate Dean of Students & Class Dean, at jecaldwellokeefe@amherst.edu. For additional information on building skills and learning strategies for your academic experience, please visit Supporting Students’ Academic Success.
Hello Sophomores! The Office of Student Care is excited to welcome you back to campus. We are eager to support you through challenges that might arise as you progress in your college journey. Student Care connects students with medical, academic, accessibility-related, and residential resources. We also serve as a sounding board for people as they navigate life in college. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us by emailing studentcare@amherst.edu or reaching out directly to the Director of Student Care (Andy Tew) or our new Student Care Coordinator (Shannon Farrand-Bernardin).
Nearly half of the student body spends at least one semester on study away - and they travel to nearly every continent! The sophomore year is the time to explore if this is the right experience for you, where you want to go, and what you may want to study. GEO is prepared to help you all throughout the process! All students interested in studying away in the 2024-2025 academic year must confirm with GEO by April 1 which semester they are considering. Confirming with GEO is not binding, but required. No exceptions have been made to the deadline. Learn more on our webpage and follow us on Instagram @amherstcollegegeo!
Through workshops, programs, and one-on-one coaching sessions, the Strategic Learning Center helps assess students’ needs, develops individualized learning plans, and offers a wide variety of academic skills and strategies that can support your goals.
We invite you to schedule a one-on-one coaching session using our WCOnline scheduler. We look forward to meeting with you!
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) supports students as they put their ideas to work in the world, providing opportunities to link learning inside and outside of the classroom, tackle problems that matter, or develop skills that can be applied in other settings. The Center maintains sustained relationships with local community partners and supports a variety of courses designed to address community challenges and advance the common good. Through this work, students have the opportunity to learn and engage with a range of interests. Looking for opportunities or resources that suit you? We can help you find one or build your own! Contact CCE staff at cce@amherst.edu for support.
Career development at Amherst goes hand-in-hand with academic development, and sophomore year is an important time to engage with the Loeb Center. We can help you explore your interests, get connected with alumni, and prepare you for a summer internship. The earlier you participate in career exploration with us, the more agency, confidence and options you will have when it is time to graduate. Key dates to note this year:
Registration for the inaugural Sophomore Summit (career conference for sophomores, January 24-26, 2023) opens on September 5th—look out for an email in your inbox!
Keep an eye out for information about the Charles Hamilton Houston Internship Program and all the ways the Loeb can support you in the internship search and preparation process.
The Office of Student Engagement and Leadership (formerly known as Student Activities) is the home of our campus’ student life, which includes registered clubs and organizations, student government, Campus Activities Board, and large scale community engagement and programming. We’re currently building and re-imagining this office, welcoming new professional staff and re-imagining our student leadership programming and development. Student Engagement and Leadership staff welcomes you to stop by the office to talk about our many programs, how you can get involved with them, and how we can be a resource to you as you navigate student life on campus!
Welcome back, Sophomores! As you dive into this new academic year, remember that the Office of Identity & Cultural Resources is here to enhance your college experience. With six distinct resource centers- the Center for Class & Access, the Center for International Student Engagement, the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, the Multicultural Resource Center, the Queer Resource Center, and the Women’s & Gender Center—we offer diverse programs and spaces to connect, grow, and explore. Whether you seek support, cultural engagement, or simply a sense of belonging, our centers are open to you. Join us, attend our events, and follow us on Instagram to stay in the loop. Here's to an amazing sophomore year filled with personal growth and enriching connections!
Welcome sophomores! Are you interested in gaining skills in conflict resolution? Facilitating restorative dialogue across divides? Restorative justice as an alternative to punitive systems? Deepening connection, authenticity, vulnerability and trust within groups or communities in which you belong? Reach out to us at the center for restorative practices.
As relationships change from freshman year, problems may arise and harm may occur. We invite you to consider a restorative approach to addressing conflict! Our focus is on repairing relationships while reinforcing that there is no lasting peace without speaking your truth and feeling heard, valued, and believed. We offer dialogue and mediation services for conflict resolution, facilitated conversations between parties, or listening sessions.
In addition to our conflict resolution work, we offer restorative circles upon request for building community, as well as training and workshops for those who wish to learn how to apply restorative practices in their everyday lives. Wishing you all the best for your second year.
AESS mission: Consistent with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s objective of promoting excellence and diversity, and with the assistance of faculty and staff, the Office of Academic Engagement and Student Success (AESS) seeks to assist Amherst students from diverse backgrounds to effectively use the College’s wide range of academic resources to advance their educational experience in the College. AESS is specifically committed to enhancing students’ opportunities for graduate studies, presenting at academic conferences, and professional development and networking opportunities. In addition to connecting students to multiple sources of academic support on campus, AESS administers the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program and Benjamin Mays Undergraduate Scholarship (BMUS), and supports the Wade Fellowship.
Did you know that there are sources of funding for travel, research, cultural immersion, and graduate and professional education available to you as Amherst students and alumni? They're called “fellowships” and some are open to you as a sophomore as well as in the years ahead. Learning about fellowships now can help inform your choices for the future, and even make that future more broad and exciting. You can begin to learn about them through our website.
If you want to learn more, request an appointment (form on that page, too). We look forward to meeting you and wish you an inspiring sophomore year!
Christine and Eric
Even if you established solid college writing skills last year, you will probably soon encounter some new and even surprising challenges. Sophomore year is the ideal time to build on that strong foundation—and reinforce it. Don’t make the mistake of telling yourself: “Oh, I should have gotten the hang of all that by now.”
Advanced writing skills align with educational and career success, and the Writing Center associates can support you in your ongoing development as a writer. You can also find support for your in-class presentations and other forms of public speaking. Check out our new location in the Learning and Teaching Commons, Frost Library, 2nd floor. In addition to our usual in-depth sessions, this semester we are offering Walk-in Writing Workshops. Come in for a productive working session and an opportunity for a short, intensive walk-in appointment with one of our professional writing associates. We’re here for you.
Welcome back, Sophomores! As your evolution and development continues, please remember that there is support for you, wherever you are in your experience of growth and becoming. The team at CCMH looks forward to connecting with you! If you already know us, check us out again to see what's new this fall.
If you're unfamiliar with our services, please check out our website to learn more.
The staff at the Health Center are committed to integrating primary prevention with clinical health services. In addition to the treatment of acute and chronic conditions, the Health Center takes a primary role in the coordination of care for our students including initiation of referrals as needed and collaboration with other departments on campus. Please reach out to us with any question or concern big or small about your health and wellness.