Umass Amherst:"party School"???? (Boston, Hanover: fit in, spring break, loans)

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by willdufauve

They have the best vegetarian scene and great recycling. Yes, stoners, also a good school for threesomes.

I thought Evergreen State College in the State of Washington was the definitive pot-head school... I didn't know that there was a "Threesome School"--is this a new competitive category?

[willdufauve]

Originally Posted by professorsenator

I thought Evergreen State College in the State of Washington was the definitive pot-head school... I didn't know that there was a "Threesome School"--is this a new competitive category?

Yes. It's a three part category with Hampshire in the lead - school with the most tribal tattoos, unusual piercings, and cutest threesomes.

UMass-Amherst is still in the lead for - extreme alcohol intake (along with simultaneous weed and shroom ingestion), barf on the sidewalk in front of Antonio's Pizza, drive your car up on the neighbor's lawn, defecate on their front steps, get arrested by the Amherst PD, and have your parents drive up from New Jersey and buy you your own condo because you had such an awful ordeal.

[NY'er lost in MA]

The answer is YES- ZooMass is well know as one of the elite party schools! Even back in my day, high school acquaintances that attended UMass would let everyone know within a 250 mile radius that there was going to be a major kegger.

So my college buddies and I would pack his 1989 Sentra with about 9 people and head west to Amherst from Boston.

This party recruiting was pretty common.

[hymalaia]

Originally Posted by lorilou

professorsenator says:
"...Sorry to break the news to you, Moms and Dads, but your kids who are away at school are b*ffing their brains out..."



Gasp!!!
I guess that's nothing new...
we had our share of fun back in the day...and I wouldn't change it for the world! However, I have no intentions of letting my kids have half as much fun as I did.
That's just the way it is.
lorilou

wow you are really annoying. You call your son a "nerd", "follower" and rather than wonder whether or not that might be a good thing for him, you hope he stays that way so he can fund your retirement! Then you pull the old, "do as I say not as I do" schtick and think that's ok cause it's "just the way it is". I don't know, maybe you are just being honest and not covering your true feelings with a thin veil of politeness. Maybe this is how most baby boomers really think deep down. No wonder people can't stand them! Your kids probably can't wait to get to college, just to get away from you!

btw I went to Hampshire. It's stoner reputation is way overblown and somewhat outdated. It's actually more of a drinking school than a pot school, though you never see the kinds of excess you might see at UMass. It's a good school with decent resources for a place it's size but it's WAY overpriced. But I guess that's the norm for small private colleges. They also have issues with political correctness and academic freedom of expression. I know, what small liberal arts college doesn't? But it's a little bit worse at Hampshire because work and social life are more intertwined. One can save themselves some grief if they acknowledge going in they may have to engage in more tongue biting than they'd like...

[in_newengland]

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
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wow you are really annoying. You call your son a "nerd", "follower" and rather than wonder whether or not that might be a good thing for him, you hope he stays that way so he can fund your retirement! Then you pull the old, "do as I say not as I do" schtick and think that's ok cause it's "just the way it is". I don't know, maybe you are just being honest and not covering your true feelings with a thin veil of politeness. Maybe this is how most baby boomers really think deep down. No wonder people can't stand them! Your kids probably can't wait to get to college, just to get away from you!
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Lighten up. Probably the OP meant that with a grain of humor. It sounds as though the OP is concerned about getting the best for her SON, not funding her retirement. Why else would she be on here asking the question in the first place?

It also sounds as though the OP might have mixed feelings about the "fun" she had in college and maybe she wants something better for her own son. Sure, it's "fun" at the time, but years later, looking back at it, you realize how close you came to really messing up your life. I'm not saying that's the case, but at least give the OP the benefit of the doubt. Sounds as though her son is not a party animal (after all HE is the one who worried first that it was a party school) and she doesn't know if he would cope well at a party school. It could be that she's just a good, concerned parent.

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by hymalaia

...Then you pull the old, "do as I say not as I do" schtick...

The flip side of "do as I say not as I do" is "don't make the same mistakes I did."

And while we all make mistakes in life - and learning from our inevitable missteps is a critical part of our growth as persons - few parents want to see their children blunder.

[hymalaia]

Originally Posted by professorsenator

The flip side of "do as I say not as I do" is "don't make the same mistakes I did."

And while we all make mistakes in life - and learning from our inevitable missteps is a critical part of our growth as persons - few parents want to see their children blunder.

yea but this can be taken way to far the other direction, where parents become repressive. People who make mistakes and learn often take the lessons they learned for granted; there is no substitute for experience. Parents may not want to see their kids blunder but they need to get over themselves and let their kids live their lives and maybe (gasp) screw up themselves.

lorilou may be a terrific parent for all I know, you can't really judge someone from an internet forum. But her choice of words really rub me the wrong way. Maybe to some she's "humourous" but others may sense an attitude based on their own experience that is downright toxic. Because one senses the later doesn't necessarily mean they need to "lighten up". What's the old saying, that life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel... or is it, life looks like a comedy from afar, and a tragedy up close?

I have a feeling I'm one of the few younger people in this thread.

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by hymalaia

wow you are really annoying. You call your son a "nerd", "follower" and rather than wonder whether or not that might be a good thing for him, you hope he stays that way so he can fund your retirement! Then you pull the old, "do as I say not as I do" schtick and think that's ok cause it's "just the way it is". I don't know, maybe you are just being honest and not covering your true feelings with a thin veil of politeness. Maybe this is how most baby boomers really think deep down. No wonder people can't stand them! Your kids probably can't wait to get to college, just to get away from you!

btw I went to Hampshire. It's stoner reputation is way overblown and somewhat outdated. It's actually more of a drinking school than a pot school, though you never see the kinds of excess you might see at UMass. It's a good school with decent resources for a place it's size but it's WAY overpriced. But I guess that's the norm for small private colleges. They also have issues with political correctness and academic freedom of expression. I know, what small liberal arts college doesn't? But it's a little bit worse at Hampshire because work and social life are more intertwined. One can save themselves some grief if they acknowledge going in they may have to engage in more tongue biting than they'd like...

Wow. Where to begin...
I think I will try to ignore your insults and stick with the topic at hand. I do this only because you have admitted that you are young, and therefore, the sum of your experience is derived from being parented, instead of actually being a parent. Still, despite the fact that you are rude, I thank you for your insights on Hampshire.
And yes, I not only "call" my son a nerd and a follower, I know this to be true about him. I do not have to wonder if this is a good thing, I know the truth on both counts. My son is a self-described nerd; so in our family, we joke about it...it's a good thing, and we want only the best for him. The follower part is not a good thing. That is why I am concerned and came to this forum for advice and opinions that have real meaning. With only a few exceptions, I have received excellent information, and I am grateful.
I will also tell you that I am not a baby boomer. I missed out on that generation, so you can save your schtick, as you call it, for someone who fits within the category, perhaps your own parents. You seem to have a great deal of animosity on the subject. I know of very few parents, baby boomers or not, who do not adhere to the "do as I say, not as I do(did)" motto. It is aggravating when you are young...I felt the same way. However, perhaps you will discover, if you ever become a parent, that it is a natural reaction once you have gained a broader perspective.
Lastly, I would just like to say that I was only kidding about him funding our retirement...it's a joke we old people like to toss around, after we have funded a lifetime of music lessons, summer camps, vehicles, insurance, small liberal arts colleges, graduate degrees, weddings, honeymoons, and so forth, ad infinitum. Maybe you will get the joke one day. LL

[willdufauve]

Originally Posted by professorsenator

And while we all make mistakes in life - - few parents want to see their children blunder.

I'll second the above.

lorilou is joking around about her son funding her retirement, etc. It's a light hearted informality because they're a close family. I have a kid who's a self described nerd, too. I thought I was going to have hippie kids.

[hymalaia]

ok, I made a mistake in calling you annoying when as I mentioned earlier, I really don't know anything about you. For that I apologize. I should have said that I found your tone/choice of words annoying. I was just browsing the thread, not even looking at authors when those two bits stuck out. When I saw they were the same person I made the connection that the author must be annoying and felt compelled to call them out. Maybe that was dumb of me, or presumptuous. Hearing you speak seriously you seem like a decent person. Such is the problem with trying to be humorous/sarcastic on the internet, with dry text to a wide anonymous audience.

"nerd" can be a good or a bad term. Usually when self applied, at one's own wish and not because of social pressure, it's fine. "Nerd" as a positive term is becoming more common these days with the increase of technology in our lives. But the word was once very stigmatic and can still be seen that way in some light.

I have a hard time believing you are not somewhat a baby boomer if you have a son about to enter college. Even if you don't technically fall under that category you have to be at an age at which you would share some traits with them. Either that or your son is a super whiz 13 year old or you had him when you yourself were 13. Or you are really old. Somehow I doubt all those.

I'm not planning on ever being a parent, I am not up to the task and doubt I ever will be. So looks like I'm going to miss out on a whole lot of wisdom, insight and humor. darn. I don't think most people are up to the task of multiplying but that doesn't stop them; this includes most of the boomers, and most who came after. Like 99.99%.

as to UMass, I'd just echo the common point of view that as a big state school, you can find everyone and everything. It's a good place to be anonymous, like a part of a big city, but to some that can be isolating. If your son makes a conscious decision to not get caught up in partying, and adheres to it, he should be fine. Try to stay away from Frat Row, and be very wary of those high rise dorms. A neat bonus about UMass is one can take classes at the 4 smaller liberal arts campuses near by, which if nothing else can be a refreshing change of scenery. In fact I recommended encouraging your son to get involved with the general area of Amherst/Northampton, not just UMass. It's nerd-friendly, and will keep him away from the party culture. Good luck.

Originally Posted by lorilou

it's a joke we old people like to toss around, after we have funded a lifetime of music lessons, summer camps, vehicles, insurance, small liberal arts colleges, graduate degrees, weddings, honeymoons, and so forth, ad infinitum. Maybe you will get the joke one day. LL

I don't know, I just see all that stuff as payback for bringing us into this screwy world when they clearly weren't ready. Though since I'm sparing my parents grad school, the honeymoon and wedding, I hope that means they can give me a house! Especially since their generation drove up the price to where I never will be able to afford one! It's a small price for them to pay. I mean chist I gave them broader perspective! Which as mastercard would say, is priceless!