The University of Massachusetts - Amherst

I went to Umass through the Mass Transfer program, so I only had to go for two years thankfully. I was not a fan of my time at Umass and ended up stacking classes to get out. Unfortunately I had to endure the ending of election 2016 in super left Umass. The university is largely left leaning, so is the area and many people come off as condescending and somewhat rude if you have a different opinion than them. In many of my courses, I refrained from participating trying not to get the whole class to attack my opinion. I made the mistake of opening my mouth a few times and was met with a roar of disapproval from my peers on subjectively uncontroversial subjects. Most of campus lands on the far left side of the spectrum and Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were held as messiahs. Rarely I met people I could have an open conversation with.

I know UMass is a giant school and it has every kind of person you could imagine, just remember that Amherst and Northampton are the meccas for "progressives" and their ideals. Really even if you try and stay away from politics at school, it remains so in your face that it hurts. I felt ostracized at times and questioned if I was stupid because I didn't fit in with many of my classmates.

Overall I'm glad I got through and wanted to go home every weekend. Now that I'm out I hope to move somewhere far away from Massachusetts. The Social justice bleeding hearts really made me dislike going here. the activist culture is alive and well at Umass. I just would like people to heed my warning about the activist culture around Umass. They are the "majority" here, and yes they were still yelling that months and months after the election was over. Third wave feminism is rampant. Black Live Matter, Socialists, Communists, The whole nine yards was there. Soaked in cultural marxism to the core. You can meet people that just don't want to talk identity politics and you can just have a casual conversation with, but I found them a bit hard to come by. Plus the size of the campus is quite large and going class to class can take up to 25-30 depending on where you are, FYI.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2016

Campus Maintenance: A, Campus Aesthetics: F

Umass Amherst can be an amazing place to spend 4 years of your life learning and growing. The simple trick is getting involved. There are endless opportunities but they require you to initiate first. If you want to grow academically and pursue amazing opportunities you will thrive and grow. If college is a lifestyle and "the best years of your life" There is an constant party and nightlife scene to be enjoyed. Totally up to you how you spend your time. No restrictions.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2018

Education Quality: A+, Campus Aesthetics: C-

I love it here!! when i finally committed here one of the things i wanted to know more about were the Z rooms so I'm here to inform you! there are pros and cons to both sides of the z room.

the back/window side: bigger, has a window (hopefully with a good view), but because theres window it gets colder on this side in the winter and the window lets in a lot of light if you're the kind of person that likes it pitch black. also because its bigger you're expected to have most of the appliances on your side. I'm on the window side so i have the fridge, microwave, and the tv my roommate insisted on bringing all on my side, so the areas of the two rooms ends up being almost the samedoor side: definitely smaller, first one to be seen when walking in, gets darker and warmer, although the vent that distributes heat is on window side. no view, more sympathy

1st Year Female -- Class 2018

Education Quality: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: B