GET INVOLVED! It's the best advice you can get! In a school so big, you need to find your own identity. Whether it's with a team, club sport, RSO, Student Government, or just attending the sports events. There is something for everyone!

I wouldn't say anything is more popular than anything else because there are so many groups and so many people. I guess hockey may be relatively big, and football as well just because they're sports and school sports tend to draw the most attention. To say how important fraternities/sororities, what events happen, what is there to do on the weekend is completely subjective. It's like every other school, just bigger.

My school is pretty diverse but I would say that the majority of kids are friendly and just looking to have a good time while doing well in school.

Sports teams are pretty big. The Programming Council and Student Government Association are also popular, I think. There are so many groups though that I don't really know what is most popular. I am on the Ballroom Dance Team, in the co-ed fraternity Phi Sigma Pi, a volunteer for the Boltwood Project, and sometimes a dancer in the student choreographed dance show. My closest friends are those from my freshman year dorm, plus some of my hometown friends, though I am getting closer to the people in the groups that I am involved in. Greek life isn't huge, but relatively present on campus.There are always dirty frat parties happening on weekends, but there are other things to do as well. I hardly ever go to them. There are a few frats that are not simply social. APO is a coed service frat, and my frat, Phi Sigma Pi, is a co-ed honors social/service/academic fraternity. I wasn't originally interested in greek life, but PSP is service-oriented, doesn't haze, and is an overall friendly and welcoming group that I've happily found a place in. As for the other things to do, UPC has friday night movies; there are acting groups that give shows, performances at the FAC, theatre productions, concerts, etc. There are tons of faculty lectures happening all the time in every department it seems. CommColl has weekly lectures and workshops. Off campus has plenty of opportunities: movies, shopping, eating, shows and concerts, rallies, museums, etc. Basically you can always find something to do here.

Most people who attend UMass now still agree with what I said about the exaggeration of negative stereotyping and the excellence of education. In a recent London Times article, UMass ranked #14 in the U.S. among public universities and FOURTH in Mass.! That is nothing to be ashamed of.

Umass sports are great! If you are an incoming freshman and don't have anything to do on weekends, go to hockey games! They are great fun. Also, football games and basketball games have a huge fan base. You can even join the "Maroon Platoon" which is basically a formation of spirited fans who travel with their team of choice to games and cheer them on.

Unless you plan on joining a sports team...go to a different school. This school is corrupt and falling quickly. If you can afford better, then do yourself a favor and go. Otherwise plan for four years based entirely on binge drinking with fat preppy kids who think they are the best thing that has ever happened to this school. good luck everyone

look for school books on Booksoncampus.com. The textbook annex is a RIPOFF.

Absolutely not. UMass is a fount of opportunity, and anything you want from the school is yours as long as you reach out and take it. For the timid or the immature it can get overwhelming, but all you need to do is reach out and the closer community is yours.

Umass offers a multitude of majors and professors with great credentials. The few classes that I have actually been in with hundreds of students had great TA's which knew names of the students in their section, making even the biggest classes still a personal experience.

The Academic aspect of UMass is one that is extremely overlooked in light of the school's image as a "party" school. The professors and teaching assistants are as integral to the students' success inside the classroom as they are for shaping their lives when they leave. Professors are never hesitant to meet with students, discuss things with which the student may have trouble with, and always give a wave and a smile should they recognize you outside the room. More-so, they all have a unique teaching style that suits their course to a tee.

Go out and get involved. It helps to make a large school feel much more personable and less overwhelming. There is a club for almost any interest group. If you want to join the chess club because you love chess and your roommate smokes pot all day- do it! If you want to join the cannabis reform coalition because you need marijuana more than ever due to your super lame chess-playing roommate- be my guest.

There is a lot of diversity at UMass so there is a place for every type of person. People who are very conservative might find themselves out of place since things like homosexuality and mixed-race relationships are widely accepted.

Not at all. In reality, We get one of the best educations here. The classes are interesting, and push all students to work to their full potential. On the stereotype about party animals, yeah, I am not going to lie, a lot of students do like to let loose once in a while, and while there are some students who party almost every night of the week, most students just don't. It's normally on the weekends that students like to have a good time, but, at what college don't you see that?

Your only hope is to shrink the school. Join a team or club. if you cant make varsity join a club team. i joined club rugby and it is saving my experience here. You actually know peoples names and you get to stay in shape. You also get the social aspect of partying with them on the weekends and after games.Everything involves drinking here. The frats are gross and there's a lot of violence/sexual harassment problems there. stay away from the frats, join a sports club even if you aren't athletic or you've never done that sport before. the older kids actually help you.

I have enjoyed my time here because of the people I've met. I've been very lucky!

Although there are parties on campus, the universities academic standing is usually overlooked. The student population excels academically and many of the departments have high national standings.

YES! Except in Central or Orchard Hill where everyone is a hippie or a hipster.