I went to Amherst, and I think you're spot-on with the east-coast mentality. In my experience, most of the students there just got onto the law-school/grad-scho

I went to Amherst, and I think you're spot-on with the east-coast mentality. In my experience, most of the students there just got onto the law-school/grad-school/Wall-Street bus and sailed comfortably into their next gig. It's also worth noting that Harvard used to actively encourage undergraduates to take a year off to recharge their batteries and get a better sense of life outside of college.