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Academically, and in lot's of ways, UMass-Amherst is a very good school.
Aside from that, it's a party school and a separate city apart from Amherst. In the last few years, for example, there was a shooting homicide in a dorm when one drug dealer ripped off another drug dealer; there was a prostitution "ring" operating out of the dorms (both the call girl ring and the drug homicide were in Butterworth dorm which has since been broken up); there was a riot on campus after a Red Sox game resulting in fires, vandalism, assaults against Amherst PD and campus police, and arrests. In the community there are assaults involving students off campus - one kid bashed another's head in with a baseball bat, another incident involving a head bashing and an axe. Again, do a search on "Hobart Hoe-down."
Ask Charlie Sherpa, police chief since Don Maia retired, or any Select Board member about the tone and behavior on campus. It's a good school but if your student is starting there, have them go in with their eyes open to reality.
Every college has its bad element. My child attended UMass as a student of the Commonwealth College ('07). There were lots of wonderful opportunities and some very frustrating times, too. Living in the dorms presented the most challenges - it worked out much better in Junior year, moving to an apartment. One dorm roommate was a druggie/dealer, another was an inconsiderate pig. But, there were lots of lifelong friends made and experiences that will last a lifetime.
When it came time to apply to grad school, every application was accepted. So the quality is there - you just have to look for it.
If your child thinks that college is for partying until you throw up every Fri-Sat-Sun, then it's going to happen anywhere they go. If your child is responsible and wants to learn, UMass is a great place.
Crap!
This is scaring me to death! (although, in a past life, some might remember me as a bit of a hellraiser myself)
No, so far, my kid is a church-going Academic Decathlon Cross Country computer programmer type (read: nerd!) That's nothing against nerds...I hope he remains one and funds my golfing retirement in North Carolina.
It just freaks me out to think of him in some of those situations, because I fear that he is more of a follower than a leader. You hate to dedicate half your life to rearing functional, responsible young adults and then lose them to the insanity (fun as it may be!) of college life.
I'm not ready for this!
Thanks for the posts!
Lorilou
I attended UMass from 83'-88' and believe me, it's not the party school that everyone makes it out to be. It may have been that in the 70's, but certainly not when I was there 25 years ago or even in the 90's when my cousin attended. However, it is a great academic institution and of course, it all depends on the individual as well. I loved UMass and had no regrets attending it, although UCLA and B.U. were my first and second choices. If your 10th grader has a great foundation, he/she should do just fine in that environment. UMass has some top notch professors as well and Amherst is a great little town. It has always ranked in the top 100 best schools to attend, so that alone should speak for itself. Good luck to you and your child.
All big state schools have a reputation as "party schools." It's meaningless. If your son is a good student and has good values, he'll find plenty to keep his mind busy at Amherst.
You could call Attorney Peter delGrandico in Amherst. I think he still owns student rental properties around the "Hobart Hoe-down area. Ask him if he thinks it's a party school. Or, call the Board of Health and Fire Chief.
Every School that has a population of over or around 20,000 is gonna have lots of partying as well as just about everything else that can go on at a campus.
It is just mathematics
Every school with a population that is over or around 20,000 is basically the same. It is should not make any difference to anyone.
I've never seen any theory of mathematics stating that percentage of partying students varies in proportion to the number of students on campus.
A Baptist college, or a Seventh Day Adventist college might prove to have a smaller percentage of heavy drinkers than UMass, but without regard for total number in the student body or size of the school.
My husband is an alum of UMass and I'm an alum of UNH. I partied way more than he did. I think it really just depends on the kid. My husband was very concerned with his grades and had no problem finding the quiet he needed to study. My husband loved the area and now wants to move all of us back there. I'm psyched about this for many reasons, one of them being that the Mullins Center is a fun place to see hockey!
I'll echo what others said. It's a HUGE school, so of course you will find those that like to drink heavily. However, you will find those that like to study, go to church, etc. You can't generalize.
I went to UMass Lowell and graduated in 1998 (sadly, NOT a party school), but spent many weekends partying in the dorms at southwest since many friends went there. I think it's a great school.
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