Founded in 1821, this four-year liberal arts college is relatively small, containing only 1600 students. The college itself is full of history, as it has two museums on its campus. The Pratt Museum of Natural History and the Mead Art Museum are effective for teaching New England and world culture.

The most stunning feature of the college, Amherst College Library, specializes in more than just books; it contains archives and special collections, access services, a center for Russian culture, a language resource center, a media center, a science and music library, a visual resources collection, government documents, and more.

Sports at Amherst are active year round, including basketball, ice hockey, swimming and squash in the winter; baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and track in the spring; and club sports including crew, fencing, rugby, mountain biking, an equestrian team, and many others.