University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

I best advise to give is for any student to go with their gut feeling. You will know when you have found the right school.

Visit and take a tour of every campus you might plan on attending. Be sure to talk to students who you see walking around not only about academic aspects fo the college but especiialy of the housing. Ask what they think of the on campus housing, which dorms are the best for what type of person the student is. Also be sure to ask about the on campus food plans. If they are worth it, if the food is good, how often is the dining commons open, is there alternate plans like YCMP or such. And last but not least if you have a major picked out, tour the building and try to speak to either the course chairs or your upcoming professors even before classes start. You want to be familiar with where your going to be for the next 2-4 years and to be sure you have the best experience there.

I was say first off pick a college in an area where there is the type of things you like to do. One way or another, if you have a passion for learning you are going to walk away from the school of your choice with a great degree. If you want to make the best out of the time you have at that school don't just look at the school, but also at it's surroundings. Do you like to hike? Ski? Beach? Do you like the city or small towns. My school is huge, but in a small town so i get all the conviences of a city but i am more comfortable in small towns like the one a grew up in. For me Umass Amherst was the perfect fit.

The best advice I ever received while trying to decide on what college to attend is wherever I went, I could make the experience anything I wanted it to be. Although all schools offer different qualities, the experience that a student takes from college can be shaped entirely by them regardless of the school. Choosing the right college can be stressful, but to help the process I suggest talking to current students to see what kinds of groups and activities are available on campus because getting involved in things that interest you can make all the difference in having a well rounded and fulfilling college experience. College is about meeting new people and putting yourself in situations that challenge the way you think while helping to mold you into a person that reflects your moral and ideological viewpoints. Whatever your interests are coming into college, continue them but I suggest going outside your comfort zone to try new activities and to meet new people. Once the final decision has been made, relax because the best attitude to have going into college is a mix of nerves and excitement because wherever you go it's a once in a lifetime experience.

I really believe in looking into large schools. This is the time in your life that you have the opportunity to explore who you are and who you want to become. Not only that, but this is the time in your life when you find out who you are NOT. Big schools seem overwhelming in numbers, but you have to rememeber that there is strength in numbers. Whatever you are interested in, someone might already be there speaking up for the same things . Also consider what activities can you try at your school that you've never tried before? Goat herd, ski club, varsity sports, fashion design, republican club? Find your world and make it your own!

I go to a flagship state research university, and it's an incredible value. Obviously there are also downsides to bigger schools, so definitely visit before you bite...I was kind of socially awkward in high school...The self-initiative to go out and meet people the larger school setting forced me into worked out, but it might not work out for you. My advice: feel it out with two on-campus visits: take is do the on-campus tour, but also visit someone you know who goes there as well...you need to get both perspectives to get a proper pulse of social life. That said, it's sweet when you're taking a class and a professor in that department wrote your textbook, and at such a huge university I hardly ever get bored. Try to get the FAFSA done early senior year so you're in good position for financial aid, and lock up recommendations at the beginning of the school year before guidance counselors and teachers get rushed. If your school is huge, use ratemyprofessors and/or personal recommendations from friends to pick profs. The professor makes all the difference.

Remember that the alumni are number one, everything comes from them. If the school has nice facilities, nice location, easy to make contactss, or whether it has good teachers will all depend on its alumni. They are the ones who go make the money and give it back to attract good staff and allow the school to afford those nice buildings.

It is always a good idea to visit the college that you are interested in.

College is what you make of it. You can get caught up in what school has the right sports, or the right class sizes, or the least (or perhaps most) amont of drinking, but what it really boils down to is what YOU are going to do with it once you get there. Plenty of students blame the Universities if they end up hating it but the truth is very little of that blame has to do with the school, and very much has to do with how willing the student is to take what they've been given and make it work for them. People who want to play sports will play sports, people who want to make friends will make friends, and people who want to succeed WILL succeed. College is nothing more than an opportunity to gather the resources you need to make the rest of your life as good as you can. Real estate management couldn't be more wrong here; very little of college is location, for the experience is entirely your own. Just bring yourself to college, and you can't possibly go wrong.

Find something that clicks. You will know it when you walk on the campus and never rule anything out based on what you think you may like.