<p>Hey, I'm looking at UMass Amherst as my top choice for college, and I've visited and researched about as much as I can... </p>
<p>But I need the straight talk!</p>
<p>Can I get an honest opinion of the residence halls...
I guess what I mean is: what is the social life like at so-and-so? which halls are more prone to party/socialize vs. get my work done?</p>
<p>You know, stuff like that. Stuff that you can only know from experience.</p>
<p>Any other input about the school would be very much appreciated.</p>
<p>I am a junior at UMass majoring in sport management, and I am having a blast here! </p>
<p>The social and dorm life is great here, no matter where you live. However, if you would like a quiter setting, I would suggest to get a dorm in Orchard Hill (Where many of the Comm. College Kids Live), Central, or Northeast. Southwest is very lively and I'd suggest you try to live there first year. I personally dislike Sylvan, and many students talk crap about that residence area. However, Many students also like living there and get along great. (A lot of the people who get put there didn't get dorms in southwest) Some students also get there own suites there together. </p>
<p>While some dorms may be prone to party/be more quieter than others that doesn't mean it will be like that every night however...</p>
<p>I am also in a fraternity but greek life here is small. While small, you become more involved on campus and meet so many more people. I'd highly recommend checking out a few houses sometime in your college career if you are interested. (Most students aren't when they enter college, but it changes)</p>
<p>Hey
So you think I should try starting off in Southwest?
I plan on majoring in italian studies and I heard that Thatcher has a lot of benefits in terms of language majors.</p>
<p>I don't believe in stereotypes but I hear Southwest is party dorm. Do you think I could get work done there?</p>
<p>Gex, im applying 2 UMass Amherst as a Sports Management major... how is the program? Also, is this major significantly less common than the others? And if so, could it give me a competitive advantage over other applicants applying? thanx.</p>
<p>scrabble- If you are planning to study Italian, defenitly try to live in Thatcher as they will have specific floors where everyone communicates in the floor's specific language. If not, you will defenitly get work done living in southwest. </p>
<p>JJac- It is an awesome program, one of the best in the nation. They really push you to get internships and work experience in the field. There are a many people in sport management, but it is defenitly not the most crowded major on campus as they don't allow many people in. Only apply to the major if you are serious in working in the sport industry and already have a bit of sport management related experience already.</p>
<p>Gex - what is the real scoop about cases where an applicant didn't get into a preferred major (business) at UMass. I've heard that getting into the business school later is nearly impossible. Is this true? If a someone who has been accepted, but not into business, who really wants business be better off attending a school where they can major in business from the beginning?</p>
<p>My sophomore year roommate struggled to get into the Isenberg school as an undeclared major, but got in just in time for junior year. He got in with around a 3.3. What you need to do is take the predictor courses (Calc, Micro, Macro, Accounting, Stats) and try to aim for at least a B+ in them. Also, join one of the many clubs located within the business school and be active in it. The reason being, you have to write an essay when you apply to the program explaining why you should be admitted. </p>
<p>It really doesn't matter if you get into the busines school right off the bat. You won't be taking businesss courses until junior year. You can taking accounting starting as a sophomore as long as you intend to apply to the business school. </p>
<p>And if you don't get accepted into the business school by middle of you junior year, worst case scenerio is that you can design your own major and take courses within the business school towards it. </p>
<p>do you think it would be best if i resided at Southwest as a freshman and then Thatcher as a sophmore and up?</p>
<p>maybe this way I could make connections in southwest when im a freshman and then, once I got adjusted, i'd move into Thatcher the next year to get the benefits of residing there</p>
<p>gex -that was very helpful. Much appreciated. My son was accepted undeclared as his alternate major rather than business. He is very upset since he really wants to go to Umass. He wants to be a business major, but is afraid that the bar will be set so high that he will be unable to get into the business school, even with decent grades. He so discouraged that he may want to attend another school that he has already been accepted to (UNH) for business. I'm not crazy about that either because the OOS tuiton there is almost double Umass (we can't afford that). So basically he is afraid that being undeclared will put him in a no mans land at UMass with no way out. Any more words of wisdom I can pass on to him would be appreciated.</p>
<p>hi! i'm a freshman this year and i live in southwest in a tower. and yes, it IS a little bit wild from time to time, but i would not want to live anywhere else for my first year. there is so many people in southwest (around 5000 if i remember correctly?) that you are bound to find people with similar interests. i'm just lucky that those people happened to live on my floor and the floor above me :) every residential area has it's own stereotype...southwest is considered the party area, central is where hippies and potheads reside, northeast is where all the asians are, and sylvan is made out to seem like the worst place in the world. i have friends and have hung out at all the residential areas, and the stereotypes are hardly true. i know kids in northeast who party just as hard as kids in southwest, kids in southwest who never go out and party at all, and so on. even though i requested central and ended up in southwest, i'm really happy. i think it's the best place for freshman since there are so many kids and so much going on at all hours. </p>
<p>and regarding everything else...UMASS is what you make of it. i love it because i've put myself out there to meet people, and i've found a really great balance between partying and studying. yeah, it's nicknamed zoomass, and yeah it's not shocking to find someone passed out drunk in your lounge at 2 am on a monday night, but i've also met some of the smartest people in my life here who are capable of working hard and still being able to enjoy the social aspect of the university.</p>
<p>what do you know about Northeast? I am going to major in italian and I was wondering if I should reside in Thatcher, but, not to sound racist or anything, i would kinda rather not live in chinatown- is that an accurate stereotype of northeast?</p>
<p>there's a mix of kids at northeast just like there's a mix of kids at any of the living areas. whenever i've been there, it's been really quiet with not many kids socializing in the halls and whatever. i know four different kids who originally lived in northeast, and ended up switching to southwest. other kids i know who still live in northeast are planning to move to different living areas for next year. but then again, i'm sure there are people who love living in northeast. it's totally what you make of it, no matter where you live. </p>
<p>to me, southwest is the typical "college experience", with lots of partying and alot of kids around. i like it because if i decide i don't want to leave my dorm on a saturday because it's too cold that i can still find things to do in my building and still have fun. southwest is also home to the berkshire dining commons, which is by FAR the best DC on campus. it's alot more modern than the other three DCs, and has alot more options to choose from. while southwest is definitely lively, it's not like i can't get my work done during the week. i've partied alot this past semester, yet i still have a 3.5 gpa and many of my friends have similar grades.</p>
<p>oh wow! that's awesome- yea, ill probably end up living on southwest my first year.... if i get in! I hope i do.... im outta state like u but who knows!</p>
<p>I wouldn't be too worried if your son went to UMass undeclared. A great deal of students are undeclared when they enter the university. Advisors within Isenberg will help your son get into the business school as soon as orientation starts! As long as he doesn't slack off and shows commitment to one or two clubs, I believe he will do just fine and get in by sophomore year. There is no reason to send him to UNH if you can't afford it!</p>
<p>The dorm life varies. I know people who have liked/hated every living area on campus. I live in a lowrise in Southwest and I love it. Everyone is really social and fun thur-sat but gets there work done during the week. I would suggest living in a rap it really makes the campus smaller or getting involved in greek life. The living area almost everyone hates is sylvan. Its a weird set up and seperates you from your hall. A lot of people transfer out of southwest to central for a less intense atmosphere, but it does have a reputation as being where a lot of pot heads live. Northeast has a lot of asians I dont really know to many people that live there. Ohill is nice, people tell me its pretty quiet. Overall I think Southwest has the most wide range of people, On my floor alone there is every race imaginable. The dining halls are also close to your dorm and there is two of them. Berkshire is by far the best dining hall on campus and is smack dab in the middle of southwest. If you do live in a tower though move in day is hell!! Best of luck!</p>
<p>I have a question, I would be coming from the west coast, with probably no one else that i know going there. Is it hard to make the transition because it is such a big school? I'm afraid i will get lost in the shuffle because the campus is so big. I visited it in October and it was pretty intimidating how big it was! lol.</p>