u/manousosmap

Hi, recently committed student! I had some questions specific to dorming:

- What are some dorm essentials y'all would recommend SPECIFIC to Amherst?

- What type of furniture is already given? Should I bother buying extra shelving or a desk, etc? If so, any local recs to buy from would be great!
- Second part, what amenities are given, like would I have to buy a vacuum/cleaning supplies myself, or are there shared items for the buildings?

- Sorry if this sounds odd, but what is the natural sunlight like, and are the windows nice?
- Are any of these items allowed: rice cooker, air fryer, mini fridge, humidifier/purifier, heater? And if so, would y'all recommend getting them or not? Second part: What is heating/AC like in the dorms or in the buildings themselves?

Also, I had a question about the bathroom/shower situation. I don't mind that it's communal, but I read somewhere on this subreddit that it's co-ed. 😳 Can someone confirm if this is true, haha?

Thanks :)

Hi! I'm currently a HS senior who will be moving out in a few months for college. I am very excited and nervous since ofc next stage of my life, but mostly because of how difficult it has been. If anyone else has Asian immigrant, religious parents who are dependent on you for manual labor, translating, completing forms, etc etc, I bet you understand how hard this decision is. W/o going into personal details, I ended up becoming the sole helper of all emotional, physical, financial, mental, etc needs for my parents. I have to be the mediator and the scapegoat at ALL times, and it has been emotionally draining. Now that the idea of me moving out is actually concrete, I'm happy to finally be escaping, but also afraid b/c once I leave, Ik at home will be a shit show. I don't know what exactly I'm even asking for, but if anyone has advice on how I could make him stop depending on me so much, that would be great. I just can't handle it anymore and am holding on to so much resentment, anger, and disgust. As I am wrapping up HS, I'm reflecting a lot on my childhood and how I grew up, and realize how much their behavior and actions have held me back from growing as a person because I had to use the energy that should be focused on myself, instead of their needs. I was self-aware of this as a child, but now that I am REALLY looking back, it was much worse than I understood it to be. I just hate it so much because I think of all the lectures/fights/arguments when I would "push back" or be "rebellious," but it actually was just me trying to be my own person - they just couldn't handle me disobeying their control. It has made me live my life overthinking, overanalyzing, lying, manipulating, and being on guard all the time from a young age. Fortunately, despite all ts, I've been able to find a good support system from my friends and still tried to learn who I am, but I can't help but think how much more of a person I could have grown into socially, mentally, emotionally, etc if my parents did not hold me back. I understand that they came to this country and sacrificed their culture and left their families back home, but I feel like I had to quickly "pay for that" by sacrificing myself. Like genuinely if I did not give up my time for them, they would think the world is ending and that God is punishing them with a "terrible child".

Anyways, sorry for the ramble, but I've js been really wanting to share my feelings somewhere.

tldr: How to wean off immigrant parents depending on you?

Hi, recently admitted student! Very excited to join the community. I had some questions:
- What is the dorming situation like, specifically the bathroom/showers? If any female students could speak to this.
- What is public transportation like? Or is having a car necessary? I'm from NYC and plan to commute a lot, so if any other NYkers could share their experience.
- What are job opportunities like both on and off campus?
- More about the town itself, I don't really know much about it, so if there's anything I should be aware of beforehand, I would love to know. Or any specific things/rules/traditions I should know about the college?
- I understand that Amherst is a PWI, which I'm fine with, but if any students of color could speak about their HONEST experience, I'd really appreciate it.

- For academics, I know Amherst has an open curriculum - if anyone could explain a bit more what it means and entails, that would be very helpful! I'm looking to go in as a Bio major on a pre-med track, potentially with a double major. Second part to that, how difficult is double-majoring?

Thanks :)