I need more info about UMass!

<p>If by some chance, I find conflicts in my schedule but I work them out and I can graduate in 4 years double majoring in Bio and Accounting, how do I write the I want to double major on my application?
Is ther a slot that says “are you double majoring? if so, what it your other intended major?” on the Common App? or some other application?
The Isenburg School of Management, the admissions person I talked to said, was the competitive one - so if there is no slot that says “double majoring” I should list Accounting as my first choice? But my first choice is Biology…</p>

<p>I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to your questions. I’m just a parent. :)</p>

<p>My son had similar GPA and SAT’s to yours, but fewer AP’s. He was accepted EA, got the Adams Scholarship, but that was it. You have to remember that in-state tuition and fees are already discounted (compared to out-of state), so they don’t do much with other scholarships. That said, UMass is still less expensive than most other colleges for Mass. residents unless you get amazing need-based or merit-based aid from a private college.</p>

<p>I have another question about courses - does the amount of courses a student takes affect their cost of attending? Or does it not matter how many courses one takes - everyone pays the same price?</p>

<p>and I’d like to go back to the social life + living at UMass question:
By how many people are the “shared bathrooms” used?</p>

<p>

It can in the long term - once you have accumulated 118% of the credits needed to graduate (not including AP credits) you start paying out of state tuition rates. UMass doesn’t want professional students paying at the taxpayer-subsidized rate forever.</p>

<p>I don’t think there is a limit per semester but if you take more than a certain number per semester (19 maybe?) you have to get an override.</p>

<p>

Depends on the dorm, it could be an entire floor (50 people?) or 8 for a suite-style or 4 for the on-campus apartments (not available to freshmen). The floor bathrooms are huge.</p>

<p>What is your issue with these? It’s not the horror you seem to think.</p>

<p>

BTW, this is true at many state universities. Some use different percentages or a slightly different way of calculating. </p>

<p>It can be very difficult to tease this information out of a school’s web site. They bury it pretty deep. There’s a thread about this somewhere on CC.</p>

<p>I’ve read that 118% thing before. I don’t understand what that is. Could you explain to me how this credit and course taking thing works? Does every course have a set number of credits? or does every course have 1 and you can take up to 19 different courses (wow that’s a lot) How could you exceed 100% of the graduation requirement? And if a student double majors, wouldn’t that person necessarily have too many courses? </p>

<p>Uhhh well, about the bathroom thing - sharing a bathroom with 50other people I don’t know is not extremely appealing to me…</p>

<p>Each course has a varying number of credits. Most are 3, some are 4 (usually lab courses), some are 2 or 1. You can take up to 18 (maybe 19? don’t remember exactly) credits per semester before needing an advisor override. A normal load is usually 15 or 16 credits.</p>

<p>A general ed program requires 120 credits for graduation, engineering is 128 or a little more, this number may vary by major.</p>

<p>So if you are in a major that needs 120 credits, after you accumulate 141 credits you start paying OOS tuition. For engineering, this would be 151 credits or so.</p>

<p>

But you will know them within a few days. And the floor bathrooms are by gender, males and females don’t share bathrooms.</p>

<p>Oh no! How likely is it for students to exceed 118%??
Double majoring obviously means more classes, right? So would I need to exceeed it no matter what to complete all my graduation requirements??</p>

<p>Haha - yes I know that bathrooms are separated by gender, but still, that’s a lot of people.</p>

<p>Are students able to control the temperature in their rooms? Or is that controlled by some larger system?</p>

<p>

I think it depends on how much overlap there is between the two majors, how many credits a specific major requires, and how many credits you get from AP classes. I can’t say for biology and accounting, I know nothing about the specifics of those programs. I’m pretty sure information on the degree requirements for each major is on the UMass web site, you will have to dig it out.</p>

<p>

I don’t remember there being a thermostat in my S’s dorm room. It may vary by dorm. I suspect most do not give any control.</p>

<p>hmm, no thermostat… So, if you’re very cold in the winter, you either have to wear a lot of clothes, or go buy an electrical heater thing that won’t cause fire?</p>

<p>Another question about dorms:
I know a person who does this “dorm organizer” thing. I think it’s some sort of a committee thing, but I’m really not sure what that is. From what I know, you basically have shifts and certain responsibilities for taking care of the people on your floor or maybe multiple floors. Some people do counceling for incoming Freshman, others control the “insanity” of some new Freshman suddenly getting freedom from home, others keep up the dorm UMass-Spirit kind of thing. And you can apply(?) to join this “committee” during your sophomore year, and when you do get the job(yes, I was told it is a paid job), you apparently get your own single room… do you know what I am talking about? And if so, could you tell me more about it?</p>

<p>My S never complained it was too cold, if anything it was too hot. You see a lot of open windows in the winter.</p>

<p>

I think what you are talking about is a resident assistant or one of the other Resident Life department’s jobs. It’s not exactly what you describe but similar - it’s not a committee per se, you are a school employee. Here’s a link:</p>

<p>[UMass</a> Amherst - Residential Life: Resident Assistants](<a href=“http://www.housing.umass.edu/employ/ra_jobdesc.html]UMass”>http://www.housing.umass.edu/employ/ra_jobdesc.html)</p>

<p>My understanding is that it is pretty competitive to get these jobs because you get a free single room. Not sure if you get paid on top of that.</p>

<p>The downside is that you get to be “the man” when kids break the rules. How do you feel about a kid getting kicked out of the dorm because he was drinking and you had to report him?</p>

<p>I see, ok - I need to do some more thinking about the RA thing then.</p>

<p>Now I have a very different question:
The total cost of going to UMass is apparently about $22,000.
Of that, about $2000 is tuition. Then many other things make up the rest of the $18,000. Is the SHIP cost, MassPIRG cost, and the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program automatically included in that total?</p>

<p>Also, on the UMass site, it says “Students taking five or more credits are automatically enrolled in the SHIP and the charge appears on the
semester’s tuition and fee bill.” Aren’t most courses worth more than 1 credit? Then wouldn’t most people exceed the 5 credits? So then most people have to pay the SHIP?</p>

<p>MassPIRG and the Child Care thing are optional, you don’t have to pay them if you don’t want to. They are noise, though - a total of $12/semester.</p>

<p>SHIP is, in my opinion, ridiculously expensive health insurance. It can be waived if you have other health insurance with sufficient coverage. Do your parents have health insurance that you are covered under? If not, add another $2800 to the $22,000 cost.</p>

<p>I don’t know how many people pay SHIP. I fortunately have health insurance through my job that meets the requirements so my S doesn’t have to pay it. I’m sure this is true for many students.</p>

<p>I would point out that almost every university has a similar charge unless you have other health insurance, and I don’t think too many include it in the cost you see on their web page. You have to dig for it. So if you don’t have insurance you will have to mine for this data for each school you are interested in.</p>

<p>I think UMass’s is on the high side in price though.</p>

<p>Also, there is an extra $485 in fees you pay your first semester when you are a freshman. That’s not included in the $22K either.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information.
UMass is definitely inexpensive compared to other schools, but its costs are rising every year, and now that I know more about the tuition + fess, I see I’m going to be paying more than I thought I was going to last year.</p>

<p>Does UMass care at all about extracurriculars a student does? Job experience? Community service? Leadership? Awards? My guidance councelor told me most colleges do not ask to see the resume(and she said UMass probably wouldn’t ask for one) - and I was shocked! How would the colleges know what a student did outside of academics, if they didn’t read the resume with all the details written in it?
Students could say they were simply in NHS, but what if you’re the head of a committee in NHS, (not the President, or VP, but…)? Things like that, they’re not going to see that if he/she just writes NHS in the extracurriculars section.</p>

<p>well, It all depends, my best friend for high school had a perfect gpa, 2,300 on SAT and alot of extracurricular activities, she did not get in. no matter how genius you are the academic part is just another part of the criteria, believe me I work in admissions</p>

<p>yes, it does. ur gc doesnt know that much. every school I know care about what activities you participated in</p>

<p>RAs & Peer Mentors get a discount in the room fee and a salary however you can’t get those jobs as new entering student. in order to get these jobs there is a process it’s really hard to get one of these jobs,!!</p>

<p>the cost of attendance for this year was 24,892…and it goes up every year
but this depends upon your plans and stuff. like is you want the unlimited meal plan, or if you don’t have health insurance, if you need parking, and some other things they add up all these services and it never is the estimation posted on the website</p>