Reviews of University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMASS) | United States

Useful | 1

Dereko

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Sport Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Overall

I wish I had known...

I wish i had known it was going to be so great because i would have saved more and stayed for an extra semester.

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

3

Culture

4

Costs

2

Activities

2

Campus life

4

Party / people

3

Weather / location

1

Personal recommendation

Great place because it is a complete college town. Great to party, great for meeting people, the school is good and the courses are interesting. Going to college was all and more than just great. The surrounds are excellent, i did well academically, i partied more than i ever have and i do party a great deal, and met some of the best friends in the world.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

2

Improved language skills

3

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

4

Partied a lot

4

Experienced a change in life

3

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

Get in contact with a student that is or has been at the school. The school is so large that administrators there find it difficult to help you greatly in depth. Live on-campus your first semester there so you can meet people. Save yourself some money and get the 14 meals per week plan because even though i would have gone over if i had this plan, you will order and eat out a lot. Last TIP, when ordering try a Calzone from DP Dough. I'm sure i won't be the last person to tell you that.

Useful | 0

Dereko

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Sport Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Academic

Course recommendations

The Sport Management course is recognised as one of the best in the country if not the best. The professors are all really good guys with many connections and interesting topics to talk about. Marketing at UMass is also pretty good except thatthe standard is much easier than that of Australia.

My academic experiences

Quality of courses

Variety of courses

Access to resources

Interaction with teachers

Interaction with international students

Interaction with local students

Personal comments

They really do cram it in. The semesters are shorter than most universities and the workload especially for level 3 and 4 subjects is extremely heavily though the standard is not that high. If you do your work you should do well.

My opinion of the university assessment

Exams at end of course

Exams throughout the course

Essays and/or projects at the end of course

Essays and/or projects throughout the course

Overall

Useful | 0

Dereko

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Sport Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Student life

Describe host city:

Student life dominates the city

Travel, Activities, Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Personal social experience

Activities

Nightlife

Travel

Overall

Personal comments

Umass had the reputation of 'Zumass' because it was so wild. It has mellowed but is still considered one of the wildest universities. House parties are good. Amherst is limited to a few night spots which get very crowded. Europeans tend to like the Monkey Bar, but for a real cool place with a great american vibe, Dolanoes is the best place. McMurphy's is also pretty good. However be warned that all social life means you have to get into hiphop including at most night spots. The closest place for normal music is Boston (thats 2hrs away). Amherst have some very some good cool cafes. Take your pick. Hadley which is virtually Amherst anyway has all the main eateries for eating out. Diners include friendlies, Chilli's and the Ground Round. The new sit down down however is terrible, you have been warned. Northampton a nearby town accessible by the free local University buses is very trendy and bigger then downtown Amherst. There are a lot more trendy restaurants and cafes. A proper night out eating means heading to Northampton. The City Cafe is also a cool nightclub at night.

Useful | 0

nielsschreuders

Hogeschool Haarlem, Haarlem, Netherlands
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, Independent

Overall

I wish I had known...

that the quality of the dinning hall food was so poor

In my opinion:

I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

3

Culture

3

Costs

2

Activities

3

Campus life

3

Party / people

3

Weather / location

2

Personal recommendation

if you like to be in the big city choose an other university

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

3

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

3

Partied a lot

4

Experienced a change in life

3

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

be sure to have a valid visa

Useful | 0

Donal M

University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Financial Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Was learning English a key decision factor?

No, it wasn't.

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

I came from an enlish speaking country to an english speaking country so there was little difficulty. The only difficulty I did experience was that my accent was not easily understood by the locals, and so it had to be adjusted. While here I have taken some spanish courses because I lived with some south americans last summer, and I felt that by taking these classes I would be more able to communicate with them.

Useful | 0