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The college years are a time to grow and change for everybody. In the case of Emily, that change brought her to a whole new school that complemented her better: the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Hailing from Winthrop, Massachusetts, Emily was accustomed to a small-town life as “my graduating class was only like 98 to 100 kids.” She loved growing up in a tight-knit community and pursued her passions of sailing and exercise. She initially felt confident about her college decision when she went to Merrimack College as a freshman and studied business. However, she realized that neither her school nor her major was right for her. After careful consideration, Emily decided to transfer to UMass Amherst to study nutrition so she could learn more about health and fitness.

Upon arriving on campus in Amherst, Emily quickly fell in love with her new surroundings: “I honestly love Western Massachusetts. It’s nice to see a completely different side of Massachusetts from where I’m from. It’s such a college town, there’s always so much going on.” She lived with other transfer students as a part of a Transfer Residential Academic Program, which helped her connect with other students her age who were new to campus. She also had no problem adjusting to the size of her new school, realizing that although UMass is much larger than what she was used to, everyone is much friendlier. In fact, Emily’s UMass experience so far has led her to discover “I’m good when it comes to talking to people,” which is a skill she uses in her on-campus job as a tour guide. Despite being so new to campus, Emily already loves it enough to recruit new potential Minutemen.

As someone who loves fitness and staying active, Emily has had excellent opportunities to develop her interests in and outside of the classroom. She loves her nutrition classes and thinks “UMass has made me truly love my major and love what I’m studying,” especially with her Nutrition 230 Class, where she has learned about the potential career prospects within her discipline in a stress-free environment. When she’s not in class, you can find Emily at the Rec Center on campus blowing off steam and taking advantage of the free gym membership that comes with being a student. Overall, Emily strongly believes she is “more and more prepared for life after college after being here.”