College is probably the best and worst time you will ever have in your life. That being said, I have a love hate relationship with my alma mater, UMass Amherst. I remember walking into the Southwest territory of the campus, for my first day of orientation, and the amount of electric excitement pulsing through my body was outstanding. Here I was my first official step to freedom’s door, the freedom from high school, curfews, and a lack of autonomy. I thought for sure the next four years of my life would be full of orange mocha Frappucinos, blackout bliss, food comas, and learning some pretty cool things about life.
If I had only known certain things about this institution before I began, oh what a different world it would be! And I don’t necessarily mean this in the negative sense whatsoever, as I said, some of the best and some of the worst times in my life happened within those walls. There are many things I wish I knew about UMass before I went there, but these five seem to stick out in my mind, the most.
1.) Northampton
If you have never heard of Northampton, you are not alone. It is a magical town that is the neighbor to Amherst. I didn’t discover the true magic of Northampton until the end of my sophomore year, unfortunately. And I wish I had more time. The town is full of inspiration, art, creativity, cute coffee shops, and amazing food!
One of the best stores you will find in the world is Faces, located on Main St. Faces houses eclectic clothes, gifts, shelving, lighting, books, movies, doodads, and hickory dees alike! It’s basically what Northampton is, all in one store. I recently heard that Faces will be closing soon, after being in business for 40 years. This is a sad fact for Northampton so make it there while you can!
Although Faces will be leaving us soon, there are still really amazing places to visit! If you are a book nerd like myself, Raven Used Book Shop is a must see! Books adorn the walls from Hemingway to Poe to Rowling to Joyce the literature housed in that sanctuary can really bring a girl to her knees!
This lovely town houses many galleries, museums, and festivals, my favorite festival being the Noho International Film Festival. I am a sucker for independent films, especially good ones, and at the NohoIFF you have the opportunity to view some of the world’s greatest films at such a low cost!
Packard’s Bar has a lot of specials going on in conjunction with the festival as well as a few galleries in town. If you were to look up synergy in the dictionary, Northampton, Mass., would be the only possible definition. And that is just one reason why it’s basically the most magical place you’ll find.
2.) BDIC
BDIC stands for Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration it’s both a mouthful and also a helpful program. Essentially BDIC is for those poor unfortunate souls who can’t find their majors already predetermined in the long mundane list of studies. I use “poor unfortunate souls” in a sarcastic tone of course, because it truly is rare for a high schooler to know exactly what they want to do in life and therefore study it in college.
And some may think they do but 75% of these folks end up changing their majors at least 3 times. I was no exception to this rule. I graduated with a major in Communications and a minor in Psychology. It took me until my junior year to figure out that is where I wanted to be.
But looking back, I do think BDIC would have been a better choice. In this program, you can make up your own major through a series of independent studies designed by you and your advisor. Creating your own path in life, which also can make paying off the loans after the four years are all said and done more worthwhile!
3.) Amherst Coffee
This quaint little coffee shop is prime for studying and getting your drink on afterwards to celebrate! Located on Amity St. in Downtown Amherst, Amherst Coffee has a very chill vibe with warm wood tables, free WiFi, and Jasmine Blossom Tea. It was definitely one of my favorite places to go and unwind. And the best part is after 3pm the whiskey bar opens, so you can really get your Hemingway on in a classy way!
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4.) The Fitness Center
When I first got to Umass, there was only one little gym called Boyden and it was smelly and cramped and I definitely ran into too many people on a regular basis. If I had known that the new state of the art fitness center was going to be built my junior year at Umass, I might have just waited three years to attend the school, so I could get my fitness on for free and in style!
The center is really beautiful, the bottom floor houses different workout rooms where various yoga/dance/calisthenics classes take place. The middle floor is a huge basketball court and weight room. And the top floor is dedicated to cardio: indoor track, treadmills, elliptical machines, and bicycles galore!
5.) The Wind Tunnel at the DuBois Library
This may seem trivial, but it’s real and I learned of it the hard way! The W.E.B DuBois library is a 26 story building, and if you find yourself walking past it on a windy day (or truthfully not even a windy day) hold onto your loose papers. They WILL go flying everywhere, you will probably be embarrassed, and people will probably laugh at you. Consider yourselves warned!
UMass Amherst is an amazing institution, if you find yourself itching to go there, do it! You can also find out ahead what financial aid you can apply for at UMass. Just keep in mind these tips and you will have a fabulous time getting your degree!
Sue Callender graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2011. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a specialization in cultural studies and media analysis.