Hampshire College is a small, alternative liberal arts college where students can create their own curriculum. There are no grades or exams. Instead, professors write detailed evaluations of students' progress in courses and independent work. Students get to work closely with faculty (44% female) to design their own programs of study. Cross-registration with other members of the five-college consortium in the town of Amherst, Mass., allows students to take courses at nearby Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts.
Hampshire is a great place if you are very self-motivated. After finishing your requirements (usually in the first two years), students are free to concentrate on a particular subject or idea. Senior year, students complete a large independent project that resembles a thesis, which can take the form of a film, large installation piece, gallery show, research paper, book or community project, among other things. At the end of the year, students support each other's work by viewing completed projects.
author: Margot Hernandez graduated: 2001 major: video production/history/cultural studies fields of interest: art, design, film, technology campus activities: activism: women's issues
media: radio, film, volunteering, work-study from: New York, USA native language: English
