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A little insight on a great school in the middle of nowhere called UMass (zoomass) Amherst, with so many reputations for so many differnt things. first of all don't let anyone tell you that the school lacks a great acedemic reputation, in my mind this is the best UMass. There are many UMass Amherst graduates that went off to make big bucks, and do big things, sure. Lets not forget this school is the 9th biggest party school in the nation, based on by the princeton review, . between the years of 99-02 I attended this college, and had the best time of my life. unfortunatly I can not remember too much about it, except for the fact that it was all a great time. The only thing about it I regret is not finishing due to poor grades, Hence, my user name.
From 02-04, I did nothing with my life, and in 05 I decided to go back to my party school, to finish up. I buckeled down, and only do just half as much partying now. in conclusion I didn't realize how much more I was distracted when living in a dorm, as opposed to living off the immediate campus. therefore I belive it is much more difficult in the first year, or two when you are more distracted, and more impressionable. A good thing to know when attending this school or any other big party school is to stay focused (at least enough to get decent grades). Do not lose sight of your goals for your academic future. Distractions, and temptations are what make us lose sight of our goals. If you drink, and or smoke/do drugs, every night of the week, like I did, between 99-02, you are guarenteed to fail, and waste alot of money. my suggestion is to balance out academic life, and party life.
My motto back then was "live for today, **** tomarrow" - bad quote
"live today, and prepare for tomarrow" and the only way to do that is to do good in school kids.
Every school is a party school - big or small. UMass has some wonderful programs, but it is larger than many towns in the area and has it's share of problems within its community as would any school of that size. As the parent of a junior who is looking at schools now and of one who is a freshman in college, whatever they say they won't consider is probably where they'll end up going. Just be sure your son visits enough schools to feel the difference. He'll most likely know where he feels he is a good fit.
Zoo Mass? Whywhatever gave you the idea it had a reputation? I agree it is like any big school, it has its hard core partiers, its hard core studiers, and everyhing in between. But it does seem to have a dedicated core of partiers more than others and they are more spread out than at some schools where it is limited to one dorm or frat, IMHO.
This goes out to willdufauve, also, who seems to have NOTHING good to say about anything in W. Mass! (Move to Boston, already!) Piles of VOMIT? How’d you know they were there? Partying with the students? Sad. This is post is for ANYONE who hates UMass and wants to trash it because students *gasp!* DRINK there! ALL Schools have reputations, as has been pointed out already! UMass is no different than any other large university... or probably NOT as bad as some of the small ones, where the kids are starved for intellectual AND social stimulation! One of the biggest party schools (it’s a secret!) in Mass. is the (formerly) all-girl school, Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA! I knew a guy who went there and when we were discussing the wild parties and excessive drinking, this prissy worker (we were teachers) came into the loung and said, “OH! You must mean Umass!”…Uh, no…she was told, we were discussing the sainted Anna Maria. She got beet red and stormed out. As a teen, I used to go to Holy Cross mixers with my cousin--nice Catholic boys? No way! They were every bit as bad and twice as repressed as the stoned-out hippies at UMass, back in the early '70's! Another great factoid: One of the biggest and WORST party schools: Dartmouth College! At least part of the film “Animal House’ was based on the writers’ experiences there—and that was in the early ‘60’s when things were still conservative! My sister worked in Hanover, NH, and they had to close down the entire town, on more than one occasion, due to rioting, drunken mobs of Ivy Leaguers! So, I’ve been sick of this stupid rep. of UMass as the ONLY or the BIGGEST party school. It has many contenders for that crown…among them Univ. of Maryland! Egad…I stopped there to visit a friend after Spring break and they were having a STRIP-TEASE contest in their student union…getting students drunk and forcing them to strip on stage! It was ghastly. I never saw anything like that at UMass!
Wow. Folks really get in quite a lather about this topic, eh?
I'm a proud UMass/Amherst grad ('89) and aunt of a recent grad (2007), so I've spent a bit of time on this and plenty of other college campuses. Most of those who posted to this topic are right on target -- UMass is a big school with lots of options. If you want to party, you will find one. If you want to see live Shakespeare, watch an equestrian show, swim laps, attend a Bible group, convert to Judaism, you can also do that. It's just a matter of having more choices.
We may have had the party school reputation, but I remember having my socks blown off at some parties at St. Mike's (Vermont); U.Vermont and Providence Colleges. Wow! They made us UMass kids look like babes in the woods!! (And their parents were spending 3 times more!!)
My last point is that UMass has a strong, working-class segment of its student body. For me, who had to work my way through college, this was a welcome relief. Private school may have been within my reach with scholarships and loans, but the comfort of having roomates and classmates who were also working and struggling made the experience much more enjoyable than having to watch your wealthy classmates gas up their Porches while you're searching the sofa for pennies to buy a grilled cheese!!
Just a thought for the original poster, who was worried about where her son might "fit in." Economics is also a part of the big picture. Good luck with your choice -- I"m glad I chose UMass.
I'm glad I went there too.
Matter of fact, I had encouraging words specific to brainiacs and partiers and how they all coexist. But I didn't want to go into one of my typical spiels until I knew whether the OP is still subscribing. Almost a year's gone by since this thread was lively - before I joined C-D myself.
In terms of "Zoo Mass," all I've heard over time is that - no matter how rowdy things may still get - campus life has become tamer from year to year. Tripmama and any other "Umie" will remember the Pond Concerts. On a spring weekend afternoon, at least one "big name" musical act played a gig for free beside the pond in the middle of campus. In the mid-to-late '80s, my era, those shows were "controlled" to the extent that one had to show UMass ID to gain entrance. Beer was sold by the cup to people who were at least theoretically of age, and attendees were restricted to no more than two cases of beer per person. Hahahaha, they called that a crackdown! The concerts themselves were of uneven quality, with weather playing a major part. One year, there was an excellent bill of reggae and blues musicians under a sunlit sky and delightful warm breezes. Until I passed out cold soon after headliners Third World took the stage I was in my element. Another year, there were mediocre acts (SOS Band, Jon Butcher Axis...get the picture?) and rain was either threatened or actually happening the whole time. Many of the people there were restless due to the equally cr@ppy quality of the performers and the weather; I spent a good deal of time dodging fights and left early. Woodstock it wasn't. Fast-forward twenty years, and whatever passes for a Pond Concert is policed to the point of "zero tolerance" for alcohol and folks arriving are frisked just as they are for arena shows. What's a Umie to do but get good n' loaded before showing up?
Under-age drinking is supposed to be strictly forbidden, with harsh penalties awaiting rulebreakers, but what a joke that is. Jaywalking and littering are against the law too. The introduction of "quiet halls" and "sober houses" is a good thing IMHO. It's not an admission of defeat so much as it is acknowledgment that kids will be kids, and kids freshly sprung from the parental home are going to revel in their newfound freedom - loudly. Peer pressure to get tanked into unconsciousness on any given day is lessened when somebody can retreat to that kind of a living environment. Many if not most individuals can fit academic achievement and an active social existence together, some after a practice period. For those who can't, some will change their living arrangements accordingly and others - well, they'll drop out or flunk out and possibly come back to try another day. Life is full of second chances.
As far as Umies' succeeding in the real world is concerned, I offer Natalie Cole (pop singer) and Jack Welch (gazillionaire former president of GE) as Exhibits A and B.
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
at "drinking schools" they drink natty light and popov not jugs of port and herbal tea.
When I was in high school I was out in amherst and was with one of my friends who wanted to visit hampshire. There was some kid standing alone in a field taking pictures of himself. Maybe some flying a kite. It certainly, felt like everyone was tripping sack but maybe they were just some serious free spirits.
On the subject of UMASS, I will agree that it's a big enough school where you'll find something for everyone. That being said, no matter how nerdy your son might be, he will get WIIIIIICKED ****KKKED UPPP on a few nights
(probably the first weekend)
Probably the biggest kegger I have ever been to was at UMASS.
I'm glad I went there too.
Matter of fact, I had encouraging words specific to brainiacs and partiers and how they all coexist...
In terms of "Zoo Mass," all I've heard over time is that - no matter how rowdy things may still get - campus life has become tamer from year to year. Tripmama and any other "Umie" will remember the Pond Concerts. On a spring weekend afternoon, at least one "big name" musical act played a gig for free beside the pond in the middle of campus. In the mid-to-late '80s, my era, those shows were "controlled" to the extent that one had to show UMass ID to gain entrance. Beer was sold by the cup to people who were at least theoretically of age, and attendees were restricted to no more than two cases of beer per person. Hahahaha, they called that a crackdown! The concerts themselves were of uneven quality, with weather playing a major part. One year, there was an excellent bill of reggae and blues musicians under a sunlit sky and delightful warm breezes....Many of the people there were restless due to the equally cr@ppy quality of the performers and the weather; I spent a good deal of time dodging fights and left early. Woodstock it wasn't. Fast-forward twenty years, and whatever passes for a Pond Concert is policed to the point of "zero tolerance" for alcohol and folks arriving are frisked just as they are for arena shows. What's a Umie to do but get good n' loaded before showing up?
Under-age drinking is supposed to be strictly forbidden, with harsh penalties awaiting rulebreakers, but what a joke that is. Jaywalking and littering are against the law too. The introduction of "quiet halls" and "sober houses" is a good thing IMHO. It's not an admission of defeat so much as it is acknowledgment that kids will be kids, and kids freshly sprung from the parental home are going to revel in their newfound freedom - loudly.
As far as Umies' succeeding in the real world is concerned, I offer Natalie Cole (pop singer) and Jack Welch (gazillionaire former president of GE) as Exhibits A and B.
Just wanted so say: GREAT POST! You didn't backpedal and claim that NOBODY drank at UMass! Kudos. But yes, the revelry has decreased amazingly over the years. Even now...I hear stories of parties and so-called riots and comparing them to my time (early 70's), my reaction is: Meh! Big deal! And yes, there are many accomplished graduates of UMass, as well as world-renowned professors and famous musicians and other academics. IMO, the TRUE measure of a Umie is his/her ability to balance the partying with soaking up a first-rate education. My generation was, fortunately, the last NOT to be subject to a statute of limitations...we refused to leave! Hmmm...maybe we CAUSED the satute! Sorry.
Been there. Lots of parties. Southwest has the biggest.
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. between the years of 99-02 I attended this college, and had the best time of my life. unfortunatly I can not remember too much about it, except for the fact that it was all a great time. The only thing about it I regret is not finishing due to poor grades, Hence, my user name. 
Holy Moley
