My name is Avani, and I am a sophomore transfer student as well as a marketing major here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst! Transferring colleges can be intimidating. However, it can also be an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth.
After graduating high school, I was flooded with a million questions about what I wanted to do with my life. Every time I looked in the mirror, all I saw was one huge question mark where my face was supposed to be, much like high school seniors everywhere.
The first decision I made had to do with timing. I wasn’t ready start a new life right away, so after multiple conversations with my parents, friends, and school counselor, I decided to take a gap year between high school and college.
If you’d asked me a year ago where I would end up for college, I probably would’ve shrugged my shoulders and told you I was “still figuring it out.” I have a habit of putting off things I don’t want to deal with till the last minute. This includes large life-changing decisions like choosing a college.
I come from a long family line of people who are educated. My grandmother, an NYU graduate, was among the first in her family to go to college. My mother graduated from Boston College, and my sister just recently earned her master's at Brandeis University. I had high expectations to be met, and — to be 100 percent transparent — going to college was part of my life plan as something I always looked forward to, rather than an aspiration. As schools were beginning to use a more holistically based grading system, I knew that my essay would impact the decision of my acceptance. So, whatever topic I chose to write about, I knew it had to be a good one.
I am a first-generation college student. As defined by the Common Application Systems, this means that neither of my parents completed a baccalaureate degree. Nearly a third of undergraduate students in the United States are first-generation and here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about 25 percent of the population of each entering class is first-generation, revealing that a majority of college students are not first-generation. This means that many college students likely have a parent or relative that understands the collegiate process firsthand and can provide mentorship throughout the student’s journey — a huge resource that many first-generation students lack. It is hard to navigate college and the difficulties that come with it on your own, especially when your own parents do not understand what it is like in your shoes. Being first-generation comes with many challenges and benefits. Here is what my experience has been like as a first-generation college student at UMass Amherst.
If you’re anything like me, you probably came to the University of Massachusetts knowing very few people, and a little nervous about making new friends.
Anneliese Vogt, a third year student here on campus, knew she always had an affinity for all things fashion. Never did she think, however, she’d be able to attend school for essentially every aspect of the field. To her surprise through UMass’s Bachelors Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) she has been able to do exactly that.
Meet Emma, a junior Architecture major and Building and Construction Technology minor here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Life as an architecture student here is a riveting experience packed with model building, software design, artistic expression, critical thinking, and an interactive classroom environment that prove to be great preparation for one’s career. Here is a glimpse of what life is like as an architecture student here at UMass Amherst from Emma’s perspective.
Going into freshman year, I knew that the introductory lectures were going to be big, but actually attending them was an entirely different story. Coming from a rather small high school, the 400 to 500 students paying attention to one professor was a bit overwhelming. There is definitely a learning curve on how to get the most out of these lectures, and here are some tips that will help you do exactly that.
