Campus involvement
During his time at the College, Tarlow was involved with The Amherst Student and spent time working for the Indicator. In addition to student publications, Tarlow played on the tennis team his freshman and sophomore years. "The tennis team was a lot of fun and a great experience in terms of meeting other people," he said.
Tarlow also became involved with the Chi Psi fraternity, a group that is diverse both ethnically and socio-economically, after being introduced to it through some seniors. "I met some great seniors who really engendered the idea of brotherhood," said Tarlow. "It became a great community within Amherst for me." For Tarlow, his membership in Chi Psi is an experience that he will always remember. "Chi Psi has been both a challenging and just a fun experience. [It's] a great opportunity to meet a group of very diverse people that I would ordinarily not meet on campus," said Tarlow. Tarlow then added that Chi Psi is "also a great opportunity to learn how an organization works both in its best moments and also in its worst."
A thesis and a year abroad
According to Professor of French Leah Hewitt, Tarlow "is a thorough, determined student who is bent on getting it right, whatever the topic."
Tarlow chose to major in political science after taking a class taught by Professor of Political Science Ronald Tiersky. He decided to double major in French after visiting France. "[I decided to major in] French because I really love French culture [and] political science because when I came [to Amherst], I didn't really know what I wanted to do," he said. "I took Professor Tiersky's class [and] it struck me as very interesting."
Some of Tarlow's best memories of the College consisted of Tiersky's classes. "[Tiersky] teaches several Europe classes, and I've taken all of them," said Tarlow. "They've pretty much been a base for what I've studied at Amherst."
Hewitt also had an important impact on his academic experience. "[Her] classes taught me how to learn in some ways," said Tarlow.
Tarlow spent his junior year studying in Paris. In France, Tarlow not only improved his French but also experienced many activities, from eating French meals to traveling all over Europe. He also met many fellow Americans and made French friends, some with whom he continues to keep in touch. Tarlow also became close to his 'host mother,' with whom he is also still in contact.
Ethan Davis '05, a close friend of Tarlow, joked, "Drew is a Frenchman born accidentally in the United States. [His year abroad was a] year which he enjoyed far more than his three at Amherst."
Of his many accomplishments, Tarlow is most proud of his thesis, "European Welfare State Origins and Social Reform: the Franco-German Experience," which earned raves from the political science department.
"His work has always been first-rate, but his honors thesis turned into a remarkable piece of research and writing, for which the political science department awarded highest honors," said Tiersky. "Rarely in my experience has a student become so dedicated to a thesis subject, and his subject was not an easy one to get at."
Tarlow evaluated the issues of whether the "European social model" welfare state could survive demographic changes and the incapacity to finance it at current levels. Tiersky emphasized that Tarlow's focus on both France and Germany was "a feat in itself, not to mention the fact that a thesis that deals with foreign countries is, at least for an American student, intrinsically at a higher level of difficulty."
Despite the overwhelming success of his thesis and its nomination for summa cum laude, Tarlow admitted that completing his thesis was not an easy task. "Trying to get a grasp on a domestic issue for a foreign country is very difficult as an American, particularly when reading in another language," he said
Next year, Tarlow will work at a macro-policy intelligence firm based in New York called Medley Global Advisors where he had interned for the past three summers. Tarlow was one of the first interns the group ever had. Last summer, Tarlow researched U.S. political issues and researched questions and variables that might affect them. "I really like [the firm] because I work with a great group of intelligent people who are always willing to sit down and share their thoughts," Tarlow said. "It's a great work environment and incredibly interesting work."
Tarlow also has long-term visions for his future. "In the long run, I hope to retire to southern France with a beautiful French wife and live in a nice chateau," he smirked.
According to Hewitt, Tarlow's future holds many promises. "Drew is destined to go places and do important things," she said. Hewitt, of course, added, "I hope he gets to use his French in his post-Amherst career."