For many people, interterm at Amherst is like a dream come true – it’s college, but without the stress of homework and deadlines! Many people come back to Amherst for jobs, internships, non-credit classes, sports, or – my favorite – just to hang out and enjoy campus for a few weeks. Whatever brings you to Amherst this January; here are some fun things to do with your free time:
Explore the Valley
Although there is no shortage of programming on campus during the month of January, interterm is also a great time to leave the Amherst Bubble and explore the rest of the valley. If you’re tired of the same old Val food, try one of Northampton’s many awesome restaurants like Local Burger, Zen, or Amanouz Café (all on Main Street).
If you’re looking to redecorate your room on the cheap or delve into some Pioneer Valley history, The Trading Post (down Route 116 behind The Moan and Dove) is a great place to spend a few hours – it’s a disorganized, chaotic antique store that sells everything from used furniture to old cookbooks and photo albums.
On a nice day, just walking around the picturesque campuses of the other four colleges can be fun. Check out the five colleges’ interterm links here for info on programming and classes at the other colleges, too!
Brave the Outdoors
We’ve had a pretty mild fall/winter season thus far (except for #octsnowberfest, of course), but January is when Amherst starts to get really cold and snowy. Instead of letting the weather get you down, take advantage of Amherst’s many opportunities for outdoor winter activities! Sledding down Memorial Hill is a good place to start. (Pro tip: using Val trays as sleds is a quaint Amherst tradition, but you’ll go much further and faster with any cheap store-bought sled…it’s totally worth it.)
Amherst also has a wonderful network of trails that are absolutely beautiful in the snow. Rent snowshoes or cross-country skis from the Outing Club, or just explore them in a pair of snow boots. (For info on the trails, click here.)
Volunteer
Keep the holiday spirit going throughout interterm by volunteering at one of Amherst’s many charitable organizations. One such charity is Not Bread Alone, a soup kitchen located in the First Congregational Church (also known as the giant gray church on Main Street). Click here for more info and call the number on the website for info on volunteering.
The Amherst Survival Center is another great charity. Located a few miles north of UMass on North Pleasant Street (you’ll need a car, bike, or the PVTA to get there), Amherst Survival Center offers a soup kitchen, food pantry, and health clinic, among many other services. Click here for information on volunteering.
Just… Relax
I know I’ve been giving you ideas for how to fill up your time during interterm, but another great thing about being here during January is how little you actually have to do. Interterm is a great time to do everything that you never have time for during the school year. In addition to the activities listed above, that could include:
- Baking cookies with friends in one of the dorms with a full kitchen (Newport, Drew, Marsh, Plimpton, Tyler, etc.)
- Sitting in Val for 2+ hours talking and eating
- Contra Dancing
- Catching up on Modern Family (or whatever TV show you’ve been missing to study for finals)
- Re-watching all eight Harry Potter films back-to-back (note: not recommended without copious amounts of coffee/snacks)
- Reading for pleasure
- Building a fire in your common room and sitting around it drinking hot cocoa
However you choose to spend your time, interterm is a great chance to enjoy Amherst!