University of Massachusetts - Amherst Reviews

"Pros: Teacher Assistantships cover all tuition; smaller classes; great library resources; free bus system Cons: not many language courses; lots of frat houses next to on-campus grad housing"

"Amazing school with approachable and awesomely knowledgeable faculty. Area is pretty quite and it is a good place to raise kids."

"The faculty are outstanding, representing cutting edge and important research in the discipline, and some are highly supportive of graduate students. There is a strong emphasis on Media Studies and an emerging emphasis on Rhetoric and Performance Studies. I also connected with and found support from faculty in the Education, Anthropology, Sociology, and Spanish departments. Also deeply appreciate the opportunity to earn a UMass Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, & Latino Studies. There is excellent representation of international graduate students. However, the department is lacking in faculty and graduate students from U.S. underrepresented groups. I personally regretted the lack of faculty and graduate courses focusing on Ethnic studies, Latina/o studies, and Critical Race studies. Current faculty in these areas are outstanding, but the department would benefit from strengthening and further supporting development of these areas. I think they are moving in this direction so if this is important to you, talk to as many faculty and students as you can to determine if this is the program for you."

"Excellent faculty members - both quality educators and researchers who are willing to work with grad students."

"Pros: There are a lot of great professors in the department, and some interesting class options that may not be available in other Japanese programs (such as classical/manuscript Japanese language). Cons: There are very few classes actually taught in the Japanese language, making the program lean more heavily toward literature than language. (This may not be a con for some, but should probably be explained more clearly on the program website.)"

"The research in the chemistry department is highly collaborative which is a big plus. All students are supported on either a TAship or RAship. Some big names are associted with the chemistry dept. The students rotate within three research groups for first semester so that helps in choosing the professor you really like at the end of semester. Overall it's a well recognized program. All past graduates have good placements which adds to the rating of the program."

"The History Department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst offers a supportive and engaging graduate program. My committee members and other faculty are open to ideas and suggestions and have gone to great lengths to help me secure financial aid and outside funding as well. Our graduate students are from diverse backgrounds and focus on a wide array of research topics. The History department's graduates have also been successful in winning dissertation fellowships and research grants. There should be more support for Ph.D. candidates completing their dissertation, perhaps in the form of a workshop or professional development seminar. The Pioneer Valley is a lovely place to live, though the cost of living can be high."

"Amazing faculty support and individualized training to fit your career goals"

"It's a great opportunity to get used to working in the field and gives you many advantages right out of the gate. The AMB program is intensive and, for the year you are here, you will work a lot and learn so many valuable skills."

"Teaching and support from faculty is excellent. Grad students typically very friendly; we hang out together quite a bit. Workload is substantial but not ridiculous. Some people find the area very confining, as it's a pretty small town."

"Nice people, excellent professors! Almost every professor is responsible and very professional. The course is of high quality. Cons are the research is too theoretical, and a bit far from the industry!"

"The campus is nice and the classes and faculty are great!"

"One really great aspect of the graduate program here is the access to labs and instruments that are valuable for research and education. One con is the lack of access to faculty, simply because they are so busy and my schedule is hectic. The Teaching Assistantships are competitive but there's enough to go around to the students that need them."

"The University of Massachusetts Amherst was not my first choice of college. I did not want to be associated to a college that was called "zoomass". But I ended up going there because the financial aid package was better than all of the 17 schools I applied to. (That says alot). At first, I was a little nervous to attend this school because of how big it is. But once you get use to the school and find friends you are comfortable around, UMass is not as big as people make it seem. UMass Amherst is a wonderful school to attend if you ever get the chance. You explore your Independence, personalize your education and have the kind of fun every college student wants to have. Umass Amherst has over 150 programs you can apply to and over 200 organizations to belong to. There are about 5 dining halls to choose from and there is no limit as to how many times you can eat per day. And trust me when I say, you are always hungry. UMass was the best decision I have ever made. It give me endless windows of opportunities. There is always a facility member who wants to help you become success, you just have to be willing to search for it. In terms of my degree, UMass has one of the best mathematical, science and engineering program there is. It is one of the top schools for STEM related research as well as one of the best schools to graduate from. When you apply for a job, many employers have heard of Umass. Most employers have actually graduated from UMass. To have UMass Amherst on your resume as the college you gradated from, saves you trouble in the long run. (when it comes to looking for jobs that is.) UMass is not the zoomass everyone thinks it is. In fact, it is who you hang out with that can make UMass "zoomass." I have friends who study util they get their work done. And when it is done, we party. I will not lie. When the work is done, (I will not lie), we party. We party like there is no tomorrow. But we make sure that our education comes first. Umass is not zoomass unless you want to define your college lifestyle as that. My advice to anyone entering or in college: college, no matter which you attend, affects what you want to do or become in your future. So do not ruin your reputation by doing something in college that can harm your future. Do not party too much to the point where you cannot even put your GPA on your resume. College is way too easy to fail. Really look at college as a chance to show the world how mature and independent you can be. Then and only then, will you be able to use what you learn in college outside of the classroom setting and positively apply it to your daily life- always."

"The MPH program at UMass Amherst is a wonderful program if you select the right concentration. The Community Health Education department is very strong, with robust faculty. The Health Policy and Management department is lacking the faculty and resources to make this concentration comparable to other universities. And Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and Biostatistics are small departments, which come with pros and cons. Most people picture UMass to be a huge school with large classes, but in the Master's programs you really can get individualized education, with classes no larger than 30 students (oftentimes, less). You cannot beat the financial aid at UMass and assistantships are available, but you really have to actively seek those opportunities. Overall, I am satisfied with my education from UMass, but definitely could have had a better experience."

"The University of Massachusetts Boston's College of Public and Community Services (CPCS) was wonderful. I am very honored and feel blessed to have been able to attend there while it was still the College it "used to be" when it was first started. The teachers were passionate, professional and inspirational. I would definitely recommend this College (I still wish it was the way it was "in the old days" but I am very hopeful that it still thrives.)"

"UMass is an excellent school with a highly talented faculty. Highly recommend!"

"UMass has a great LA program. Good professors and resources! They are working on getting a new building for the major which is a great thing."

"I love being at the School of Computer Science at Umass Amherst. If nothing else, they look after their own. The department has a lot of resources for students in-department that other students might need to look to the wider university for, which means less dealing with complicated bureaucracy and red tape any time you want to get something done. In addition, most of the professors are excellent. Like all places this size, you get a few who aren't quite up to the bar set by most of the professors, but for the most part they are great."

"I feel the pros of the creative writing program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst are mainly the diversity of artists and writers it draws, making for a dynamic, tight-knit and passionate community. The cons I feel are few and far between. The campus is friendly and open, and there is so much professional opportunity, whether in teaching at the university, publishing or working with any of the vast network of publishers and literary establishments in the Pioneer Valley. Overall, this is a stellar program."