UMass Slamherst: Year One
Born and raised in Massachusetts, and now continuing my education in Massachusetts. I desperately wanted to go to school in Boston, but had to settle for UMass Amherst due to money reasons...and maybe my lack of motivation. Let me tell you a little bit about my experience at UMass Amherst, at first glance it seems as large as a city and it is sort of overwhelming, and coming from a town that's population is 1/3 of UMass', I know. For the first couple of weeks...okay maybe just until you start classes, the campus is intimidating and walking to your friends dorm across campus feels like it's across the country. But once classes start and you have a general idea of where things are, the campus shrinks tremendously. You find efficient routes, shortcuts, secret beauties like the conservatory for some reason.
I decided to live in Central Residential Area and was assigned to live in Van Meter and was devastated at first because it is on the top of a hill that feels like a mountain when you tour the school. But wow, it's not bad at all! Especially since there is a set of stairs that make the hill seem super short. But WOW! I think Van Meter is one of the nicest freshman dorms on campus, it is "newly" renovated and has an awesome lounge in the basement that is super modern, which includes a kitchen, televisions, couches, tables, a pool table, a vending machine. Then next to the lounge is the holy grail, the laundry room, Van Meter was blessed with 10 washing machines and 1 dryers which is twice as many than most of the dorms that aren't towers in Southwest. Then there's also a dance studio and like 4 study rooms (some on the first floor). Also, if you're lucky you might live in the middle, or towards either side of the building since those rooms have an extra foot or so.
My roommate changed the layout of our room like once or twice a semester, and we changed the decoration on our door like once every holiday or season (my roommate's aunt sent them to us). UMass is in a the town of Amherst and Central is super close to downtown Amherst which has restaurants including Glazed (the best donut shop around). Then there's Amherst college which actually had some super awesome free museums that are fun to visit on the weekends. I had to visit one for a Greek Archeology class that I took my second semester. Then my roommate took me to the science museum which ended up being a ton of fun.
Now the parties, the best parties I've ever been to was a house party out in Sunderland that I actually walked like 3 miles to in the rain. But one thing, UMass parties don't supply alcohol you need to bring your own. But they usually have great music and all of the frat and club houses are on the same street which is convenient.
The food at UMass, so this being the only college I had ever eaten at for a while I thought that UMass had pretty gross food and not a lot of options since they serve a lot of the same things over and over again. But after visiting Boston University and having some friends visit, I realized that UMass actually has a larger variety than many other schools and some even said that the food was fantastic compared to their school's food. UMass has four dining commons; Franklin which is located in Central and is open from 7 am to 10 pm (but the doors lock at 9pm) and has Grab n Go located on Campus side that is open from 10 or 10:30 until around 5pm, Worcester is located in Northeast and open at 7 am (as well as their Grab n Go) and they have late night which goes until midnight and has mostly fried foods, but their Grab n Go has hot meals as well as sandwiches and the normal Grab n Go food. Worcester is one of the smallest Dining Commons in my mind and has the least variety but I also don't go there very often. Then there's my favorite DC, Hampshire which is in Southwest and the food seems to be much fresher and much healthier, they have sushi all day but they don't have a sandwich bar like Franklin does, they only have one sandwich to choose from. They have a lot more variety and it is just easier to eat healthier there although it is pretty far from my dorm (but there's a bus so it's okay). Every once in awhile they will have an event and invite other schools or sponsoring companies to Hampshire and the menu will be absolutely amazing and there will be free samples and also the free food obviously. Let me tell you, if you don't go you're missing out the food is out of this world usually.Then there is Berkshire which is also in Southwest but I can't tell you anything about it because I have never been there, but I do know that they have late night like Worcester, but on Thursdays it is open until 2 am and sometimes there is Karaoke.
Luckily for me I ended up becoming best friends with my roommate. We did almost everything together, we always went to dinner together, unless one of us had lab or something. We would have dance parties just me and her, we would go to the gym together, bother the people on the stairs above and below us together, we made friends together, went to parties together, walked around at night together, went to free and unfree concerts together, woke up early one day and got donuts together from Glazed in town. In the fall the town of Amherst has a block party where there are food trucks, music, games, music and we went to that together and bonded at the photo booth they had and then ate thai good at The Taste. One time i did accidentally walk in on her and her boyfriend with my family but we still ended up being super close. I actually took her with me when I went to visit my all time best friend from high school at Boston University and they hit it off immediately. Over the long Valentine's Day weekend we went to her house and had a Galantine's day and it was so much fun even though I had to help shovel.