Student responses on the subject varied. One senior who had already gained admission to medical school affirmed the committee's accusations: "Chemistry is very demanding, especially organic. The amount of time which Amherst chemistry courses take severely limits you in other courses."
Other students indicated that it was not only grades that motivated them to take non-Amherst chemistry classes, but that, as one student expressed, "people are not pleased with the chemistry department. The dissatisfaction is due to the attitude of many professors toward students."
During the meeting, the committee discussed the idea of including a letter with each pre-med student's transcript emphasizing the fact that the student took classes off-campus. Students protested this, saying that they did not "really see a reason for [the department] to penalize you for going elsewhere." They pointed out that "it already appears on your transcript."
Other students expressed their anger, agreeing that the department's main goal should be to help students get into medical school and pointing out that "rejections only reflect [badly] on the department."
Professor of Psychology Al Sorenson, a member of the pre-medical committee, admitted that he thought that students taking classes at other colleges to protest against the department was "an excellent idea," pointing out that this was a good opportunity for the department to compare their grade spread to that of other science departments.
At the time of The Student's report, a statement on the issue had not yet been released by the pre-medical committee. Overall, however, students were disappointed with the way that the committee handled the situation. As one student said, "Instead of seeking to find the reasons for the off-campus movement, the committee wants to force students to take courses here whether or not there is a problem in the department."
-Lauren Schmale