<p>The UMass Amherst has some significant demerits that have been in the news (poor management, excessive alcohol consumption by students [leading to group violence]). What about UMass Lowell? Does anyone have have any knowledge about UML's social scene and its academic quality?</p>
<p>UML’s hockey team sucks :P</p>
<p>Certainly you were referring to the hockey program. I am glad that was answered for you.</p>
<p>As for your concerns about binge drinking, sorry, that is part of the college lifestyle. You needn’t participate but you will find this behavior everywhere and its part of the growing up process. You would even find this behavior among your age-matched counterparts that do not attend college.</p>
<p>Sorry that I couldn’t provide more school specific feedback.</p>
<p>belevitt, Drinking is not a part of college lifestyle. Sorry, it just isn’t for some people. If your really concerned about the drinking, you should look at a private school. State universities will generally have a higher drinking percentage than privates. This is mainly due to the tougher policies on dorm procedure and stiffer penalties if you are caught. I go to a normal private university and the students who want to drink go to, in this case, go to UIUC to party and stuff. We take our academics seriously. If money is an issue and you cannot, or do not want to attend a private, you certainly do not need to participate. You can have just as much fun in college without alcohol, no matter what people say.</p>
<p>I’ve found the drinking scene to be much more relaxed at my current public college than at the private college I previously attended (which coincidentally was in MA), so…</p>
<p>That’s why I said generally…
You can not put all public colleges and all private colleges under one label. If you visit the school while it is in session, you should be able to get a good feel for whats going on.</p>