University of Massachusetts-Amherst Top Questions

Full disclosure, I transferred to UMass from Roger Williams University, so I was much more informed when choosing UMass than I was when choosing a school as a senior. That being siad, I wish I had taken more time to understand the housing options for incoming transfers. If you choose the wrong option, it's very easy to become isolated (both socially and physically) from your peers. And on the flip side of that, you can also end up in a 24/7 party-not the most productive situation if you're actually going to school for academic reasons.

I wish I had known that the students around campus would be really friendly. I was nervous about meeting new people and finding good people to be friends with. I had stressed over it too much. However, everyone was very welcoming and I had a lot more in common with them than I thought I would. Everyone was from somewhere different and thrown into a new environment. I wish I knew how friendly they were so I didn't have to worry about making friends that much.

As a high school senior, all of the major stressors that we experience come from the pressure of choosing a college, of establishing a future for ourselves. Looking back on this time I wish I could have told myself, "hey, it's gonna be okay. No matter which path you choose, good things will come if you look for them". UMass has taught me that you can achieve more than you ever believed possible if you put in the work and effort to make it so. Opportunies are knocking at every door here, you just have to take them.

Get involved in clubs to meet people as soon as you arrive on campus. For such a large campus you could get away with not meeting many people.

I wish I had known how good the academic programs were here at UMass Amherst. I'm from a local city, and I feel like throughout my whole high school career, students bashed this school, and left it as their "safety school" eventhough many students still did not get accepted into the university. The University's diverse campus provides for a wide-range of opportunity and I actually love attending a large university for the limitless choices and experiences. It's stigma of being a party school is also highly overrated, so no worries if you don't do that.

I wish I had known that there were so many opportunities that I could have taken part in starting from day one.

I am new to the school as I will be starting the online RN to BSN program as of January 20,2014.

I wish I would have known how big it was. Its like a moving, breathing city within a city. Anything you need you will definitely find on campus.

That when I transferred from my last school it didn't matter that I would finish my requirments on time. I still need to take an extra semester to have enough credits to graduate. My advisor was not clear on this.

I wish I'd had more know-how on how to navigate the financial world of a college student.

Before coming to UMass I wish I had known how truly awesome it is. Everything about the school is great, the size, academics, opportunity for growth, and many more things. For me, transferring to UMass was the best decision ive probably ever made. There are always fun and exciting things going on around campus, so its hard to feel left out. UMass is a great school and although it is big, its much easier to make a large school seem small than it is to make a small school seem large. Umass is the schhol for me.

I wish I had known more about dorms and location.

I always knew that UMass was a large school, but never really expected to be in classes with 200-400 other students. I wish I really knew what to expect in classes like these so that I would not get lost.

I wish I had known how to live at school and juggling activities and getting to class and eating. How much harder these classes were then the community college I attended and this huge State college. I also wish that the teachers were a little more friendly at Umass, they seem harsh and cocky at times.

I wish that someone had told me not to go home as much, I missed a lot of events and opportunities to find my niche and meet new people and now I am just trying to find my group of friends now, where as most other people I know have already found their place.

I wish I would have known that I would not be personally attened to how I was in community college. I wish I would have known that "book vouchers" are non existent and you must pay out of pocket until you receive your financial aid refund. I wish I would have known how expensive acquiring a parking sticker is. I wish I would have know that Teacher Assistants handle the majority of the responsibilities I am used to going directly to the professor for. I wish I would have known that owning a personal computer or laptop is essential.

nothing, I was pretty well prepared

I wish I had been able to meet a few of the professors before coming to the school. With a vast difference in quality between several of the professors I currently have, I would have been more knowledgable about who to take and who to avoid.

I wish I had known my major.

Before coming to this school I would have liked to know that the campus is not as confusing as it seems. I was very scared for my first week of classes because I thought I would not be able to find my classes. Even though Umass is a very large school, the layout of the academic buildings is very simple to follow and get use to.

I wish that I had someone to tell me more about college like a sibling. Counselors in high school can help u but not as much as a personal account. One big thing is finances because I had to do everything myself including the fafsa. I wish I would have known more about loans and work study amongst other financial information.

I wish I knew the scheduling system better. As of right now, if you don't race to a class you want to sign up for right away its almost always impossible to get into the class. It's a lot of pressure to make sure you can fit every class you need to take into your schedule and make sure it doesn't overlap with your other classes.

I wish I had known how to take tests better. I get very nervous taking Math tests. Then I found out about Psychology Disabilities Services and due to my struggle with Bipolar, Depression and Anxiety Disorders, I can get help taking Math tests! They, in turn, taught me about Tutors in the Learning Center. Everything is finally unfolding.

I wish I had known that the apartments, that I chose to live in nearby, were better at attending the students needs. We as students did recieve a small discount for being so, but we had constant water issues for the last entire year we reanted that place. It was very frustrating.

How big the campus was.

Basically nothing. This school is great, students are helpful and friendly and very sociable. There won't be anything you'll regret if you come to Umass Amherst. It has been qualified as one of the best higher academic institutions in the state.

I wish I would have known, that they did not have Business Adminstration as a major. I am not complaining though, I am glad I chose accounting as a major, becasue it is a good major, and there is a very large job opporunity market for accounting majors. Even at my school they do not have your major, they have where you can make up your own major, and choose the classes you want. That is really cool!

That through all the circumstances of my existence, it would lead me to the love of my life. And with it, so much more. That college really isn't as scary as everybody makes it seem. That you'll grow so much, and no matter what your parents are always there for you.

Don't have a girlfriend. And work hard and make money for school.

Financial aid is available to everyone based on level of family income contribution.

The academics are much more difficult than people make them out to be!

I wish that I had known that it is significantly cheaper to live off campus or I never would have applied for housing. However, living on campus provided me with opportunities to meet new people with whom I will probably be friends for a very long time.

Not likely to get the classes or dorm you want.

There are a lot of people at this school, so you need to get involved in a smaller club or group right away to find a community and meet friends. Also, because this school is so large, students need to take intiative for the own academic and social experience. You can't always depend on your advisor to help you because they have so many other students to worry about. UMass has so much to offer from sports, to plays, to famous speaker to great classes, but sometimes you have to look for it yourself.

how few people do stuff ouside in the mountains

How long it takes to walk to some classes!

That I would need a car to get to the grocery store/town for shopping.

Before coming to UMass Amherst, I wish that i had the opportunity to personally know the head financial advisor because right now it is very difficult to even communicate with any of the advisors regarding my finances.

What a wonderful experience it would be to walk the beautiful campus and prepare for a career.

No issues here.

Nothing really, I would just advise one to visit first to swee the sheer size of this campus, plus the amount of off-campus area as well. Its not intolerably large, but a factor that could change one's mind of attending.

Not sure if every college is like this, but there certainly is an environment around this school based on drinking. There's also kind of a low level of self esteem at this school; a lot of people feel that UMass, being a state, Division I-AA school, may not stand up against other big name schools, but it really does in a lot of ways. I came here from California as my first choice, so this facet really surprised me.

I wish I had known just how prevalent the partying is.

I wish I have known not to slack off during freshmen year.

I wish I had know to bring rain boots and more sweaters! I also wish I had known all the wonderful people I was going to meet.

Something that I wish I had known before coming to this school would be that the college atmosphere is extremely different from the high school atmosphere. As a student, I no longer would have my teachers breathing down my neck, because in college we have professors who have too many students to keep track of. This puts alot of responsibility on myself to make sure I get my work done and pass it in on time in order to ensure that I continue to be successful in all my classes.

I wish I knew how large it was, and how hard I would have to work to get the grades I desired. I also wish I knew that I was going to have to take out a $20,000 loan to pay off when I graduate, which I really didn't want to/am frightened to do.

I do not think that I needed to be told anything before coming here. I love learning by experience and at UMASS I feel safe and free to do that. This campus provides numerous oppotunities to its students and allows them to decided what they want out of their education. I have the freedom to grow both personally and intellectually. There are times I feel a little lost but I know that there is a resource on campus to help me find my way.

I wish I had more information on the various majors at the school and how they were related to eachother. I recently changed me major and I had no idea I actually had to re-apply to the Isenberg School of Management since I was switching degree tracks and this has caused me some difficulties. I feel they should make information more available on switching majors and on doing double majors and/or minors.

I wish I had a designated major beforehand.