<p>Hi. I'm 17 and I'm graduating out of high school this year, and yes, I am indeed coming to this school. Despite getting accepted to a very good school, it refused to provide me hardly any financial aid so I have to take my last choice and come here.</p>
<p>I'm really not looking forward to coming here because of it's extremely high admission rate (it pretty much admits anyone), so it's obvious that there's going to be a lot of drunk party-loving losers, coupled with 23 thousand students. Apparently, the degree isn't even taken seriously because it's such a bad school.</p>
<p>I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this school. I really don't want to come here so I want to make myself feel a bit better about it.</p>
<p>Umass is actually getting harder to get it. They don’t just let anyone with a high school degree walk through the door. And while yes there will be a lot of party who are under the impression that they’re at summer camp not college you’ll find that EVERYWHERE. Trust me. Even the most prestigious schools have their own “bros”. And just because that is what Umass is known for doesn’t mean that they’re the only ones there. Like you said 23 thousand students are going there so you are bound to find people you can relate to or people in a similar situation as yourself. </p>
<p>The degree is taken seriously. Why wouldn’t it be? Especially if you’re in the honors program. And if you don’t feel a degree from Umass is enough then go to grad school afterwards somewhere you feel is more prestigious.You’ll probably be able to now that you went to Umass rather than be in huge debt because you went to another school.</p>
<p>You really did make a smart choice by not taking out ridiculous loans just so you could attend a name brand school. You’ll be thankful later in life. But honestly, go to Umass with an open mind because if you go thinking you’ll hate it, guess what? You’ll find every tiny reason to hate it. </p>
<p>Good luck! This was something I was struggling with myself when I decided on Umass so I hope it helps.</p>
<p>“Pretty much admits anyone”? You’ve got to be kidding. Where did you get this information? </p>
<p>UMass Amherst is quite competitive. Average GPA for admitted students is about 3.6. 33,000 applications for around 5000 seats. “Bad School”? “Degree not taken seriously”? </p>
<p>You need to do some homework and get off your high horse. </p>
<p>Clearly it’s very disappointing that you don’t get to go to your top-choice (I assume) school for financial reasons. But don’t dismiss UMass as a “bad school” and approach it with a negative attitude just because you “have” to go there. Like many big schools, UMass is what you make of it.</p>
<p>My son will be a freshman there in the fall and I have to admit that when we started looking at possible colleges for him a year or so ago, UMass was viewed as the “safety”. I was also concerned because of the “Zoomass” image that I had heard about. While doing some research, I began to be more impressed by UMass. My son is interested in engineering and I found out that it has the top-rated public engineering program in New England. I talked with friends who had sons and daughters there and all reported that their kids were very satisfied with their experience. In fact one friend’s daughter just graduated summa cum laude from UMass.</p>
<p>We visited the campus, and while yes, it’s not as nice as the UConn or U Delaware campuses, it’s attractive enough in its own right and the area is great. Amherst is a great college town and the Pioneer Valley is beautiful. You can take courses at four other colleges–Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke and Hampshire. If you want to avoid parties–don’t live in the Southwest dorms. UMass offers a variety of Freshman living options including academic-focused living (RAP’s) and themed living (the “Freshman Experience”).</p>
<p>We looked at a lot of colleges in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, and my son turned down Syracuse, Delaware and UConn (all with varying levels of merit aid) for UMass, not only because he and we felt it offered a better value for money, but also because he simply liked it better. So give UMass a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>You are not considering the “yield”. Most colleges end up with 30-35% of the students they accept. 33,000 applications for 5000 seats is correct. Look it up. I can assure you that no one with a GPA under 3.0 gets in. </p>
<p>I’m reminded of the the kids of parents we know (highly ranked public high school). There are many examples where these kids and their parents had the same opinion of UMass as you do, but did not even get accepted (and they had 3.4 GPAs). There are others who chose third rate private colleges for $50,000+ per year instead of UMass. The joke is on them and/or their parents, who have to pay $200,000 for a degree from a mediocre unknown college. But of course, at cocktail parties, their parents do not have to say their kids go to UMass - that is surely worth $200,000 I’m sure :)</p>
<p>I’ve come across many new college graduates at my company. There are many of them who are shocked that they now owe $100,000 in student loans. Many of these kids have told me first hand that they wished they took the advice of people who told them to attend UMass and come out with no debt. We have UMass grads here too from the Isenberg business school. In many cases they are smarter and better prepared than the ones who attended so-so schools and now will be living with their mommy and daddy for the next ten years.</p>
<p>@abdad: I’m from a local HS in MA that sends about 20 kids to umass amherst annually. I would like to point out the average GPA accepted from my HS is a 2.8 unweighted, and the average SAT is around a 1700. uMass admits ~67% of all applicants, which is not very competitive relatively (considered selective, not more or most selective). </p>
<p>uMass is a decent school (much better than a lot of state universities in the country), but not comparable to Mich, UNC, Cal, or UVA. The honors program is very strong and I know plenty of people who ended up at med schools/phd programs in the Ivies and MIT, but it’s what you make it of it.</p>
<p>I’d be very surprised if the average accepted GPA is 2.8 at your HS. You might want to double check. According to Naviance at our HS (not sure if you have this), almost no one below 3.0 gets in over the past few years. And, the HS in our town is rated in the top 5 in the state.</p>
<p>Below is from the UMass Web site (2009 info). I have read that there were 33,000 applications for 2011</p>
<p>2009 Freshman Class
29,452 applicants for a class of 4,124
For those students whose high schools report class rank, the mean high school class rank was top 20%
Middle SAT: Critical Reading 520-630 /Math 540-650
Mean GPA is 3.6 on 4.0 scale</p>
<p>Anecdotally, I can report that the most popular college for kids from the large, middle class, middle-tier public high school in my town south of Boston is Worcester State. The 3.0 and below kids are just not getting accepted to UMass Amherst anymore.</p>
<p>OP - There are many many kids who can’t afford <em>any</em> college, not even community college. You should be grateful for the opportunity to attend a school as good as UMass. You need a serious attitude adjustment.</p>
<p>Re the admission rate - all but a handful of the public schools in this country have similar admission rates, and are very large. It’s part of the purpose of public universities. If you take the top 25% of undergrads at UMass, I bet they equal or exceed the stats of the students at your “dream” school.</p>
<p>Since you seem like the type to be swayed by rankings, here’s a couple for you:</p>
<p>My son is attending Umass for both financial reasons and the fact that they have a highly rated engineering program. He had 3 friends that were wait listed with GPA’s in the low 3’s or under just under 3.0. The Naviance for our high school shows that someone in the low 3’s or under would likely be admitted only if they had a really, really high SAT score. Especially in the more competitive majors like engineering.</p>
<p>The students in his engineering class are smart and highly motivated. Granted, S did not attend a highly ranked high school, but he has remarked on how different it is to be classes with such smart people.</p>
<p>There are so many activities - you can do just about anything you can imagine. The food is good. The only complaint I’ve heard from S is about slow WiFi in his dorm.</p>
<p>And the three people that he knew that were waitlisted? They all transferred out as spring admits.</p>
<p>For many families that don’t qualify for much financial aid, paying $200K for an education is just not feasible.</p>
<p>Hey Hauteclere
As a current umass student I can say, for certain, that you are not alone. I was actually in that same place a couple of years ago, I got into some very selective schools but it did not seem possible to pay 120+ K for the simple prestige. I came in fearing the worst but I can honestly say that going to Umass was the best decision I have ever made. Yes since there is every type of person here, from Valedictorians (the last 3 from my highly competitive high school came here on full rides) to bros, it is not difficult at all to surround yourself with other academically motivated students. I recommend joining an honors RAP in orchard hill, almost every student there has your views on Umass and did not expect to go there. Once you start getting involved though, with the sheer amount of resources and opportunities that are available, it is very possible to distinguish yourself from college students all over the country. The honors classes are essentially capped off at 20 students so Umass does offer the chance to be in a smaller environment as well. Almost every professor I’ve had (there were 2 that were ok) was incredible, willing to reward even the slightest interest in the class with amazing opportunities.
Also dont worry about a Umass degree being looked down on. Many of my friends who just graduated are going to Cornell, Harvard, John Hopkins for grad/med school. Those that joined the work force immediately and were slightly proactive during their years here, now have comfortable 45-50 K entry level jobs.
Since I’ve heard this view so much I felt compelled to create an account and respond. Come in with an open mind and you will absolutely find other like-minded students leadint to the best 4 years of your life.</p>
<p>Friend at UMass Amherst is very happy there- a brilliant kid, not a partier, also taking classes at the other schools in the consortium. Hey, where else can you do Amherst, Holyoke, Smith and Hampshire?
You don’t seem to know much about UMass Amherst, except superfifical stats and the party rep. And some hearsay about grads.</p>
<p>Why would (or should) you know, by now? Because you are a graduating senior who has been through the college look-see period. What life is really like at some campus (beyond the shiny marketing materials,) what classes are offered, what dorm options exist, etc, are all things many kids look at. Not all, of course. You started the thread pretty much against UM-A- aren’t you a Mass kid? Did you know about the consortium, eg?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be harsh. Sorry. But, there is much great about this school. Yeah, it’s big. So are many great State U’s. Yeah it has partying. But, every school that parties hard also has plenty of kids in the library, at a concert, out doing service or hanging with quieter friends. Good luck. Hope that, in a year, you have happy news to post.</p>
<p>No, I haven’t been through such a period. I live in Turkey and I haven’t been to any colleges and I’ve only been to Massachusetts once in my life (when I was 8), not including when I was born there.</p>
<p>I now see this is a different situation. Sorry. But, don’t worry. It will be an interesting adventure and being able to take classes at the other schools in the group is somewhat unique. One great thing about large schols is diversity (in all respects) and so many interesting opportunities that a small school can’t offer. Good luck. Hope you have a great time.</p>
<p>I was like you once. I was the valedictorian of my high school class. UMass was my last choice, but it was the only college I could afford.</p>
<p>I promise you, there are smart people here. The school is filled with smart kids who couldn’t afford to go anywhere else, or just liked the atmosphere of the school and the surrounding area, or came here for a specific program, etc. After hanging out with my new friends for a few months, we discovered that most of us were in the top 10 in our respective high school classes. What are the chances of that?</p>
<p>Yes, there is a party scene at UMass. But from talking to my friends who go to different schools, there’s a party scene everywhere. Some colleges are just better at hiding it than others, and UMass can’t really do that due to its sheer size.</p>
<p>If you got into the honors college, I would recommend living in an honors RAP for freshman year. That’s where I met all my friends.</p>
<p>Now I see that I was lucky to not get enough financial aid to go anywhere else. The area surrounding UMass is beautiful - its gotten to the point where I consider it my home. (It actually is my home, I moved here for the summer). In the span of two years I went to not wanting anything to do with this school to not wanting to leave this school ever.</p>
<p>I was an American living in England (my Dad had been transferred there) at the time I went to college (some 35 years ago…). I applied to colleges having never even seen most of them. It was kind of scary going off on my own, even though I had relatives in the area so was at least somewhat familiar with it. I quickly made friends with some people in my dorm, even though it wasn’t an all-Freshman dorm. Overall, I had a great experience. I suggest that you live in one of the RAP’s or themed First-Year dorms at UMass. As lavieboheme notes, Amherst is a beautiful area, and there’s a lot to do. Get involved with a club or a sport, meet some like-minded people, and it will become “home” to you too.</p>