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Although the college selection process can be stressful for students, few people end up worrying more than parents. This is why, for this article, I interviewed my parents, Peter and Lauren Andrews, about what it means to them to be the parents of a University of Massachusetts Amherst student. 
    
To be honest, I was always more sold on UMass than my mom and dad. I realized late into the application process that I wanted to go to a big school, and I was happily surprised to be admitted into the Commonwealth Honors College. My mom “didn’t fully appreciate it until I saw the campus with students. The vibrancy of having students on the campus.” Additionally, my dad “was encouraged by the fact that the library, the classrooms—especially Isenberg—were so impressive.” Once my parents got a glimpse of how lively and full of opportunities UMass is during the school year, they wanted me to go more than I did.

After dropping me off for my freshman year, my parents were concerned about so many things, mainly “That it was so big,” explained my mom. “Would you thrive in that atmosphere? We come from a small town. I thought it might be overwhelming. Would you find a tight group of friends the way you had in high school? And would you be able to connect with your professors?”

I was able to satisfy these concerns within about a month. I made sure to share all my good grades with my parents, so they knew I was getting the attention I needed and, as my mom put it, “You were becoming a student. You were making the University work for you.” I also had the pleasure of hosting them for Family Weekend, where they got to meet all my new friends. That same weekend also birthed a bunch of new Amherst traditions we still celebrate like “walking downtown and getting a bite to eat. We’ve grown fond of that Mexican place (Veracruzana) there. We like hanging around on the common and getting brunch at the Inn at Boltwood and getting brunch or sitting around the fire there,” said my dad.

As much as they love spending time downtown or getting swiped into dining halls, both my parents were really looking to see how UMass would change me as a person. My mother said she “noticed you’re coming on as a leader. You’re taking on new responsibilities and trying new things.” She cited my experience abroad in Cyprus as something she never could have imagined me doing as a high school student, especially since I had never been anywhere in Europe before. My dad echoed many of the same sentiments. He was proud of me for getting involved in extracurriculars and dedicating my time to philanthropy projects. He summed it up by saying, “It’s been perfect to watch you spread your wings and fly.”