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The ideal college experience varies from person to person, but for people like Fiona who are looking for a strong community and countless professional opportunities, it’s hard to beat the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Fiona, a member of the class of 2025, was originally a student at Bridgewater State University, but she was unhappy with the school’s small size and commuter culture. Additionally, she felt the school did not offer a solid kinesiology program in terms of courses and labs compared to the courses and opportunities UMass offered.

So Fiona ended up transferring to UMass.  “[I] found a community here through getting involved in my everyday hobbies such as joining fitness classes held at the rec, making friends in classes, and joining on-campus jobs,” she said. For example, she became involved in group fitness activities at the Campus Rec Center and ended up befriending the people she worked out with. The same thing happened in the dining halls and classrooms, and before Fiona knew it she had a new group of friends. She went as far as saying, “UMass really felt like home and made the big campus feel much smaller. Even though my previous school was a much smaller school it felt much bigger and lonelier than the close community feel at UMass.”

Additionally, Fiona makes herself busy through various activities outside of classes. She shares her UMass experience with prospective students as a tour guide, showing high schoolers and potential transfers all that she loves about the university. She also had a stint at the Body Shop Fitness Center, where she developed her real-world kinesiology skills working with students looking to get in shape or rehab any injuries. 

In the classroom, Fiona is incredibly passionate about exercise science and has gained invaluable experience from her professor, which, she says,  “I’ve already been able to utilize in my off-campus kinesiology-related jobs and will continue to utilize as I advance my career.”  Looking back, Fiona says she “thought coming out of high school I would feel lost at such a big school on such a big campus.” However, “the kind and welcoming community that UMass provides has helped me find my place and my own community that I wouldn’t have found anywhere else.”