Ask me questions about UMass!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Massachusetts - Amherst
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<p>I have just finished my freshman year at UMass and I am free to answer questions y'all might have about the school. Note it is a big school so I won't be able to answer everything but I can try. I lived in SouthWest my freshman year, participated in a RAP, and was a Social Thought & Political Economy major but was switching over to BDIC which is the program UMass has to create your own major. I know a little bit about study abroad as well. In addition I can talk about nightlife, social life, etc. if needed. I am also Latina and can give a bit of information for students of color as well.</p>

<p>Let me know!</p>

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<p>Apparently you are in the town of Amherst. Do you get out to Boston, Northampton etc ?? If so, what do you do? Dinner out? Movies? Cultural events? Go to 5 College Consortium classes? Curious.</p>

<p>Thanks David</p>

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<p>Boston is roughly 90 miles away form Amherst, or an hour and 45 minute car ride. There is the Peterpan bus that has a stop at the center of campus that goes to Boston’s South Station. However, the tickets for round trip is $45 so keep that in mind. </p>

<p>Northampton is extremely easy (and free!) to get to. You just hop on the B43 PVTA bus and in around 20-25 minutes you’re there. There are tons of shops, restaurants, etc. there and its a lot more bustling than Amherst. Amherst is nice and quaint but it isn’t as lively as Northampton.</p>

<p>If you want to go to the movies, there is a movie theater at the mall (called the Hampshire Mall) near campus. The same bus that goes to Northampton, the B43, stops at the mall before heading off to Walmart, and then to Northampton. The tickets are 7.25/7.50 I believe? (Which is cheap if you’re coming from the city like me!)</p>

<p>There are tons of events happening around campus, around the Amherst area, and the Northampton area. There are bulletin boards all around campus, and some of the events are advertised in businesses in town as well. There is a UMass campus site online for on campus events, but it might not be that comprehensive. Keep your eyes peeled at all times. </p>

<p>5 College Consortium classes are relatively easy to register. There will be a pre-registration period and add/drop period for you to registar. If you are a freshman, you are UNABLE to registar for five college classes your first semester. The only exception (!!!) is if you want to take a language that is not offered on campus at UMass.
That was my major mistake this year and it put me behind a year on the language I wanted to study. So check out the five college catalog online just in case. Then you should visit the office for the 5 College Exchange in Goodell and they will be able to tell you the requirements for registration.</p>

<p>Personally, I recommend looking at Amherst and Smith classes, only because the B43 runs fairly regularly to these two colleges. The other two have buses but they are not as regular as the B43. However, if you are good with planning it shouldn’t matter. Just pencil in a lot wiggle room in your schedule cuz the buses rarely come on time lol (oh the pvta)</p>

<p>I hope this helped David!</p>

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<p>HeartMonster-- Thanks so much. I learned a bunch-- the B43 and the info about South Station in Boston was new to me.</p>

<p>My daughter will be a “firstie” at Smith in the Fall so this was interesting info to me. I’ll let her know, or she’ll just look in on your response.</p>

<p>Thanks much David</p>

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<p>How do I get to orientation without a car</p>

<p>Do I need somebody to drive me because I wanted to take the peterpan bus, but I would have no where to stay over night ( I would leave june 13 and have orientation on the 14)
I was thinking about renting a hotel room at the umass hotel, but its not worth it, just by the looks</p>

<p>If I need a ride, ill get one. It’s just that I would rather go alone </p>

<p>Sent from my LG-VM701 using CC</p>

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<p>Do you happen to know where most of the psychology classes are held? Are they kind of spread out?</p>

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<p>@alaroc most of the psych classes are held in tobin hall, which is very close to southwest and connects to bartlett hall</p>

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<p>Hello! Are there plenty of apartments available around campus? Will it be too late I start to look for a house near August off campus.</p>

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<p>Any ideas how transfers fit into Umass Amherst? I’m not entering this year, but I will be hopefully in fall of 2013 and my biggest fear is not being able to make friends.</p>

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<p>Which dorm is better to live in? ie. Has cool people, better parties, better rooms, etc. Kennedy Tower or James Hall?</p>

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<p>Also, can you tell me anything about greek life?</p>

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<p>Where are most of the biology classes held? Which halls would you recommend for the closest distance?</p>

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<p>@kbrown8704
There are hotels around campus as well that will be a short walk from campus and might be cheaper. I believe there is a list of them on the UMass website: [UMass</a> Amherst: Robsham Memorial Center for Visitors - Area Lodging](<a href=“Visit : UMass Amherst”>Visit : UMass Amherst)</p>

<p>Honestly, if you can get a ride I would suggest it but depending where you’re from there should be some really early peterpan buses too? I don’t know enough about your particular situation to really give too much advice.</p>

<p>@alaroc
Like samuelLjackson said, a lot of the classes are held at Tobin Hall or at Bartlett. However, if the classes are intro type classes, they can also be in Mahar auditorium, the biggest hall on campus. I find that for classes that are humanities or social sciences (even if psychology is in the college of natural sciences) they tend to be spread around campus compared to the math or science classes, which have their own respective buildings.</p>

<p>@AubreyGustav</p>

<p>If you are a Freshman I believe you are required to live on campus. If not, there are many places that offer off-campus housing, whether through apartments, or sharing living quarters with a family or couple thats offering a room. I suggest you look at this website for umass students: [UMass</a> Off Campus Housing: Home](<a href=“http://www.umoch.org/]UMass”>http://www.umoch.org/)</p>

<p>@powpowman</p>

<p>Transfers from what I have seen have fit well in campus. You might get “sucky housing” (cuz many transfers are placed in Sylvan) because you will be picking later, however several of my friends are transfers, there’s no specific ‘transfer’ housing. There may not be as much support for transfers as for the first years, but from what I have seen many transfers transition well. UMass is what you make of it so much of it depends on you. </p>

<p>As for Greek life, there is certainly a greek presence on campus. Some of the frats and sororities even have their own off-campus housing near the dorms and there are a lot of frat parties. Every beginning of the semester there will be frats and sororities who are looking for new members for rushing. In the beginning of the year there should be an extracurricular fair, most of greek life will have a station where you can ask questions and get information about events they are hosting in attempts of recruiting.</p>

<p>I’m personally not in greek life so I cannot tell you the ins and outs but this is what I know.</p>

<p>@msritasm I just checked the floor plans for Kennedy and James and they’re both the same kind of room, Z-rooms. Personally I have mixed feelings about Z-rooms because you can kind of have your own individual space, but they’re not equal in size (so if you get the smaller side its kind of a bummer). Kennedy would probably be more ‘happening’ since its a tower. Where there’s so many people together, there’s bound to be more parties, etc. </p>

<p>James is a low rise, so there’s only 4 floors. This can mean that there will probably be greater attempts at establishing a community at James since there is less people compared to Kennedy. I live in a low-rise and I liked it but people like the party central-ness of the towers too. Just know that there are only three elevators in the towers, and there are 22 floors lol. So keep that in mind. I suggest if you are going to live in a tower to look for floors that have your gender (since I believe they are same sex) and laundry on the same floor. As for the people, I don’t know how I’m supposed to judge that. ._.</p>

<p>@littleasiandavid</p>

<p>The big lecture bio classes will most definitely be held in Mahar, and if not, in Hasbrouck or Morrill. I suggest if you are a bio major to live in Central or Northeast. If you live any where else, you’ll have more of a hike (you can always take the bus but still). I had friends who were pre-med majors and lived in SW, and they always had to walk all the way to the northeast/central area for their classes. There is a bus you can take but yeah, its probably more convenient to live in Central/NE than SW or Orchard Hill.</p>

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<p>@heartmonster
Thank you very much. Is it also required to live on campus for the first year if I am a graduate student?</p>

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<p>@AubreyGustav</p>

<p>If you are a graduate student, I don’t believe the same rule applies. There are the North apartments on campus for grad students but its not required for you to live in them. Just realize that you should probably find housing near the bus routes (I saw in the other thread you’re an international student?) unless you are getting a car.</p>

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<p>@heartmonster
yes I am an international graduate student. Thank you for your answer. it is very helpful.</p>

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<p>Any idea which dorm I should choose? I’m generally a quiet person but I also want to be around socially and friendly people.</p>

<p>And about the summer nso…is it required for you to live on campus for the entire two days or can I come home after?</p>

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<p>Hey Tommorrow,
Definitely go for the Central/Orchard Hill areas if you are friendly and social but want friends who do stuff other than partying, of course they still party there (and more notorious for weed although I liked it). It’s a better place to go unless you want a more nerdy area like Northeast.</p>

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<p>@Tomorrowsfuture</p>

<p>I would recommend looking at Central/Orchard Hill as well. I also would not knock off Southwest. I am generally quiet as well, but as long as you live in a low-rise and are okay with some noise on Friday and Saturday night, it is not a bad choice either. </p>

<p>When I went to summer NSO I had to stay for the entire two days. The schedule is very full and structured (I was exhausted by the end of it) and they want you to make connections and experience life in the dorms. Many people met students that ended up becoming roommates or friends through the experience. After the two days, you can go home.</p>

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<p>Another greek question, has hazing been a problem? I want to pledge, but I’m also planning on a tough schedule</p>