Your journey to the University of Massachusetts Amherst is just about to begin! The Common Application opens on August 1, and our campus is among the many across the country that exclusively uses the Common App for our first-year admissions. You can start your application here.

Everyone in UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions is excited to help you through the application process. We don’t want anything to stop you from pursuing the college experience you’ve dreamed about. Please reach out if you cannot find the answer to your question on our website. General questions about the undergraduate admissions process can be directed to our general e-mail or our main phone line at (413) 545-0222.

Best wishes in your college search! Here are five tips for Common App success from our team in UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions:

1. Create a separate email address for the college application process. Use this same email address on your Common App and college mailing lists, since your address on your college application will be the primary way schools like UMass Amherst officially communicate with you. Be sure this email is not through your high school, since some schools block emails from outside organizations. You will be getting a lot of emails from colleges and universities so this way you won’t miss anything, and you can keep everything organized!

2. Get started now! Give yourself, your recommenders and your family time for the application process. The college application is a representation of who you are, so that should take time and thought to complete. Start your Common App early to give yourself as much time as possible to fill it out.

3. You are required to select an intended major and have the option to list an additional major of interest. Review our list of majors and choose one that best aligns with your interests. You can always compliment it with a double major, or one of 60+ minors, once you get here to UMass Amherst.

4. Fill out all parts of the application – even the optional parts! It can feel like a lot, but the more information you give on your application to colleges, the better!

5. Provide details about your activities. As you complete the extracurricular activities section of the Common App, reflect on: your in-person and virtual activities, where you have led, made an impact, and been most active. Don’t just share a list, take time to explain how you have been engaged in a variety of ways over the past few years.