University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

The philosophy department here is really strong. Through logic classes I learned a lot about making and analyzing arguments which will certainly help me for my graduate degree.

General education classes are very manageable, as are pre-requisite classes for majors. As you progress, time-management becomes more important because classes get more rigorous.

They're great

UMass is a big school. Professors will most likely know your name and face in smaller discussion sections, but won't be able to pick you out in 200 person lectures. If you wish to have a more intimate relationship with a professor, it is your responsibility to go to his/her office hours.

Academics at UMass can range from massive 400 people lectures to very small classes. For the generic classes that everyone needs to take there are often many students taking them which results in huge lectures. But I'm also in an honors course that has around 30 students with 4 teachers in it. In this type of class the professors will get to know your name and personalize with you. This is my favorite type of class because there are not too many people in it, and it generally is easier to learn because you can get the help you need and not have to deal with the constant distractions that go along with huge lectures. Class participation is also very common in all types of classes. In the large lectures there are iClickers that are toll taking remotes that connect to the teachers computer and tell them what the majority of students think. This is used for in class questions and the like. Teachers also take students questions in these classes but they cannot take as much time to answer them because they are on a set schedule. In smaller classes iClickers are not used as much but the teachers are more willing to take your questions. My major is Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB), which is one of the more challenging at the school. the BMB department help through my adviser by talking to me about my classes and what my plans are for the future. The education at UMass is geared more towards getting a job, which is absolutely fine with me. That is the reason most people are going to college in the first place, so they have better chances of getting their dream job.

At UMass, I have always felt a satisfactory balance in the academics. I have a few classes that are held in large lecture halls and consist of two to three hundred students. Needless to say, I don't have any sort of relationship with my professor in those classes. However, I also have a couple of much smaller classes that consist of fifteen or even as little as seven kids. We are able to have intellectual discussions, learn from each other, and interact with the professor. This semester, I am taking an English course about Food Writing and it has been an extraordinary experience. It is a relatively small class that consists of food demos, writing about what we eat, reading pieces from famous food writers, and even outside-of-the-classroom projects: our most recent one being a restaurant scavenger hunt in town. It has really defined my skills as a food writer and epicurean.

Academics are pretty solid. Most of the professors seem very smart, I've gotten used to addressing my professors as "Dr." now instead of "Mr. or Mrs." There is a pretty big range in studying, but pretty much is at least marginally academically active. Personally I'm probably up there in terms of studying, but then again I seem to take my grades a lot more seriously than a lot of my friends. I'm in the college of natural sciences, which does a lot of active research students can get involved in which is nice. The academic requirements are good within the major and in an interdisciplinary light. My most interesting class is one I am currently in, "Violence in American Culture." It's taught by this pretty brilliant mexican professor who has made me look at the world in a completely difference way after just 3 weeks in his class.

At UMASS Amherst, the academic departments are staffed with renowned, accessible abd helpful professors. While lecture halls full of hundreds define most students' first two years, their junior and senior years involve smaller, discussion oriented classes. At least in my experience, discussions stimulated by class reading, outside reading, and classroom discussion often find their way to the dormitories or cafeterias. I have continued these discussions with professors, who, as I suggested earlier, are some of the most helpful, well read and interesting people I have met. My major, political science, has afforded me a learning experience that I could not have fully anticipated. Engaging in studies of America, Europe, Asia and underdeveloped nations, I find myself constantly hungering for more information that will afford me a better world perspective. While a liberal arts major, political science is absolutely geared toward both employment as well as ecuation. I could find a job in a wide variety of fields, including law, ecucation, international relations etc.

It all depends on the classes, teachers, and how seriously you take school. A's aren't impossible, but some classes are much easier than others. I think it's like every school in this sense, it comes down to major, level, and professor.

Like I said above, the academic experience varies tremendously with the classes you take. My favorite classes are little ones. The best/most unique class I've taken is called Grassroots Community Organizing; it is a student-led discussion-based class focusing on community empowerment and social change and involves a lot of reading, learning from each other, reflection and a spring break trip during which you work with a non profit. I learned so much in that class and it changed my life and the way I look at the world, and the group is very close. The class was last spring and we hang out together still.

You will have a huge variety when it comes to classes. Right now I am in 3 lectures (200 students each) and 2 small classes (15 students each). Professors are very accessible and encourage students to take advantage of their office hours. The academic requirements are very general, those you would see at many large liberal arts universities. The work load is tough, however, part of college is learning to juggle all of it.

Some majors tend to draw the bottom of the barrel while others garner some of the smartest students in the state. Professors are open to meeting students and I made a few awesome connections but they wont often go out of their way to build bonds. Be proactive!

All the gen ed classes, no ones going to know you. Sometimes you'll end up finding someone you know in that class weeks later. The only interaction in class is during discussion and thats only with the T.A. The only time the professor will know your name is when your a suck up sitting in the front row asking a million questions. But if you go to office hours and make the effort they'll end up knowing who you are. The more classes you take for your major, the more smaller and interactive they get. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference.

Classes are easy as long as you rememer to do online homework and study a little bit. Classes are usually pretty big.

I'm closer with some professors than I am others. Lower level, lecture hall classes are what they are. I mean, for basic courses I enjoyed being with 300 other kids. But sometimes when you're in an upper-level course and the class is too big, it can ruin the experience. My least favorite class (and professor) was Major British Authors with Professor Freeman. The class had about 35 students in it which is way too big with how much we had to read. Having that many kids in class didn't let us explore much into the text. Students are competitive with themselves. No one really talks about grades to each other because it's no one else's business. Professors rarely threaten us with grades, but rather try to enhance the learning experience. When you go to a big school, your education is what you make it. If you want to slack off, you can. If you want to become close with your professors, you can. A big school is for the independent, students who don't need people forcing them to do their work or participate in class.

I am very conscientious about managing my classes. Since my major is history, I really enjoy learning about history because it is apart of my heritage and culture. From my experiences this past semester, I enjoyed participating in my classes because there was a connection among all the students and the teacher in my classes. When teenagers go to college, they think that it is all about partying and hanging out with friends. At Umass, they encourage socializing with other students but also learning about various subjects.

General Education classes are rarely fun, or necessary. For the most part, you are a serial number in the grand scheme of things. Its not until you declare your major that you feel a more academic sense of belonging. I am a member of the BDIC program, or Bachelors Degree in Individual Concentration. I have combined communications, management (marketing) and legal studies to produce my Entertainment Law/Management and Marketing Major. This allows me to take most classes that fit my major within each college/school. This is very helpful in gaining internship opportunities and eventually job offers due to its rarity and uniqueness.

In a large class the professor usually does not know your name, but every large class has a discussion and your discussion leader will know your name which is very helpful, but if the discussion is not helpful the professor is usually very available. My favorite classes are my education classes and i study and work hard to get good grades. The requirements are easy to meet if you take 5 classes a semester and take them seriously otherwise you could be a little behind.

Most classes are huge, professors will only know who you are if you make them know who you are. Students are competitive but you have to be very self motivated. I have had a lot of great professors and even though the classes are huge most teachers find ways to get the students involved. I love my major, HTM in the business school because it is hands on and very competitive.

AWESOME CLASSES: gen-ed for Bio: Bio106 with Judy Goodenough. She is hillarious and a great teacher and the class is an easy A. You don't have to buy a book or clicker or anything. Another great class is Psych 350 with Richard Halgin (abnormal psychology). Riveting. His books are on reserve at the library so you don't really have to buy them either.

In small to medium sized classes professors do know your name. In larger classes, it is harder, but you can learn to be a self advocate and make yourself known to your TA's and professors. Some of the professors I had as a student are now valued colleagues. As an undergrad in my major, there were also department social activities that helped me to learn about my field of study, my classmates and the faculty.

The academics depend a lot on the student. Any student with a good work ethic can get good grades, some without trying depending on the major. As a former Computer Science major, I found the material was too challenging and became a Marketing major. Any major in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics is going to require a lot of work and time, as well as any Engineering degrees. The library is very helpful for getting work done. There are a lot of open Macs and PCs students can use to type up reports or do research, and everyone has to do that over their career. On the tenth floor, there's a tutoring center with walk-in help, which is very useful if students are struggling with any class in particular. Classes themselves are hit or miss. Some classes can have easy material that is made hard by an inept professor. An entry level Psychology class was like that, where the Professor was always late and unprepared, but the material was simple to cover out of class. There's a lot of reading for any class. Most classes can be passed or even excelled in by doing a majority of the reading, or someitmes a little less. The most important skill I believe aids a student is their ability to manage time. Any student who can commit to some time of study/reading/working schedule or be flexible enough to get their work done while still enjoying campus life has it made.

There is a wide array of majors and courses at UMass Amherst. It offers a challenging yet satisfying curriculum for whatever you take. If you can manage at least a 3.0 GPA you should definitely consider enrolling in Commonwealth College, the honors program at UMass. If you did not get into your top school of choice, then this is an excellent way to get prestige out of your degree. From classes with over 100 students to independent studies, the numerous types of courses will turn out a better academic experience.

Freshman year, most of the classes you take are gen. eds, which are mostly big lectures, with hundreds of other students. So in these classes unless you make the effort to talk to and get to know your professor, they most likely won't know your name. But once you start taking classes geared towards your major, the class sizes supposedly start to get smaller. Last year I mostly took all gen. eds, so I haven't gotten to see if there is a difference in the class sizes yet, but I will soon!

Gen-eds are kind of boring but I took some that were good. Take Education 210, Anthro 100, Education 192A, and Music 100. All of those courses were pretty easy and very good. It is important to go to lecture because when discussion comes around it is helpful to know what they are talking about. I am part of the pyschology major. I really have enjoyed all the psych classes I have taken. If you can as a freshman join a RAP program. It was very helpful and beneficial.

In large classes, many professors will want to know your name, but it's hard because of the class size. They will know your name if you participate frequently in class and go to office hours. In small classes, my professors have almost always been eager to learn the names of their students. In my dorm, there were both kinds of people: those who studied a lot, those who did an average amount of studying, and those that seemed like they never studied. It's really varied. It's varied when it comes to many things because of the large number of students. So far, I haven't spent time with professors outside of class, but I plan on it once I choose a major. In general classes, professors were always available during office hours or appointments, I just never went. The requirements aren't too bad, but I do feel like there are too many of them. I think whether or not the education is geared toward getting a job or just learning depends on the department. I took an environmental design class and got a glimpse of what the Landscape Architecture department is like, and I felt like they are really geared toward helping students learn for the real world and getting a job. The building was always covered in papers advertising opportunities for internships, etc.

As a chemical engineering student, I have been very impressed with the academics here. There are top-notch faculty and lots of resources to help you (research opportunities, professors that care, etc.) My experience in other classes has at times been less than stellar, but I don't have enough experience to really speak of another department specifically. The honors college provides the chance for smaller more difficult and engaging classes.

Academics are good. Professors are pretty good at explaining material, but advising is terrible and tests are sometimes at night which is a pain. Students are pretty competitive and try to copy homework, etc but some students don't care at all.

It really depends on the class, or the major, but all of my professors within my major know me by name. Because I am in such a small major, there aren't many kids in my classes, so it makes it a lot more personal than the GenEds I've taken where there are up to 400 people in a classroom at once and the professor wouldn't even notice if you never came to class except for when there's a test. Some giant lecture professors do make an effort to give parcipitation credit during class though, which I think is great. People can raise their hands to answer a question, and the TA will give credit where credit is due. Landscape Architecture is a GREAT major, if you're into plants and building models and giving presentations, and not getting much sleep . . . but you really get close to your classmates, and are in pretty much every class with them, so getting help with homework is really easy to find. The professors are usually always around, even at 1 o'clock in the morning, they can sometimes be found in their office, or even socializing with my classmates and answering questions on a Studio project that is due. The General Education requirements aren't all that bad, they really make you get out there and see what is out there for classes. I would never have taken some of the classes that I did if it weren't for the requirment, and I learned a lot. Some majors, like mine, get rid of the language requirement, and I'm greatful for that. I've taken 6 years of French in my life, and I think enough is enough, I mean, I love language, but I have so many other things to do, rather than take more of the things I already know, I took GenEds like Greek Myth, African American History, Women's Studies, Bio 105 (good bio class, no lab requirement), Chem 111, Calc. 131 and 132, Physics 151 and 152, and so much more. I have more time for Band and Choir now too, which is even better.

Coming into Umass I thought the academics would be a joke...I was dead wrong. The academics offered are challenging yet interesting. The school offers 88 majors to choose from and over 3,000 courses a semester, so there is definately a lot to choose from. Specifically, I am a chemistry and biochemistry major and have been involved with a lot of interesting courses. The laboratory courses that coincide with my lectures are really interesting and a lot of neat experiments are performed like extracting dye off of M&M's. The professors are always available for extra help and are interested in making sure students succeed academically. Also, one of the most intriguing aspects of Umass is it is part of a consortium with four other colleges around the area, meaning students at Umass are able to take up to about two courses at any of these other schools per semester. The other schools in the consortium offer classes that are somewhat more appealing or specific to a student's academic study or interest; for example one of the other schools offers rock climbing or kayaking as a course.

I can't say about other academic programs but the Animal Science department is incredibly close-knit. Everyone knows the professors and the other students in the program. My favorite classes were taught by Dr.Howe because he is really funny but really cares about his students. Everything he taught has been used again in other classes and in post-grad life.

Some classes are big, but the more specific they get, the smaller the class and closer relationships between students and teachers. Students are very competitive.

There's a stigma with UMass because it's a state school, but you'll learn the same information you'd learn at Harvard and the professors are just as talented and smart as the professors at those ivy league schools. Isenberg is a top business school. UMass does TONS of scientific research that gets published in the top journals. Commonwealth College (although I personally thought it was a HUGE waste of time) apparently has a great reputation across the US, being compared to UC Berkeley and other amazing schools.

Strong academics. Good business school.

The degree to which you get to know professors and students is largely based on what you're studying. In majors such as Communication (my own), there are a lot of classes with a few hundred students in them, making it very hard to get to know people on a personal level. However, it isn't impossible, especially with small discussion groups and professors always available for office hours and extra help. Majors with smaller numbers, like music, are much easier to get to know professors and students in. I took at least one music class for each of my last six semesters at UMass and got to know the music students and faculty much better than I did the Communication faculty.

I can't talk for any other departments, aside from the two I picked for my major: physics and computer science. Coming to UMass, I had no idea how great academics in these fields actually are at the school. The computer science program is actually undergoing some fundamental changes right now, which I think are for the better. You have the ability to pick a particular track (think subfield), and focus on it. So, if you're into AI, for example, you can focus on that a lot earlier. The professors in both majors were always available and tried their best to accommodate the students needs. Aside from office hours, the greatest part is the research opportunities. I worked on various research projects starting sophomore year and continued until graduation. All of them started with me looking at what kind of work was being done and asking if I could participate in any projects. This is the best way to get to know the professors and, if you're thinking of grad school, get those important letters. A letter starting with "s/he did research for me" cannot even be compared to "s/he did well in my class." Also, if you're looking for a summer job, ask professors. Often you can stick around the area and do meaningful research and get paid for it (~10$/hour)! The classes in the majors were small (< 30, with some being as small as 6-10 students). Of course, for other majors this may not be the case (psych, for instance). The physics department is pretty small here, so scheduling conflicts were frequent, since they'd only offer the class at one particular time once a year. Usually, you can work around those and make sure to think about what you want to take ahead of time. Finally, you can take honors classes or honors colloquia here. I would highly recommend them, since you get more "personal" attention and usually they cover some interesting topics, aside from the usual. The most fun one for me was a course in architecture, where for honors we wrote a game for 8088 assembly. As for the value of commonwealth college, it's a pain: you have to take 3 semesters of dean's book - read a book and talk about it and write 2 essays, an honors I - think literature, and some honors course in major, and finish with an honors project/thesis. The biggest complaint is dean's book, but it meets only once a week for 2 hours for only a half of semester. I'd recommend doing comcol just because it forces you to do a project/thesis. Of course, you can do that without it, by working with professors.

The smaller departments tend to have great professors. Take time to do a research project or talk to them at office hours, even if its a big class. When you get to higher levels, make sure you participate and put yourself out there so that people know your name. Doing an honors thesis is a great way to meet a professor and get chummy with faculty.

Since I'm a Comm major, there are like 500 people in my classes. Its a popular major. I've heard that other majors are smaller and more intimately staged classes are held. I don't think I'll experience that while I'm here but I'd like to. Sometimes it sucks that the prof doesn't know anything about you and you have to rely on a TA on a powertrip for your grade. One of my best friends was my TA last semester, it was a weird experience for me. I think the profs are willing to get to know their students if the students are willing to make that happen. There are some students who are annoying and sit in the front and suck up and ask all the questions. And then there are students who don't show up until exam days. Its kind of like a big high school class...a little something or role for everyone to fit into.

Teachers do not know most of their students. Classes are too big even the SPorts Management ones. Umass education is geared towards getting you out with a diploma. No one cares if you learned or not. Dept advisor wasn't any help and neither were the teachers. Everyone is out for themself even the staff

All students are different when it comes to studying, but your style will most likely fit in just fine. The student tutoring in the library is great service, and has helped me big time when it comes to harder subjects for me or reviewing essays. Professors will know you when you make yourself known. In a large class, it is up to you to make yourself known, if that is what you want. Most of the time, large classes will have a midterm, a final, maybe a paper or two, and thats it for grading. If you can show your teacher that you have what it takes to get good grade through tests, you should be fine. If you are struggling, you need to make yourself known and show that you care. All the professors I have had in large classes are glad to get to know me. Professors in smaller classes obviously will learn your name because grading is usually much more based on discussion and participation.

I feel like UMass was kind of like high school. There is always extra credit oppertunities, not too much work, and all of my finals have been optional. The academic requirements are rediculous. I don't understand how anyone can fulfill the general education requirements, the global education requirements and their major requirements in the four years they are supposed spend here. Another thing that really bothers me is that no one seems to care that much about academics.

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.

So you want to take a class and it's not at UMASS dont worry it's at the other four colleges that souround UMASS. And you can take classes at the other colleges for free. But no one is going to learn your name if you dont make them know your name. it's a big school and the classes your freshman year are going to big lectures but eventually they get smaller. but students study a lot well as much as you need to study depending on who you are. my favorite class i have to say is poli sci 121 no hw no book just lecture. i dont like political science like that would never be my major but it was a fun class. who doesnt have intelluctual conversations outside of class you have to you have to learn from people why have a conversation if you are not going to learn anything. the classes and students are very competitive your always fighting for that top spot and theres plenty of help to get you there seriously. The requirements are okay cause I guess UMASS wants you to be well-rounded and know things outside your major so you have to take requred courses but you have complete control over your schedule which is not bad at all. eventually you'll get a good job out of UMASS there's so many oppurtunities that there is no one you cant achieve unless you dont go looking for the oppurtunities.

I have been lucky in that I came to UMass specifically for a program (sport management) and have been close with the faculty in my department since day one. I have had many great classes, and some not so great, but overall, my academic experience was satisfactory. My biggest pet peeve are the the people that are not invested in learning and cause disrruptions to other students (this is common in big lecture classes that most people take for general education requirements).

General Education classes are huge. The professor is not likely to know you're name unless you go up to them and introduce yourself or talk to them during office hours. However, when you get higher into your major, the classes are more of a large highschool class. Around 30 people or so. The professor definitly knows everyone's name then. In the Isenberg School of Management, the advisors try to push everyone to get an internship their Junior year to get some experience as well as get their foot in the door for a career. They are very concerned about seniors getting a job when they graduate.

The GenEds here are usually easy- huge lecture halls, easy material. Most GenEd teachers know that people are only there to fulfill a requirement and tend to be more relaxed about grades etc. The numbering system for classes (100,200,300 etc) dont seem to be very relevant- I've taken hard 100-level classes and easy 300-level classes, so my best advice is to take whatever sounds most interesting to you.

The academics here are what you make them. I like to think of Umass as an instrument or tool. You can throw it out the window and party all day, or you can use it wisely, and either way no one is going to care which you choose. There's nobody behind you telling you to work hard, there isn't a lot of competition as a driving force, and lots of intro classes are quite large. In this respect I think a degree from Umass means more, because it means you had to have been self-motivated to succeed. I think most people here are more concerned with getting a job after graduation/going into grad school than learning for its own sake, however.

Most of my professors know my name, but I chose to take smaller classes. If the professor doesn't know who you are, then your TA definitely does. Afterall, the TAs do most of the grading for large lecture classes. My classes have all been really great. I learned a lot.

A lot of the classes are in large lecture halls with a few hundred students. Some professors really encourage class participation, and some have ways of taking attendance even in large classes. Most of the professors show interest in helping students learn and many have problem sessions to help students study. The Commonwealth Honors College offers smaller class sizes, with more student participation in class. I'm an animal science student, and I think UMass is a very good school to go to if you want to go to veterinary school. The animal science/prevet program here focuses on large animals. There is a farm on campus (the Hadley Farm), where students in animal science courses have labs sometimes. Also, there are student groups such as the Belted Galloway Group, the Dorset sheep group, and the goat group that allow students to get more experience with animals. There are tons of opportunities for students to get more involved in their major and get experience.

Class sizes vary from 10 students to almost 250 students here at Umass. Usually professors do not know your name unless you try to get to know them. Students tend to connect more to their T.A.s. Personally I am always trying to find teachers that I can connect to so that in the future when I want to apply to grad school I have someone to write recommendation letters for me. I also tend to spend time in the Library studying, we have one of the tallest or the tallest library in the country, im not sure though. Its a great place to study and meet up for group projects. I have just recently declared my major, after exploring six different majors I finally felt good with English. I like the major, there are no pre-recs. They highly encourage having internships because they do not teach you how to do certain jobs here at umass, you just are learning about English itself. Hopefully I will be doing an internship soon, if you are looking to do something in particular there is always BDIC which you can create your own major and our agenda as well.