The college selection process varies depending on who you talk to. Some students apply EA and are done by November, others are recruited for a sport, some students have several options from which to choose, and some have none… the list goes on and on. 

My college process consumed what felt like my entire senior year (I decided on one of the last days possible). I wanted a school that had everything I was looking for, which is why I chose UMass.

A few weeks before leaving my Connecticut home to begin such an exciting chapter in my life, it dawned on me how few people I knew at UMass. There were a few boys from my high school going, but I had never shared a conversation with any of them. Since three-quarters of UMass’s population is comprised of in-state students, I mistook this to mean every single person I was going to spend the next four years of my life with already knew each other solely because they were from Massachusetts, and I was just some random out-of-stater being thrown into the mix. I also thought that by being from Connecticut, I somehow would not be as well-liked by my Massachusetts peers (which I had no justifiable reason to think at all). All of this built-up anxiety about the demographics caused me to fear going to a school where I would have to restart my social life literally from scratch.

To say it was intimidating to not know anyone at a school of 20,000+ people is an understatement. However, this really gave me the opportunity for me to decide who I was — what I liked, what I didn’t like, what I valued in my new friends, etc. I quickly realized that having to restart my social life was never a bad thing. A new chapter in life calls for meeting new people! Going to college, regardless of where you are from, allows you to learn and explore so many different things about yourself; that shape you for the life ahead. Coming to UMass and not knowing anyone gave me the opportunity to build my own character. High school can be a really superficial time for some people, and going to college really gives you the ability to rebrand yourself.

My nonsensical fears about being an out-of-state student at a state school were validated as just that... nonsense. 

Yes, the majority of students here are from Massachusetts. Do they all know each other? Not at all. As a freshman, entering a new environment is intimidating for everyone, no matter where you came from. I took comfort in the fact that I wasn’t alone in feeling intimidated. Some friends take longer to find, but you meet amazing people in college. I can wholeheartedly say that being an out-of-state student has not impacted my being at UMass in the slightest. Being at such a diverse school like UMass, you meet people from all across the world here, and I wouldn't trade that for anything!