University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

Don't just fall upon your number one choice school, make sure you take time to look at all the schools you were accepted into, and be sure to talk a lot to students who have gone there before choosing; they are the best resources.

Try to take your personality into account and choose the best college that fits those needs, plus what you're looking for academically.

[to the student]Keeping an open mind and really just letting yourself go. Get envolved as much as you can on ur campus, as far as clubs and activities go, they are a great way to make friends. Plan ahead with money for the cost of attendence. Fill out your FAFSA on time! Get all your work done and try not to leave it till the very end to complete.

To parents: don't try to tell your children what they want out of a college. Not every student wants to attend a small school in the suburbs. Let your child choose for him or herself what type of school they would like to attend. (Also, never visit two colleges on the same day... it gets more confusing for the student that way.) To students: be honest with yourself. Don't let anyone influence your choice. Put an adequate amount of thought into your choice. Once you get to school, don't weigh yourself down with activities and clubs right away. Concentrate on your schoolwork and making the adjustment to dorm life for the first couple of weeks, then start looking for extracurriculars to join. Then get involved! College is what you make it, so do things that make you happy.

Finding the right college can be confusing. It's difficult to judge a school and how you will fit in there from a brochure and a brief tour. Go somehere that can offer you something that you're interested in. Certainly its important base your choices on what field you want to study, but once you have narrowed those areas down take a look at what each school has to offer. College has the potential to be the best years of your life and while you are not paying thousands of dollars in tuition just make sure you have a good time, it is important that you enjoy where you are going. Going to the best school will not work out if its not the best for you. I personally did not end up at my first choice school, but would not change a thing if I could go back and choose any school I wanted. College is what you make of it. No matter what campus you end up deciding on, make sure that you take the time to go out and enjoy it. Study hard, but leave yourself enough time to fully enjoy life at college.

The advice i would give parents and students is for partents to accept that their child is going to a big school and needs to find responsibility for themselves. I know attending a large school can be hard and man students get lost, but find something that makes you stick out, and do it. I got involved in some clubs and i made alot of friends. Another thing is be able to balance your school work with your social life, Amherst has vast oppertunities to have a good time, but if you cant keep up with the work then your going to get lost. Finally for the parents, i would say cut the ties your child is in college now and they need to make decisions on their own now. Let them be the ones who take responsibility now.

Don't be discouraged if you do not get into your dream school. The school you end up getting into is probably someone else's reach school. College is what you make of it and if you go into it thinking you will hate it, you probably will. Don't settle for being friends with the first people you meet on campus. My biggest advice is to join a club! If there's something that interests you, whether it be a club or a sport, join! And if your school does not offer it, look into starting something yourself. Its a great way to meet people you have things in common with, will make you more well rounded, and will look great on resumses. Make sure you stay true to yourself. Even though drinking is a big social aspect of some schools, not everyone does it and that's ok! As soon as you start to struggle academically, get help and don't wait until its too late. Study hard for mid-terms and finals, but make sure you leave yourself time to have fun and socialize. College is the best time to meet new people.