University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

Umass is like a town in itself. It is amazing to have so many people around, and because it is so big, if you dont want to see someone you dont have to. The sporting events here are awesome, and we have some of the biggest fans. Greek Life is also awesome, I would highly suggest it..most of the time people think of greek life as only partying, and what they see in movies, however, in reality, we do so much community service, and focus highly on our academics

School size is good, although it can be too large at times. I spent most time at the DCs or at the library when I wasn't around the dorm. The administration has recently been criticized as it seems to be out to make a buck as opposed to helping out the student body

I think UMass Amherst provides a great atmosphere...Western Massachusetts in general is a great place to get your college education no matter what school you go to. Amherst is a great, diverse town.

The best thing about UMASS Amherst is the campus, not only is it beautiful, but it is in a quaint little college town and always bustling with people. One thing I would change at UMASS if I could is the size of the classes and offer more online classes to undergrads. I think the school is very large but you come acustom to it. Usually when I tell people that I go to UMASS they usually know someone that has gone, and do I love it etc. When I tell someone my age there like how are the parties etc. The place I spend the most time on campus is the campus center. Very big college town. UMASS Amherst administration go only two ways extremley nice, or horrible. Biggest recent controversey on campus was some bad discretions by the Lacrosse players. There is alot of school pride, everyday someone has UMASS clothes on, but the best place to see bleeding white and maroon is the actual sporting events. I have never been to a different campus, but what I think is weird at UMASS is the way housing is planned. One experience I will always remember is haning out at certain fraternities, they guys are so nice and they make everyday eventful. Student complaints are not getting classes they want, the internship process, parking, that starbucks is only open to 1pm etc.

UMass has variety. If you're an engineer but you like literature, you can take a lit class as an elective or for a gen ed. If you go to a type specific school you're not going to find that. UMass also has the biggest base of support I've ever seen. My visiting friends agree. If you need something here, you can find someone to help you get it. Many people think that the campus is too big but I disagree. The thing that makes it big is the large number of residence halls. The academic buildings are all clustered in the center and you can get anywhere you need to within ten minutes, no sweat. The residence halls are sprawled out from that center and that's what I think makes it so big. Plus, being an engineer, I feel very close with that particular college. That makes the university seem smaller to me because I have a core group of peers, faculty and administrators that I know. They can, in turn, identify me. Most of the time when I say I go to UMass Amherst, people roll their eyes because they think I'm nuts...particularly frieneds of my parents who sent their children elsewhere. I set them straight pretty well. Most of my time spent on campus is in the engineering quad. Between classes, labs and part time work..many hours are dropped there. There's a cute downtown area with shops, lots of food and bars for those of age and busy Northampton is nearby. I'm not sure how much school pride there is..but I know there are always lots of fans that come out for the sporting events so that's good. I think most students complain about the cold. It does get rather cold and miserable in February.

I think one of the best things about UMass is the surrounding area. Coming from a big city I was excited to get away from all the noise and live in the country. The area around campus is beautiful, with lots of foliage, mountains, and beautiful scenery. The towns around Amherst are small and quiant and I think they fit the college town stereotype. You can go get a slice of pizza at Antonio's, shop in Hadley, or go into Northampton which is the quintessential college town.

The best thing about UMass Amherst is the amount of opportunities available, both academic and extracurricular. Even if UMass Amherst doesn't offer specifically what you want, which is rare, there's an extremely good chance that another school in the Five College System does. One thing I would change about the schools is the quality of some of the buildings. We have some really nice new buildings but some of the older ones are really ugly on the outside, falling apart on the inside, or both. A misconception about UMass is that it is too large. It is a much larger campus than most schools in the area, but once you know where everything is and you get involved with more activities, the school shrinks because you know the hidden shortcuts and you know so many people that it seems like a much smaller place than it is. When I tell people I go to UMass usually they respond with "Oh, Zoomass?" Then I have to explain that UMass isn't just about the riots and the parties and the violence that you see in the media - I am getting a great education there and I have found it a very safe place to live. Amherst, Mass is definitely a huge college town. Along with UMass, it also has Amherst College so you can basically assume that the majority of people you see around town are somehow connected to one of these two colleges.

There's a lot of people to meet. I would change the faculty. Some of them just don't care. Too Large, but in a good way. They react by saying, "really umass? do you remember annnything?" Spend most of my time in my dorm room or outside playing. Def college town. Administration BLOWS. Recent controversy was a threat letter found in a classroom building and a black kid who got charged for 2 white kids (who didnt even go here) starting trouble with him. Yeah I'd say a lot fo school pride.

UMass Amherst is not as it is described by the faculty and advertisements. The tours show you certain areas on campus and only the nicer buildings. The school is poorly run at best. The school's more worried about making money than helping the students succeed. You feel like you were just thrown into this school with no guidance. you make your own schedules, the faculty is worthless and doesn't give a damn about your personal needs. Be prepared to become a number. Your professor will never know your name, your classes will have a few hundred kids, and your tests will all be a scantron. You often feel lost and alone because you are thrown into a mix of people you don't know with no guidance. Make friends quickly or youll quickly hate everything about the school as opposed to just most of it. Everything is far away from your dorm, be prepared to walk far to every class and be overcharged for everything. Everything that says UMass on it is sold for a ridiculoud amount of money. No one cares about you individually because there are 25,000 other students here. It is sink or swim and you are on your own. This school is the definition of baptism by fire. Think twice before you decide to go here, and speak to a current student, not a tour guide, or an admissions person...they skip parts of the truth and you do not get the whole story.