When I try to explain Division III to people outside of Hampshire, I usually tell them, “It’s like a senior thesis … but not really.” While it does have some aspects of a senior project, it has its own attributes that make it much more than that.
Although I tried to do well in high school, I never felt that grades were particularly meaningful to me. Instead of encouraging students to learn and improve, they only seemed to cause my peers to constantly compare themselves to others. In looking for colleges, I was interested in finding a school that focused more on self-fulfillment and on students working collaboratively instead of competing for the highest grade
As Hampshire students, we’re never alone in our endeavors throughout our years on campus. With more than 40 different offices to aid us in our interests, passions, problems, and questions, it’s easy to feel comforted by the level of support all around us.
As a student intern for Hampshire College’s Admissions office, a big question I often get is: Why Hampshire? Why choose to attend a small, experimental liberal arts school in Western Massachusetts? Why, if you are so interested in complex political sciences and larger social change, choose to go to this rural, apparently isolated college?
Ira Fay, assistant professor of computer science and game design, is also the CEO of Fay Games, a game development studio primarily focused on games for educational impact, as well as a published board game designer. We sat down and asked him a few questions about games, game design, and why we’ve been consistently ranking as one of the best colleges for studying game design.
