The University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Student Voices

RAP Life

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UMass Dorms

Uncertainty governs the minds of most incoming college freshmen. They constantly wonder about where they will live, who they will live with, and if they will be immersed in their course of studies. Luckily, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst there is a way to minimize such uncertainties: Residential Academic Programs. More commonly known as RAPs, these programs give first-year students the opportunity to choose their housing and build deep connections with other students by taking a class together with everyone on their floor. RAP classes are often taught inside residence halls as well, so they make for easy commutes. I spoke to three different students who were in RAPs as and learned about their experiences.

Silas McLellan from the class of 2026 “wanted to nail down my housing and know the exact building I was living in, something you can only get by registering for a RAP. Additionally, I heard from some upperclassmen friends that RAPs are the best and easiest way to make friends freshman year.” He opted to join a RAP with other members of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in Pierpont Hall in Southwest, the exact place he wanted to live. Silas felt being in a RAP “made the transition super easy because I was able to meet everyone on my floor in a classroom setting. By having class discussions, I was able to learn more about my peers while also taking a relatively easy course with them.”

As an out-of-state student, Myleigh Kilbon didn't know anyone else at UMass, so she chose a RAP to make close connections with other students. She is thankful that she did because she is “still really close with most of the people that I met through the RAP two years ago. I met my sophomore roommates through the RAP and in general I just felt like I had a safety net when going and exploring the new world I was a part of.” Her RAP, Psychology 100 in Knowlton Hall, was a general education requirement and not essential to her major; she took it because she was more interested in the topic and was hoping to find other students who felt the same. She is now happy to report that by joining a RAP “the connections and friends you make will make your first year of college the best one yet!”

As an international student, Giorgia Italia's path to UMass was very different from most, but she chose to focus on commonalities when she joined a RAP that connected her with other first-year animal science students in Crabtree Hall. In a smaller major like animal science, it was useful for her to get to know the people she would be in class with for the next four years. She looks back on the RAP as an excellent “opportunity to learn about future careers in my major, spend more time at the barn, and meet interesting people in the field.”

Overall, no matter where you're coming to UMass from, consider a RAP to gain control over where you live and who you live with.