One thing is that the “freshman experience” in university is not nearly as much fun as you might expect. Drinking late at night might be fun while you are doing it. However, you wake up the next day feeling quite bad, and you fall behind in your school work. Getting super drunk does not make people like you and will not help you get a date for Saturday night. I still remember one student throwing up on their radiator after a night of drinking too much. The next day they had quite a tough time trying to clean it all up. Their room smelled bad for a few weeks (no, this was not me – however for me the same next day was the only time in my life that I had an unpleasant hangover).
Also, as some have mentioned above, the last two years at university have been lousy for everyone due to the pandemic. You really did not miss anything. I did have one daughter in university the past two years and have heard about how it went. She was perhaps hit a bit worse than some since she loves lab work, and the labs were shut down where she was. Things like dating and just having fun were also impacted quite a bit. Take home exams were tough when you suspect that some of your fellow students are cheating, and you do not want to do the same. The pandemic really has messed things up. You were probably wise to spend this at community college rather than being stuck in your dorm room on-campus with classes on-line and labs not happening.
No. Given the pandemic, you missed nothing, or at least nothing that was worth experiencing.
I would not take a fifth year just to take a fifth year. Most students are ready to move on after four years of university. Many would be happy to move on after three years if they were done with their various graduation requirements.
When you get to university, it would probably be a good idea to get involved in a club or two. If you do not like the first club that you get involved in, then try a different one. If you do not like it either, try a third. There will be a LOT of clubs and U.Mass or any large university. Clubs are a very good way to meet people that you have something in common with.
The time that I enjoyed the most at university was graduate school. One reason was that in graduate school I was a very serious student. This means that I was always ahead in my class work. This means that I was not worried about what I was behind in, because I was not behind in anything. This reduced the stress quite a bit. Of course by the time that I was in graduate school there was no binge drinking. However, I was legally permitted to purchase alcohol and there frequently was a civilized glass of wine on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. This might be less wild than a freshman year party, but it was a lot more enjoyable.
Yes, exactly correct. University is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help yourself to get ahead by learning. You do not want to waste this by partying when you should be studying.
I would recommend that you try to keep your grades up, and apply to a safety. If you are applying to U.Mass Amherst, you might also send an application to U.Mass Lowell just in case.