Hi all! Wanted to update some of you who are interested in UMass-Amherst or other schools and wanted to ask me any questions. I am currently a Freshman Communication and Journalism double-major on the rowing team, columnist for the school paper, and member of the housing council. I would love to answer any questions about social life, course load, being in western mass, why I choose UMass over schools like Pitt and American and all that!
You chose the University because you are obviously incredibly talented and make wonderful decisions in life.
Don’t forget to mention our powerhouse men’s hockey team, number one campus dining ranking, brand new isenberg school building, world class nursing school, top ten Stockbridge agriculture school and being considered in the top five of undergraduate AI focused CS programs in the country.
Proud alum by the way. Lol.
Hi! I am live in the south, but really want to move up north for college. My top 2 choices are Penn State and Umass, and I got into both. However, Umass gave me the chancellors scholarship so tuition is much more affordable for me there. I haven’t made the trip up there yet, so I was wondering if the campus is really as “ugly” as people say. Also, is Amherst a nice town to live in? I really like UMass but I’ve heard mixed reviews on the campus/dorms.
I have only visited the school. My daughter applied regular decision and is waiting to hear. So far she has received an acceptance letter from UMASS Dartmouth and is torn because they have a 6 year law program (rather than 7) and Umass Amherst is NOT a participating school while umass Boston and Lowell are. Nor sure why but this has her confused as far as decision making as she loved the Umass AMherst campus as association with surrounding colleges.
UMASS alum here. Ugly campus - what? I have to say, during the fall foliage season and the spring bloom, it’s beautiful. I remember taking a film class and got to capture some of that beauty in a short film. Lots of big trees and orchards. You get the point.
However, in the middle of winter, it’s pretty stark. But so is everything north of DC 
Both Penn State and UMASS have that certain institutional feel (i.e. concrete) which is quite common at most large state schools. Can’t speak for Penn State, but UMASS was very well planned out. Very walkable. And the town of Amherst is about as quaint as it gets. Walkable from upper campus - used to do it all the time.
What made you choose Umass? My daughter is stuck between there and Clemson and William & Mary. Did being an athlete help or hurt your first year experience? Thanks
wait listed at umass dartmouth 
fingers crossed
Hello, I am deciding between WPI and UMass Amherst. I was wondering, as a double-major, how many classes do you have to take per week? Is it manageable? Also, have you heard about the difficulty of the science classes? I will be on the pre-med track and will need to work and get a high science GPA.
I am planning to double-major in Biochemistry and Public Health. Have you heard anything good/bad about those two majors or the professors that teach them?
Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it because I have less than a week to decide and I am so torn between the two!
How are the sports journalism classes? What opportunities do freshman have to write for school newspaper and cover sports events?
@rola23 So I have yet to take any sports journalism classes however there are always available to those interested. However if you are involved with the Daily Collegian or the Amherst Wire you can get press passes to attend and write for the events. Personally it’s not much my forte but journalism classes in general are very well-attended, personal and small enough that the teacher knows you by name. Even my intro to journalism professor knew each student’s name in the 100-person class.
@greatestfly Sorry for the late response but I’m sure this will apply to wherever you chose. Both my first and second semester I took 5 classes a week for a total of 15 credits first semester and 17 credits second semester. It was very manageable however the difficulty of the major definitely needs to be factored in. Since I am majoring in two liberal arts majors the workload tended to be very writing based and thus something I am used to and could handle. Depending on the science classes you take it’ll be difficult regardless of where you attend. I took one microbiology class second semester which was relatively easy and got an A. I don’t know much about biochemistry but I’ve heard a lot of good things about the school of public health. I wish I could be more helpful!
@kjcjms I apologize for the late reply however I’m sure wherever your daughter decided to go was the right choice. That being said I’m sure my insight will still be of help to you. When I was struggling to decide where to go it was between UMass and UPitt so I can draw some parallel with UMass, W&M, and Clemson. Quite frankly it depends where you are from because I think how much you are paying is the most important once you graduate in 4 years and are faced with ample debt. I chose UMass because it’s the perfect mix of prideful students but not too much of a party culture/frat culture. I could list all the reasons I chose UMass but the list would go on forever. Being an athlete is hard and I can’t say whether it’ll help or hurt your daughter’s first year experience. Personally it made me disciplined, waking up at a set time every morning (4:45am!) and seeing the same group of people to workout and train. That sport becomes a lifestyle very quickly but it didn’t stop me from making. friends in my other classes and in my dorm building. Beyond that it wasn’t too much to balance with my classes. I just finished my freshman year with a 4.0 so if that’s not a testament to the ability to balance sports/socializing/academics then I’m not sure what is. I hope your daughter chose UMass but if not, best of luck wherever she end up!