Opportunities, connections, and fresh perspectives abound at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the state’s flagship campus. Even with more than 23,000 undergraduates, the university is “organized for its large size” and there are “so many resources to help students excel.” Students laud the “diversity of experiences and research available,” including more than seventy study abroad programs, the Center for Data Science, numerous work experience courses, and over one hundred majors. On top of that, one can scratch any intellectual itch they have before and after choosing a major. “I love having options and UMass Amherst definitely provides them,” says a student. Additionally, the school is part of the Five Colleges Consortium, allowing students to take classes, borrow books, and work with faculty at nearby Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges.
Professors here are “kind and thoughtful and always try to help students with their studies.” They “take the time to get to know you and want you to succeed.” “All faculty members are respectful and show a love of the content they are teaching.” Though there are a fair number of lectures, many classes are hands-on or even student-run, and some require field visits, class events, or community service. Lectures also often include discussions, which are “incredibly helpful for comprehension,” in which students “feel a much more personal connection to the class and the professor,” as “participation shrinks lecture halls.” As a research institution, it has “excellent STEM facilities and so much research being done,” much of which students can take part in; the school provides “plenty of resources on campus to help you access internships and research for out-of-class learning experiences.”