ZOOMass

Introduction
You have to learn to balance work and play to the best of your abilities at UMass because you can really set yourself behind. The high school-to-college leap is a big change but i recommend joining sports or club teams because you make tons of friends and it's always a great time. Also when first coming to college, books are very expensive, so try to find someone to split the cost with or wait it out in a class to see if you really need to buy the book in the long run.

Campus Life and Social Life
Partying is great...there is no other way to put it. The campus itself is somewhat ugly but who really cares because your eyes are groggy from a hard night of partying anyway. Sports and clubs are everywhere and should be taken advantage of. Campus life is great with a solid Greek Life program. There are handfuls of frats or sororities to join and they have great anti-hazing policies that are very inviting. The kids in them may be a little tough sometimes but it just takes time getting used to what you like and where you want to party. Academics
With having over 90 majors, you can't go wrong. Engineering and Business are great schools, as well as the Exercise Science program. No matter what you choose, there are great classes and teachers for every aspect. The only troubles I've ever found were with contacting TAs, because they also have work to do at school and it is hard to find an appropriate time to seek help.

Student Body
The typical students at UMass are mostly from New England and the Tri-state region, but particularly Massachusetts. Most kids (believe it or not) go to class and study and are actually there for school...but with all that hard work, there are great rewards with the social scene.

In Closing...
Going to a school like this can be quite daunting, but if you are entering as a freshman, I would recommend living in a freshman dorm in southwest. There is nothing that beats them and you end up making friends for life there. Also, be open to people when coming to school because first impressions are hard sometimes and just give people who are different from you a chance.