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Divya, a sophomore majoring in microbiology and pursuing a BDIC major in the human path of physiology, comes from Shrewsbury, Mass. Divya’s transition to UMass from her hometown felt seamless. She explained that there wasn’t a huge cultural shift coming from a town in Massachusetts: “I grew up with a lot of people who look like me, and here there’s a lot of people who look like me.” The fact that many of her high school peers were coming to UMass added another level of comfort. 

UMass was not Divya’s first choice, but she has truly come to love it. After not getting into her top schools she realized UMass was right for her because of the in-state tuition, the proximity to her home, and, most importantly, UMass’ No. 1 dining. She was inspired by her older sister and her friends who went to UMass and did incredible things in fields that interested her. Following in their footsteps she knew she could create an amazing life for herself at UMass. “If they can do it, I can do it,” said Divya. 

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Divya adjusted by joining clubs that made her feel at home. SASA, the South Asian Student Association, was a way for Divya to have fun, meet people, and go to really cool events with others from her community. UMass Jazba was another club that helped her adapt to college. She explained how friendly and welcoming everyone on the dance team was: “One guy on the team even showed me how to go through the BDIC program to make my own major.”

Being a tour guide has also been a big part of her UMass experience. While she applied on a whim, it ended up being an incredible way of meeting people outside of her major and helped her create amazing connections that will support her post-graduation. 

Now in her sophomore year, Divya’s learned a lot about herself, especially that she is not as extroverted as she thought she was. She explained that in high school, after a long day at school and with extracurriculars you would go home and have a lot of alone time. At UMass you have to learn to balance academics, extracurriculars, a social life, and time for yourself. She has learned to value her personal time so much more than she ever did before.

Divya’s advice for students starting at UMass might seem a little unusual. “I think you should say no to some things,” she said. “Take the opportunities given to you and say yes more often, but don't feel the need to say yes to everything.” She explained that prioritizing yourself is so important, especially giving yourself necessary time to figure out what you like.