University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

There seems to be a rift between the student body and the administration as the powers that be try to change the UMass reputation to an academically focused college rather than a party school. Rules keep getting stricter and students suffer stricter consequences.

Everything is wonderful!

For the school of engineering, it is a great school with a ton of career opportunities, through their career services department which is very helpful. The professors are reachable and willing to help with any problems that may arise.

Great

There is a ton of school pride, especially for the hockey and basketball games

Nice campus, good professors.

Overall I'm happy with my choice of school because it is a great education for the lowest price. The best thing about the school would have to be that there are a ton of labs you can get into and gain experience from. The dining halls come in a close second for the best thing though. One thing that I'd probably change is the number of students that are being admitted. The overflow of students is causing the school to have forced triples, which I was placed in. If they only admitted the number of students they could hold, there would be no forced triples and class sizes would be reduced so there would be less overcrowding of classrooms. Even though UMass is rather large, I think it is just the right size. It fits in well with the surrounding landscape. People's reactions when I tell them I attend UMass is right in line with the stereotype that UMass is a zoo. They instantly go to party school. I have to explain to them that I don't even drink, so that's an untrue assumption, UMass also has an outstanding academic record. I spend most of my time in my room or in the library, always doing homework. Amherst is definitely a college town, with both UMass Amherst and Amherst College in close vicinity to each other. Amherst is perfect because it's loaded with restaurants and other small stores. I don't really have any opinion on the administration of the school. The biggest controversy since I've been at the school was when a student passed around a letter stating that he didn't like the quality of people at UMass and that he wanted to find "friends". The letter was written in a mysterious and creepy way, which warranted the administration being alerted and the student being removed from the University.

This school is about as good as you make it. There are lots of opportunities, which is something that I am really starting to learn now that I am in my second year. The size of the school can be a bit overwhelming at times, but it has its pros as well in all the diverse things you can do. I spend a lot of time on campus doing work, and I go to the new Rec Center often which is awesome when it is not crowded with a thousand people. The school is in a cool area, downtown Amherst and Northampton have good food and some cool local music. There is generally plenty to do, and there has been a "riot" during each of my two years hear which i guess can be a good thing or bad thing depending on who you are.

I like how big it is and how that helps you network. I'd change the acceptance process and make it based on high school performance, there is a wide range of academic abilities here and it's almost too wide. I spend most of my time in the library or the campus food places doing work. It's definitely a college town, populated with mostly college-aged people. There isn't really anything unusual or huge controversies. The most frequent complaints are regarding class picking and grading.

As a high school senior, I was a classic case of "UMass as last resort," but now that I am here I em enjoying it immensely. The school definitely doesn't feel as big as one might think it would, and there are lots of things to get involved in. Join clubs, student organizations and teams, apply for student-run co-ops, participate in volunteer programs to make campus feel smaller and find a home for yourself. The rigor of academic classes depends on the department, professor, and class level. I've found that 100-level lectures can be a joke and hardly worth my time, but smaller classes can definitely be a challenge and you can get to know your teachers better. Classes can be difficult to get into; I had to fight for my schedule this semester but by being diligent I got into everything I wanted to. Amherst is a great college town and Northampton has lots of cool places. You can find plenty of food at 2 in the morning. Lots of student deals also, as there are 5 major colleges in the Pioneer Valley. If I were to change one thing about UMass, I'd decrease the number of lectures and give students more opportunity for personal attention and discussion-based learning. Obviously that is hard to do with such a huge population, but if you find the right classes you can get this type of experience.

I absolutely love everything about UMass Amherst! The academics are fantastic: professors are intellectual and very assessable, course work is at a difficult level, however it is manageable with the universities resources. Amherst is the biggest college town in the country with 5 colleges surrounding it. The pride and support of everyone is incredible- sporting events (mainly football, hockey, and basketball) are always filled to the max. It is a huge campus though, so LOTS of walking- but no need to take a bus everywhere.

UMass is a fount of opportunity. For those that complain about their needs not being met, they likely haven't taken the steps to meet them. To everyone I recommend: be active, be on the look out and take those opportunities, they're there.

It's a pretty big school, esp when your a freshman and since the dorm areas are pretty spread out it'll feel really big. But only at first,as semesters go by you''ll be able to find your niche and it'll actually end up feeling smaller than you think. There really isnt much school pride either, people only go to games to get wasted, because honestly, the football team sucks, the best part is tailgate, no one even goes to the games. Hockey is the most popular and their actually pretty decent. But expect thousands of drunk kids when you get there.

The best thing about Umass is that you make the best friends, have a great time, and experience a lot. The sidewalks and roads are messed up, it's not the best looking campus. The school is big, but Southwest is like a little city. Dorms are average looking, southwest is probably the best place to live unless you like isolation then sylvan is the place.

The best thing about UMass is how many available options there are for courses and extracurriculars. If UMass doesn't offer something you'd like, you can also do independent studies or even participate in BDIC (where you can make your own major). UMass's administration can be a little frustrating -- to get one thing done regarding your account you may have to go to 5 different buildings and talk to 50 different people. The college town is great -- nice stores, great restaurants, and Hadley has Target and Walmart if you need it. I liked the size of UMass. The only part that was frustrating about it is if you need to be somewhere in 10 minutes and it takes 20 minutes to walk there.

The Big Picture of UMass Amherst, is mainly the Big Campus of UMass Amherst. This school has an extremely large campus compared to many other schools and it can seem overwhelming at first. After a few weeks of walking from class to class, meeting up with friends, and going to different events, the campus seems to get smaller and smaller soon you will know every shortcut and best route to get from point A to point B. In a school of this size there are all different shades of people, you be able to find those caught up in the spirit of UMass and there are those that just go out looking for something else to complain about. You have hippie protests that only 23 people know what they are talking about and the rest came just as an excuse to get out of class, and you have the athletes that strut around in their warm ups to let everyone know they are part of an elite crew of student athletes. The best way to deal with this is to keep an open mind, never shun someone else because of their beliefs, if you disagree with someone bring it up and start a discussion about it you will find you can learn a lot more when hearing the opposite side to an argument.

The best thing about Umass Amherst is that there is a lot of diversity but also the students are unified because we all go to the same school. I transferred to Umass Amherst this past spring semester from a private university in Arkansas. Coming to Umass was a big adjustment but I enjoyed attending Umass because I learned more about history than at my other school.

It is a great state school, which allows you to expand your academic horizons, while still having a great time. Everything you need is right around campus, whether its a bagel at Panera, a CD at Best Buy or a 4 credit class at Amherst College. School pride exists, but quickly fades by mid-sophomore year. Administration changes constanly, almost like poor parenting. Once things get tough- they go off to a bigger "better" school. Atheltic coaches are the same.

Umass Amherst is a very large school, but it allows you to be yourself and make friends with people that you choose. When i am on campus in between my classes i am usually in the library or the campus center. The area is amazing and i would recommend Umass Amherst to anyone.

The best thing about Umass Amherst is the amount of diversity on campus.There is so much opportunity to succeed so much to become involved with and so many people to meet. It is a big school but there are ways to make it smaller by finding your own success. When I tell people I go to Umass I usually get teased about being a drunk but I know that there is much more to the school than that. The worst part about the school is small amount of kids that like to act out the stereotype because they feel they have to. Unfortunately the media likes to focus on the kids who cause trouble rather than the large amount of brilliant students on campus. I think there is a lot of school pride, sporting events are alot of fun especially if you are part of the Maroon Platoon. The town is small but the bar scene is still really good for college kids. There is always a party and opportunity to go out. Southwest is the most diverse place on campus and in my opinion, the best place to live.