Hi, I’m a senior in high school and I just finished hearing back from all my colleges. I’m pretty disappointed right now since I was rejected from my top choices, NYU and BU. The two that I was accepted into (out of 8) were my safeties. Although some part of me is still hoping there is some way I could apply to another university, I know it’s too late for most. Also, I’m going to major in Linguistics, if it matters for this.
Now, I haven’t visited either of the universities. I know, it’s stupid that I didn’t, but I never had anyone who could take me. My dad lives far away and my mom always has work. I tried going with friends but they always had to cancel for some reason. I might try and visit before I have to make my decision on May 1.
What could you guys tell me about these two (or at least one) of the universities? I’ve heard some things about them.
For UMass Amherst: My friend has a friend who is currently at UMass Amherst and she says it’s quite a party school, and she wasn’t enjoying it at first but has kind of adjusted by now. I’m not a party person at all, I prefer hanging out with just a few close friends. I know it’s a pretty big school, and I’ve heard that UMass has a good linguistics program, is this true?
For UNH, I’ve heard good things about it and I know a few people who went and really liked it, but I don’t know if their linguistics program is as good. I’ve also heard that it’s not as diverse, and for me diversity is pretty important and I also don’t want to be the only non-Caucasian person around (I’m Filipino).
I really wanted to be in a city (and I really still do) but I didn’t find a lot of universities in the city that I liked AND had linguistics (aside from the ones that I applied to but didn’t get accepted into) so that is a turn-off for me for both universities. Even though UMass is like a city in itself, it’s not really in a city. Same with UNH. But the thing about UNH is that it’s closer to home. Even now, I’m already starting to feel homesick just thinking about it, and I don’t know how I’ll do it if I go to UMass which is far away from home AND isn’t in a city. While UNH is closer and I might know some people since a lot of people from my high school end up going there, the program might not be as good as at UMass.
What do you think? I know it’s really my choice, but I need some advice.
And some general questions for the two universities:
What are dorms like? They both have communal bathrooms don’t they?
How big are classes, generally?
What is there to do for students on days off?
Is it ever possible to try out living on-campus and then apply for off-campus housing (like with parents) later in the semester/year?
How does transferring work? Right now, I’m planning on doing two years at one of these universities and then applying as a transfer student to BU or NYU.