University of Massachusetts Amherst

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Kinesiology
Minor: Biology
Student Self Identifies as: Hispanic/Latino Straight Female

Summary

I work off-campus.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public school near Boston, Massachusetts with a graduating class of about 400 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Kinesiology
Minor: Biology

Extracurricular Activities: I work off-campus.
What impact has your job had on your experience?
Last year when I worked on campus it took more time out of my schedule. This year, not working on campus is better but it’s taking a toll financially.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I mainly have problem sets, labs, and exams.
Is there anything you feel the Kinesiology department does especially well or especially poorly?
The advising is especially poor and they don’t give you much guidance. The selection of classes isn’t the best either.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s a mixture of both and it depends on what classes you get into. Most of them are heavy on lectures and are large, so it’s hard to get the professor’s attention. It’s hard because most of your grade is based on exams. There are certain classes that are more collaborative, called Team-Based Learning classes.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible for the most part. There are a few that are hard to reach. If I have an issue in class, I’ll either go to the TA or tutoring in the library which I find pretty helpful.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Anatomy. Learning about the human body interests me the most.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It was kind of hard to adjust to the workload. The resources would be the tutoring sessions in the library, and there are weekly review sessions from graduate student instructors.

Reasons to Attend

1) You’re going to meet new people. If you’re scared of meeting new people, there will be someone for you at UMass.
2) You can tell that most of the professors are passionate about what they’re teaching.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) To stop the overcrowding. [See The Daily Collegian article, “UMass adapts after accepting its largest freshman class.”]
2) If you don’t like big classes, they are going to be big. It’s hard to raise your hand in a lecture of 300 students. [About 17% of classes have 50 students or more.]
3) A lot of your grades are largely based on the exams.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: James Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Coolidge Hall with one roommate
Junior: Coolidge Hall with one roommate
What was your favorite living situation?
James Hall.
How was transitioning from living outside of Boston to Amherst, MA
It’s very different. Amherst is in the middle of nowhere and there’s not a lot to do here. It’s mainly staying on campus the whole time. At home, I’m used to going out and everything is within walking distance.
Can you describe the level of safety you experienced on and around campus?
It’s a pretty safe campus. I’ve walked from the library at 2 AM and haven’t felt in danger.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
The parties. Freshman year we’d mainly go to fraternity parties, but now it’s more so house parties outside of Greek life.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
Friday and Saturday, with the occasional Thursday.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
As someone not in Greek life, my nights are more free. The people I know in Greek life are always busy and always have events to go to, such as mixers during the week.
What is an alternative to going to a bar or party that you like for a night out?
I’ll usually go out or stay in. There usually isn’t much to do.
How happy are you with the nightlife at UMass? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wish there were more things around Amherst, like 18+ clubs. When I turn 21 I’ll start going to the bars more.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friends are my roommate and her best friend from home. I met another friend on my floor. We’ve all just lived near each other and have been friends since then.
How would you describe the social scene?
It’s loud on the weekends, but during the week it’s not as rowdy.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Not a lot. Speaking for myself, my group of friends is diverse, but looking at other groups I wouldn’t say it is. People tend to stick to their own affinity groups. There’s the Black Student Union and the Latin student Association, but they tend to stick to each other. There’s not a lot of mixing. [As of Fall 2018, the first-year class was about 68% White, 9% Hispanic, 13% Asian, and 5% Black.]
How would you describe the Hispanic community on campus? How strong is it?
There aren’t a lot of Hispanics and Latinos on this campus. It’s mainly White. I feel like the associations aren’t well advertised. If you want to have a Hispanic community you have to go seek it out, it won’t come to you.
If at all, how did being a first-generation college student effect your social transition?
It made me more open to making friends because I had to ask more people questions. I didn’t know anything coming in so it encouraged me to talk more.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
It depends on your situation. I have friends in Greek life because I met them in my freshman year in the hall. I don’t normally meet people from Greek life and become friends with them. They’re typically friends with other students in Greek life. [About 8.5% of students are involved with Greek life.]
How do you like the size of UMass in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [UMass has about 22,000 students.]
I wish it was smaller. It’s overcrowded. I’ll go to the dining hall and it takes 20-minutes to get a sandwich, or I have to wait in line forever for anything now.
Do people generally seem happy with UMass senior year? Do people leave loving UMass?
For the most part, yes. As much as people complain about school and work, we end up loving it at the end of the day.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I’ve been to the office a few times, and they were both helpful and responsive.