The University of Massachusetts - Amherst

If you want to have your hand held for four years, DO NOT come to UMass Amherst. From what I have observed, the main reason for negative reviews of UMass is that people are not prepared to stand up for what they need in order to get a good education in such a large and diverse university. This school is not for everyone. What I mean by my above statements is that, for example, in a class of 450 students, if you're stuggling grade-wise, your professor won't give a crap or do anything to help you unless you take the initiative. I know in smaller, private schools there is a greater support system and that support system will come to you; at UMass this is not the case. You need to be the one to go to your professors' office hours, introduce yourself, ask for help... etc. A lot of people just entering college lack the motivation to go figure out what they need to succeed on their own and ask for it. This review is not meant to be offensive and there's nothing wrong with a person who doesn't do well at a large university; it's just that these reviews are to help prospective students and I'm telling it like it is.

Yes, there are kids who are drunk/stoned every night they're at UMass, but there's also plenty of kids who are studious, intellectually curious, intersting and kind people. It's just that at UMass there's such a diversity of people and it's your choice who to spend time with. If you've been at UMass and have never had an intellectually stimulating conversation with someone, you need to try harder. Believe me, I'm a shy person and it was hard for me at first to approach new people but ultimately doing so made me a more confident person.

Someone once told me that classes at state schools were less challenging and taught be less distinguished faculty. That was a lie. If you get to UMass and don't feel challenged, take some of their honors classes. My honors chemistry class was very challenging. The professor had lectured at Harvard (so much for less distinguished faculty) and I had to put in a ton of extra work to get a good grade. This professors also worked with me for several hours outside of class when I asked for extra help. He put in the extra effort if I was willing to do the same.

Don't think that the studious kids never go out and party because they do. If I wanted to stay in and watch a movie on the weekend, I had friends that did that. If I wanted to go to a party, I had friends that liked to do that too. Overall, I felt that everyone was very accepting of one another's lifestyle choices and I didn't feel a lot of pressure to party more than I wanted to. At UMass, you're around a ton a different people, there's musical performances and comedy show, and you're right near Northampton where there's always something to see and cool restaurants to go to.

Overall, I felt that my first year at UMass was awesome. I got a good education, made great friends, and there was a ton to do. This summer, I ended up getting an intership at a hospital through UMass. Although I had to search out these opportunities, I'm glad that I did so because it made me a more confident person. I could have gone to other, private schools, but I'm glad I came here because I'm getting more out of the experience than if opportunities had just been handed to me.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B-

This is overall a great school for the money you have to pay, and for me, they provided some pretty good financial aid. If you live out of state however, you will have some trouble making ends meet, but you can definitely make it work. Personally, I love the atmosphere at Umass, it feels a lot more calm and pleasing than many other campuses I have visited. DON'T COMMUTE! I commuted my freshman year and I regretted it halfway through. There is nothing wrong with it if you need to save money and are ok with getting up early and driving, but if possible, live on campus and delve into student life. If i could change anything about my experience so far, it would have been to live there the first and most important year, instead of getting in during sophemore year.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Extracurricular Activities: A+, Useful Schoolwork: B-