On the Campus of: Amherst College

Great Books Summer Program is thrilled to return to Amherst College for our 22nd year! Amherst is located in western Massachusetts, close to the beautiful Berkshires. Here, on the paths that Emily Dickinson once walked and on the lawns where Robert Frost once taught, Great Books students are guests in a campus rich with literary history.

Founded in 1821, Amherst is widely regarded as one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the world. Known for its rigorous academics, it is also home to the nation’s first undergraduate neuroscience program. With an endowment of more than $3.5 billion, Amherst’s academic and athletic facilities, including the Mead Art Museum and the Robert Frost Library, are among the best in the nation.

Programs On This Campus

Great Books & Big Ideas

Reading in a treeResidential & Day Programs

Great Books Literature and Discussion Programs at Amherst will revel in the rich literary heritage of New England and look back to the classics and broadly to world literature too. Discussions at Amherst often spring from writings of Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, Ursula Le Guin, Langston Hughes, Borges, and Greek philosophers.

With new curriculum and a wide variety of readings each week, students can stay for a one, two, or three-week program and even add Writer's Workshop too.

Residential and Day programs for grades 6-8 and 9-12. Learn more about Great Books Literature and Discussion Programs and see the schedule for a typical day at camp.

Program Details

Pricing Per Session
  • Residential Tuition: $2,595
  • Residential Materials Fee: $250
  • Residential One-Time Registration Fee: $250
  • Day Program Tuition: $1,395
  • Day Program Materials Fee: $100
  • Day Program One-Time Registration Fee: $250
Upcoming Dates
  • June 23, 2024 - June 29, 2024
  • June 30, 2024 - July 6, 2024
  • July 7, 2024 - July 13, 2024

Enrollment is Open!

Have questions? Contact us today.

Writer’s Workshops

student writing outsideResidential and Day Programs

Our Writer's Workshop at Amherst is a welcoming space for beginners and advanced writers alike. Students work with our expert faculty of professional writers and university writing instructors and come away with more advanced skills, new ideas, a brimming portfolio, and a refined sense of their own voice.

Creative writing prompts and exercises make practicing new techniques fun. We also take advantage of the deep literary history of the area and find inspiration walking the same paths as greats such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and others.

Residential programs for rising grades 6-8 and 9-12. Day programs for grades 6-8. Learn more about Writer's Workshop and see the schedule for a typical day at camp on our Writer's Workshop page.

Program Details

Pricing Per Session
  • Residential Tuition: $2,595
  • Residential Materials Fee: $250
  • Residential One-Time Registration Fee: $250
  • Day Program Tuition: $1,395
  • Day Program Materials Fee: $100
  • Day Program One-Time Registration Fee: $250
Upcoming Dates
  • July 14, 2024 - July 20, 2024

Space is Limited. Enrollment Today!

Have questions? Contact us today.

"At Great Books, I learned to think about humanity, question the status quo, and reflect on why things are how they are and what we can do to change them...I met people from around the world and was able to nurture my acting and writing skills through electives."
— Jacinta L., Mexico City

Spots are Limited.  Register Soon.

Have questions? Contact us today. Our Admissions Team is here to help!