As a life-long picky eater, one of the things that concerned me most about the transition from high school to college life was the campus food. From personal experience, it can be intimidating enough trying to figure out where everything is located in the dining halls, so factoring in searching for something you're actually willing to eat can make the learning curve slightly harder during your first few weeks.
Luckily, I just so happened to choose the school which has been ranked #1 for Best Campus Food by The Princeton Review three years in a row so I knew I couldn't possibly be in bad hands! While your hometown friends at other schools will be complaining about sad, bland dining hall meals, you can be sure that UMass will rarely, if ever, have you joining them.
During my first week at UMass, I made it a goal of mine to force myself out of my comfort zone and try at least one new food every single day. With a million and one options to choose from at four unique dining halls, this was not an especially difficult task, and I highly recommend it to everyone. If you are anything like me, UMass will have you breaking some of your longest-held picky eating habits in no time! Even now, I still find myself regularly branching out and trying new things. Just this afternoon, my friend Mia and I decided to mix things up and wait in the line for Frank's popular "Grab-and-Go" after months of hearing great things about it. We both ended up getting the chicken and rice entrée of the day (as pictured) and walked over to Blue Wall, a food court-like spot on campus that takes dining dollars instead of meal swipes, to sit and eat before class. I can confirm that it was definitely worth the hype, and I'll now be making a point to go there with friends for lunch more often.
Whether it's new foods, a sport, a hobby, or one of our hundreds of student clubs/organizations, UMass will have you stepping out of your comfort zone the second you arrive in Amherst. It's one of the things I love most about going to school here — there is absolutely something for everyone as long as you're willing to go out and find it!
