<p>anyone know anything about this school, especially as far as the fine arts department goes? i'll want to be doing studio art, probably majoring in painting. </p>
<p>i'm not sure if the huge university is for me, i might prefer a liberal arts school, but still not a tiny one. the university is just a good bit less expensive than the nice liberal arts schools. and i'm hoping since umass is in the northeast, it should still be a little funkier than the big universities here in the south... insight?</p>
<p>Gee, I went to Umass at Amherst for grad school, and my S went to Amherst College as an undergraduate, and we never heard of anything very interesting happening for art at UMass, but maybe we just don't know the department. It didn't generate any excitement in the town (see the exhibit of UMass art students...etc.). But if you're coming all this way for painting, be SURE you like the department. UMass Amherst isn't exactly artsy or off-beat in any way. It's kind of regular.</p>
<p>What's nice about it is it's in a Five College Consortium so you can go onto 4 other campuses anytime by shuttle bus, and the Town of Amherst is really progressive and slightly artsy, as is Northampton (VERY artsy) where Smith COllege is located (in that 5-college consortium). Depending on scheduling, you can go to all kinds of EC's on any of those campuses from UMass at Amherst, although I don't think you can take courses everywhere. </p>
<p>In the northeast, for art , I think of these places sooner than Umass:</p>
<p>State University of NY at BUffalo (check out their art department and the studio equipment)</p>
<p>State University of NY at Purchase (a creative magnet school, just outside
of NYC by 45 minute train, so you can go to all the msueums and commercial art galleries and so on for weekends for stimulation).</p>
<p>State University of NY at New Paltz (artsy and not quite as competitive for entry as the one at Purchase)</p>
<p>Massachusetts College of Art in Boston</p>
<p>Rhode Island School of Art in Providence, RI</p>