Prospective Students

Welcome to Hampshire College and the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS). Below you will find a host of resources to get you connected with OARS and well on your way to preparing for your first semester at Hampshire.

We look forward to working with you!

We understand choosing an institution that is the right fit can be daunting. Even when you've made the best choice, the transition to college is a difficult one for many students as well. We've complied a list of resources to help prospective students plan and prepare for identifying a fit for support services, planning their transition to Hampshire, and preparing for a successful college experience. We are available to consult throughout the process, so once you've reviewed the resources on this page, feel free to reach out at any time.

Before Meeting with us:

Learn about the difference between college and high school.

Consider these questions when visiting colleges and discussing accessibility.

Check out the other support services students typically access. We can usually answer many general questions and can help get you connected with the right folks to answer more specific questions about resources and services across the college.

Schedule a meeting with us:

Planning to visit campus before you've made a decision to attend? Schedule a prospective student meeting to learn more about OARS and support services relevant to your future Hampshire experience.

• Visit our "About Us" page to learn about our staff, location, and scheduling an appointment.
• Review our disclosure process.
  • We do not formally review or approve accommodation request before a student has matriculated, but we can answer general questions about documentation requirements and available accommodations.
• Find us on the campus map before coming to campus

Before Arriving to Hampshire:

• Check out resources available to incoming students.
• Disclose your disability (summer)
  • Academic accommodations can be requested at any time, but the earlier, the better.
  • Housing-based accommodations have a more specific timeline. Learn more on the Housing Accommodation Page
• Register to be part of the early move-in program.
• Become familiar with the Holistic Learning Program.
  • Consultation services throughout the year to address any barriers you encounter in coursework or on campus.

Connect outside of Hampshire

If you are taking a gap year, or looking for developmental resources to work with before coming to Hampshire:

Summer Programs: Experience Hampshire College while you're still in high school. Get a sense of our innovative approach to learning and what life is like on Hampshire's campus during our 2-week pre-college sessions every summer in July. Pre-college participants live in the dorms, eat in the dining commons, and are immersed in rigorous and exciting fields of study.

Led by current Hampshire faculty, recent graduates, and experienced alumni, our pre-college programs are intended for rising high school juniors and seniors. Check out our Summer 2018 offerings:

• Social Media Literacy: Engaging in the Personal and Political This program will analyze how historically marginalized groups use social media as a tool to evaluate, expose, as well as challenge deeply-entrenched narratives in relation to race, gender, class, etc.
• The Science of Food This is a hands-on program that will take students from the farm to table, with work in the laboratory as well.
• Immersion Spanish Led by faculty from the International Language Institute of Massachusetts, we will offer Beginner Spanish and Elementary Spanish Plus. Both offerings are experiential workshops that include a strong cultural component in which students learn by doing and spend as much time as possible speaking the language, rather than speaking about the language.
• Inside the Cell: Immersion into the Biology Laboratory This program will return again this summer and introduce students to a wide array of skills beneficial to becoming a successful scientist and/or researcher.
• Design for a Better World This pre-college program will immerse students in the world of design, merging historical and cultural backgrounds of the design fields with questions of social justice and ecological sustainability.
• Blacksmithing, Jewelry Design, and Metal Fabrication Returning for the third summer, this program introduces students to the world of metalworking with an emphasis on hot forging, casting, manipulation, and jewelry-making. Students learn from historical and contemporary examples of this ancient art, and create new works.
• Making Music for Film, Games, and Other Media This two-week hands-on program will explore the art and business of making music for films, video games, and other media.
• The Craft of Documentary This program will help students more deeply engage with the world of non-fiction media by learning about the creative and technical elements that go into making a documentary.
• Young Feminist Collaborative This program is a collaboration between the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program (CLPP) based at Hampshire College and the Soapbox Feminist Camp. It mixes historical and political contexts of activism with exposure to real world careers in social justice and the non-profit sector. Some financial assistance is available.
• Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics Now in its 46th year, this is an intensive six-week encounter with college-level mathematics for talented and highly motivated high school students.

 

Landmark: The Landmark Forum is designed to bring about positive, permanent shifts in the quality of your life—in just three days. These shifts are the direct cause for a new and unique kind of freedom and power: the freedom to be at ease and the power to be effective in the areas that matter most to you: the quality of your relationships, the confidence with which you live your life, your personal productivity, your experience of the difference you make,
your enjoyment of life.

Perkins: The College Success @ Perkins program is designed to help you get the most out of college. In just one year, we’ll prepare you for everything you’re about to experience. You’ll learn how to navigate college campuses, how to join clubs and sports teams, and how to cook a meal in your own apartment.

Mass Rehab: MRC's Vocational Rehabilitation Program assists individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment.