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.