Hey guys! So I am attending University of Massachusetts, Amherst this fall and I am very confused to choose my housing. I like something comfortable and neat and the rent doesnt really matter. Any ideas to which is the best?
If you go to the UMass Amherst discussion board (under colleges --alphabetical) there is lots of discussion about housing at UMass.
So freshman are required to live on campus unless you can prove that your primary address is within a certain radius of campus and would prefer to do that instead. There are 5 residential areas on campus for freshmen: Orchard Hill, Southwest, Central, Northeast and Honors Complex.
I’ve lived on OHill for the past 2 years and I’ve loved my time there. The doubles are the largest ones on campus(with the exception of the Southwest Z-rooms) and the area is livable (not too noisy or messy).
Southwest is the largest area and has a reputation for being the party hotspot on campus. Some people attest that the low-rise buildings can be alright, but the general consensus is that it’s noisy a lot down there. If that’s your thing, then it’ll be a good fit.
Central is similar to Orchard Hill just with more dorms and the option to live in a single (unlikely for freshmen but there is the option). People tend to be a bit more liberal and humanities oriented, but I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with central people and in central in general.
Northeast is literally right next to all of the STEM buildings on campus, and thus tends to attract a like-minded crowd. Again, met some really nice and smart people in Northeast, but I wasn’t crazy about the building conditions and I didn’t like that the bathrooms were on alternating floors.
Lastly, the Honors College is a recently constructed res area on campus. Only honors students can live here, and if you opt to live here, you’ll live in brand new buildings that too many people haven’t used. While I did meet some nice and cool people here, there tends to be a certain air of pretentiousness amongst this crew, and I can’t figure out what exactly drives this as the honors kids have been no more impressive than other students.
Can’t speak too much to the pricing, but the Honors college is more expensive. Other areas tend to be around the same rate. I’d recommend you check out OHill or Central, I think you’d be happy in either place.
S just graduated, and Violet1996’s descriptions are spot on…well done!
Northeast and Central were built in the 1930’s, Southwest in the 1960’s, and OHill in the 1970’s. to give you an idea of the ages of each complex. S’s best housing was the North apartments, which were gorgeous, and cost the same same apartments in the CHC.
Isn’t Orchard Hill out of the way and far. My son is going for Comp Sci and is thinking about NE or OHill but both have some disadvantages, Ohill is far (I am told) and NE is older and has bathrooms on alternate floors. So we have to decide which is worse…also my son doesn’t want to be around the party noisy folks, Any suggestions?
@MADad thanks! I know some of the sections are a bit short on info, but I did the best I could without drawing it out
@supermom2 So Orchard Hill is a little removed from the classrooms, but I liked that aspect of the Hill. It made my living and working areas separate. It takes about 10 minutes to get Worcester or Frank (dining halls) and an extra minute or two to get to a lot of the STEM buildings. The Hill is salted and stuff during the winters so it’s always walkable. And the buses come up to the hill pretty regularly. I haven’t had any major issues with noisy party goers.
Northeast is great because it is literally right next to a dining hall and is just across the street from the science buildings. Obviously, the structure of the buildings isn’t that great, but a ton of STEM students flock there (I don’t think I’ve met a non-STEM student from Northeast yet) and he’ll be around a lot of people that think like him. In terms of partying, I’ve noticed that 2 types of people get drafted into Northeast freshman year: people who actually want to be there and people who wanted Southwest but got shafted to Northeast because of the lottery. So because of that, NE can get a bit noisy, and because it’s along a major bus route and there are 2 frats nearby, there could be a lot of traffic outside his window if he winds up in Knowlton.
After all of this, I’d still recommend the Hill. There are plenty of people up there that want the same lifestyle as your son. And if he can get into Dickinson (either through a RAP or lottery) he’ll be around a ton of CS majors. Dickinson tends to be a bit quieter if the 2 freshmen buildings as the RAs are stricter. But if he still opts to go to Northeast, I recommend that he signs up a RAP that isn’t in Knowlton, so that way he’s on the same floor as other people with the same goals as him.
@Violett1966, thanks so much for your input! He is in Dickinson and on O-Hill. Also got into the CS Rap so should be with like minded peers. We leave this week for move in day!
I lived in Southwest for a year and it was horrible! The place is definitely the party capital of the campus and is very loud. The great thing is you get a wonderful city vibe there. Southwest never sleeps and there is always action. So if your looking for the big city feel, Southwest is your place.