<p>Can you get from Marcus hall to the Isenberg School of Management in 15 minutes by walking or is it too far? </p>
<p>Can you also get from emerson (in southwest) to the new academic classroom building in 15 minutes or less by walking?</p>
<p>I think the best way for you to know is to walk it out yourself because we don’t know a comfortable pace for you. But if not possible, check out a map, check out the scale to see exactly how far, possible routes, and also account for things like “traffic” or even stuff like snow, because while it may be easy to get there in summer, that may not be the case in winter.
I don’t know that probably wasn’t helpful sorry</p>
<p>No I understand everything you are saying but I’m just not sure. He will have to figure it out himself. Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>Can he ride a bike? </p>
<p>He can but he won’t take it up because he has a car. I’m jumping the gun because he first has to go to NSO. I hop he gets a good adviser so he puts together a good schedule. He is trying to get into the sports management program. So he can’t afford to waste time/classes.</p>
<p>Marcus to ISOM in 15 minutes will not be the most leisurely walk but I believe it is possible. This is based on the fact that I’ve had to walk from Morrill to Marks Meadow in the same amount of time which appears to be a very similar distance.</p>
<p>Emerson to the new building seems a bit shorter but I’m less confident in giving an estimate since I’m completely unfamiliar with traffic patterns around Southwest.</p>
<p>Now the new challenge is emerson to marcus in 15 minutes. And that is confirmed because his class schedule is already done. I guess he will have to jog…</p>
<p>Classes can be changed up until the add/drop deadline - for this semester it’s September 15. If he needs to change anything, make sure he uses the “swap” feature in SPIRE instead of just removing the old class and adding the new one. That way, in case the new class happens to fill up while he’s trying to add it, he at least won’t lose his old class.</p>
<p>The walk from Emerson to the New Academic Classroom Building should be do-able in 15 minutes. I think 10 minutes is accurate. </p>
<p>The walk from Isenberg to Marcus is definitely possible in 15 minutes. I walked from Mary Lyon (across the the street from Marcus) to Whitmore Administration (next to Isenberg) in about 10 minutes. </p>
<p>Has he thought about bringing a bike with him? I’m going to UMass in the fall too (yay!), and from what I hear, if one brings a bike they should be able to get almost anywhere on campus in less than 10 minutes. If your son is looking at a 10-15 minute walk, he might be able to cut that by around a third with a bicycle!</p>
<p>He mentioned roller blades (which we would have to go out and buy him since his old pair was when his foot was a way different size). So then I brought up a bike and he said his would have to get fixed (new tires, fix the seat, buy a good lock). Any idea which way would be least expensive? </p>
<p>I think that bringing up his bike is a good alternative since he really likes his schedule except for the run on mon, wed, fri. Is there a room to lock and store your bike when not in use or do you have to keep it in your room? He will be living in Southwest if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>I think you are supposed to leave them either locked up outside (there are tons of bike racks all over campus) or in your room, but I’ve been in some dorms where the RAs/staff don’t seem to mind a few bikes in the common areas. I wouldn’t bet on that being the case, but it is a possibility.</p>
<p>Oh, another thing to consider is the on-campus bike share. <a href=“http://umass-sga.com/bike-share/”>http://umass-sga.com/bike-share/</a>
Basically, any students can borrow these bikes for free for 24 hours. If repairing his current bike would be too costly but he still wants the convenience of a bike every now and then, he could sign out a bike the day before his farther classes then turn it back in afterwards. This has the added benefit of not having to keep up on maintenance on his own bike as well.</p>
<p>@bucky0926 In terms of price between bike repairs and rollerblades, it kind of depends upon what needs to be done to the bike. From what I understand, roller blades cost around $100 when bought new. New tires would probably cost around $30 for front and back. If what he really needs are new tubes, those would probably cost less than 20. You can get a bike lock with a built-in combination for around ten dollars. A bike seat can be bought for under 20 dollars. </p>
<p>Another item I’d recommend would be a rack for the back of the bike, which can be used to carry a ton of stuff. If you shop around a little (local bike stores sometimes have good deals on slightly used items), you could almost certainly fix the bike (this is assuming he does all the labor himself, it’s pretty simple) for less than a pair of roller blades. </p>
<p>However, you should also think about which item he’s going to get more mileage out of. I know for me, a bike is infinitely more useful than a pair of roller blades. It’s easier to cover long distances with a bike, and you can fit quite a lot of stuff on a bike with a rack. I know I could use a bike to go grocery shopping or visit friends in Northampton, but I can’t picture using roller blades for these tasks. </p>
<p>Hope this helped! :)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that western MA has a LONG winter. UMass particularly is a very windy place late fall and in winter.</p>
<p>Yes I’m considering everything that all of you had to say. Do you really think the bike share is a possibility even if he needs it 3 days a week? (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). He also has a car so having a bike doesn’t really influence getting around to other places. He said he would bring up his bike but not if it has to stay in his room. So I guess in terms of size rollerblades win. I’m also hoping that for the Spring Semester he figures out a more suitable schedule since he’ll have some experience under his belt. So if he wanted, the bike could come home at the end of the fall semester. (I don’t blame him for this one either-his “advisor” at NSO set him up with these classes). I’m just concerned with ice for either a bike or rollerblades but hoping that true winter doesn’t kick in till at least the end of December. I know this could wind up being just wishful thinking. Should I be considering wind MADad? The class he will be going to is a math class which is not his strong suit and he is trying to get into a major at UMass where this class is one of the predictor courses. I don’t want him arriving late and falling behind. He said someone (doesn’t remember who) said that you can get anywhere on campus to practically any other place on campus in 15 minutes or less. Was that an accurate statement? Looking at the map I don’t think that’s possible but then again I’m not 18 anymore. As the bird flies Emerson to Marcus is approx .9 miles. </p>
<p>I definitely wouldn’t say you can get ANYWHERE on campus in 15 minutes, but it holds true for most cases. When I compared one of the distances you gave to one I had previously (Morrill to Marks Meadow), it’s worth noting that I don’t believe Marks Meadow is even used anymore now that there is the newer science building, and starting this semester, the other new building next to the pond. The 15 minute rule will hold true for almost all in-between-class commutes though. Exceptions would be more likely to pop up if you are taking a class in a residential hall or taking courses in vastly different subjects (CompSci building to Studio Arts in 15 minutes? no way). Coincidentally, one of the examples you gave is in a residential hall as well.</p>
<p>A nice thought though is that once he is done with a majority of his general education classes and is instead focusing on a certain major, it’s more likely that his whole schedule will be in a small section of campus as opposed to scattered about.</p>
<p>As for using the bike share 3 days a week, I think it would mostly be up to him. Does he mind going there to pick up and return a bike that often? Would he rather not have to deal with repairs to his own bike that might pop up throughout the year? Think about those kinds of things.</p>
<p>By the way, I think you could probably make both of those distances in 15 minutes, so we may just be figuring this all out for nothing. It might not be at the speed you would walk through a park for enjoyment, but it won’t be running speed either. Just a light power walk and it should be fine. And no, he won’t look strange power walking, UMass’ huge population includes people with all walking speeds. I don’t know how some of them can tolerate walking so slow though!</p>
<p>To the poster who hoped winter wouldn’t kick in until late December, sorry. By mid November it will be cold and blustery, and snow in mid December is very possible. The openness of the campus cannot be ignored re: wind.</p>
<p>Thank you nineum but the example I gave is the reality. He does have to go from Emerson (southwest RAP class) to Marcus Hall in 15 minutes. Whatever “adviser” set that up for him should should have her head examined. There is no way to walk that in 15 minutes. Looks like a bike is in his future whether he likes it or not. </p>
<p>I know, it looks like there is no way it’s possible in 15 minutes. But I think that it really is possible if you walk a bit faster than usual. Also keep in mind there are lots of places you can cut across the grass instead of just sticking to the roads or sidewalks. Sometimes classes will even let out a few minutes early which gives even more time to walk.</p>