Umass

[Guest Debating]

Hi Nadine!

lds, back yet? I've been looking forward to your impressions all week ...

[Guest lds]

Hello, UMass friends! I am back from my journey up north. Here are my impressions (and I'm smiling as I write this).

1. Cold. Highs in the 50s, lows in the 20s, although everyone assured me that this is a weird time of year. Apparently, it'd been 70 last week, but then they had snow on Tuesday or something. Not a huge deal, just a slight adjustment for someone who lives in the temperate South.

2. Campus was great. I got my B.A. at a small liberal arts college, so UMass is big for me, but not too big. I saw the grad student lounge; apparently there are 3 different places to get alcohol on campus. Sweet.

3. Loved the folks in my department, and found that faculty and grad students had similar things to say about the community, relationships between students and faculty and among the students themselves.

4. Rural...ish. The first couple of days my thought was, "I guess this is it...?" I live in a large city, so that's a big adjustment. But on Saturday my husband and I explored Northampton, and I was reassured, as well as very pleased. It's a great town with plenty to do and see, and for what it doesn't provide, there's always Boston, or even NYC. I was impressed by how close together the towns are -- I guess I didn't pay much attention to the scale on the maps, where 1 inch = 0.5 mile! That makes living in another town very manageable (more about that later). Someone on this or another Amherst thread had mentioned that Hadley sticks out as a suburb of sorts. What I saw of Hadley was a strip off Route 9 with the infamous Wal-Mart and mall...but it wasn't as big as I was imagining this suburb would be. And we had dinner at a Korean restaurant in Hadley, which also reassured me, as I can't go very long without Korean food.

5. Where to live. I spoke with two grad students, one who lives in Amherst, and one who lives in Northampton. The fellow in Amherst said he had found a pretty sweet deal, in terms of location and rent. I think he rents an apartment in a house. But both said that it's tricky living in town, and not only because of rowdy undergrads. Ü The apartment complexes are not as nice, because of the undergrad turnaround, and it's pricey to find a place in one of the houses if you're not moving in with four other people.

Northampton is pretty fabulous, although it can be a bit pricey, too. We bought a local paper and checked out some ads, and it looked like there were a few reasonably-priced places for a single student or couple. Many of the ads say "No pets," or if they do allow pets, it's a cat. Just a heads up about that.

We also drove around on Saturday to check out Sunderland, Easthampton, etc., to see how far they were from UMass. Sunderland would be a great place to live, as it's right off 116, which runs right down to UMass. We passed three apartment complexes in Sunderland, two right off 116, and another on a cross street. If you want to find their numbers and get some info, they are: Cliffside Apartments, Lantern Court, and Sugarloaf Estates. They looked decent, and the parking lots were pretty full. I have no idea if they're full of grads or undergrads, but at least there are some names to get some more info (we got there after the leasing offices had closed). Deerfield is just a bit further north than Sunderland, and it looked very nice (mostly houses, from what we saw). Again, very accessible to UMass. Sunderland would be a 5-10 minute drive, and Deerfield would be another 5 minutes.

The grad students I spoke with said that a lot of grad students live in Deerfield, Greenfield, and Hadley. They also said they could have my name added to a grad student email list where a lot of people post housing opportunities. I'm not sure if that was a departmental list or just a large grad school list, so I would email your department to find out more. One student also mentioned using a realtor, at least for the first year when you're unfamiliar with the area. Sometimes their fees are pretty reasonable, say 50% of one month's rent, and they could help you find a real deal. They assured me that it wouldn't be a problem to get a place in early August or so, as it looks like a lot of what's available now are summer sublets.

Overall, I liked it very much. As I've mentioned, I am coming from a particular background that will make my impressions different from others', and will make my transition different. But driving along the countryside was very refreshing...I thought about that as I sat in traffic and smog again this Monday morning. My husband and I had coffee in some great local shops, and enjoyed every meal we had, including a platter of fish and chips that featured one very huge fish. I love the local flavor, the possibility to buy fresh fruits and veggies from local farms, and the state parks that are very close. It seems like a great place to do some serious graduate study, but also relax and live comfortably for a few years. Like six. Or seven.

These are my thoughts. Feel free to ask me any questions, because I'm sure I've left things out. Funny, I was looking forward to coming back to share my thoughts with y'all. Ü

[Lila]

Thanks for your comments, lds. They are much appreciated.

All of what you've written seems to be similar to other impressions I've heard.

I'm coming from sprawling urban areas such as Berlin and Los Angeles, but I know I can live in a rural area. My husband lived in a rural area in Germany for most his life. It can be peaceful, especially when you have to do graduate work at this level.

My only concern is finding an apartment. How close is your apartment going to be to campus? I would like to live in Amherst, but I don't want to pay more than $700 in rent. I'm getting the feeling that this isn't going to be difficult; I don't mind living a bit further, like in Holyoke, I just don't want my first-year performance to be affected by my semi-commuter status. (I did before in Los Angeles and I felt a bit disconnected.)

I'll also be visiting UMass in June! Of course I've already accepted but I'm going mostly because my husband wants to see what it's like and we need to get an apartment!

[Guest AMB]

I had better introduce myself. I'm also going to UMass Amherst for English (committed last week). Hello all around! I look forward to meeting some of you come fall.

[Guest lds]

AMB: Hello and congratulations! It looks like we may be meeting very soon. Ü

Lila: I was concerned about distance if I found a place that wasn't in Amherst, but I really don't think it will be a problem. The place I may end up renting is about 6 miles...maybe...I'm bad with distances. It seemed like it was far out when I was trying to find it, but then we drove back to Amherst and it was very quick -- maybe ten minutes or so. Sunderland is about that far, too. Holyoke was a little further out -- my husband and I drove through Northampton, into Easthampton, and came back by way of Holyoke, but I-91 runs by Holyoke and spits you out on Rte 9, and from there it's only 15 minutes or so to campus. Everything is so much closer than what I had expected -- I think because I'm used to sprawl, too.

I hope you do find something in Amherst. Just know that the commute doesn't seem too bad, and I don't think you would have the same experience as a commuter as you did in LA, mainly because it's smaller and it seems like a lot of people commute. Also, check out what kind of heat the place uses; propane is a completely foreign concept to me!

[Guest Nadine]

Hi Lila, I'm in political science, and not getting a lot of money from the university Hopefully after a year of solid work at UMass, I'll be able to get a better financial package.

I wish I could visit U Mass and get a place earlier. But I'm still in school, and my undergrad program doesn't end until min-June or so. Since I'm at the other side of the globe, it would seem rather uneconomic to travel and visit U Mass before school really starts.

How come nobody talk about graduate housing offered by the university? Someone I spoke to said space is limited so it's kinda hard to sign up. Is this true? I'm gonna by on my own (no fiance or husband), so I'll probably need to find a roomate to share the rent. Any good idea for this?

BTW, thanx to Ids for the very detailed description. There is so much to look forward to!

[Guest Debating]

Looks like we're forming a good bunch here . Hi to everyone!!

Nadine--about the graduate housing offered by the University:

I went to visit in early March and talked to a bunch of current graduate students and their feedback was "whatever you do, don't live on campus." Most of the housing is double occupancy, single rooms are tiny and cost too much, the dorm in general is too noisy because it's surrounded by undergraduate housing. I find that to be the case with almost any on campus living situation, but even more so at the graduate level. I was told that the only people who end up living there are international students who couldn't or didn't want to find a place off campus, and they move out after the first year. As lds suggested, craigslist is a good place to look for housing, and roommates as well (http://westernmass.craigslist.org/ go to rooms/shared to look for roommates).

Anyone else who hasn't introduced themselves yet

[Guest lds]

Excuse me, I'm very excited that we are on Page 3.

[Guest Nadine]

Hi guys, thanx about all that info on housing and stuff. I actually emailed a couple with a room to rent in a house located in Amherst, although they responded positively, they asked that I check back around June once again, if the room is still availabe, they will let me have it. Hmm...so I guess finding a room (and sealing the deal) via the internet is really not so easy :roll: I guess I'll have to do the house hunting when I'm in the States, hopefully, not a very hard thing. Maybe it's better this way, since I'll be able to get a good feel of the house and the community.

By the way, my boyfriend is visiting Amherst with me in July (but I'm staying for good!), we're thinking about traveling to Boston and surrounding area. Maybe even up to Maine! Any recommandations? Stuff to see or do? Thanx

[Guest Debating]

Boston is just magical, it's my favorite city in the States. There's a lot to see, but even just walking around is so nice!!! The T (subway) makes it really easy to get around, and downtown is very walkable as well. It's just so pretty... and in July, you'll love it!!!! Check out the beach as well and drive down to Newport (Rhode Island) if you have the time, it's got a Mansion trail worth seeing.

OK, do you sense some bias? Boy am I happy I'm finally going back to New England!! 8)

[Lila]

Hello!

I've never been to New England before. I've visited more European cities than I have American ones. I've never been to New York City; I'm excited about living in Amherst in part because I can visit New York and Boston. I'm bias toward the West Coast, generally, though. I can't get enough of the beautiful and refreshing California sun. Oh well, those times are over.

To Nadine: I'm not getting a lot of money from the university either. I'm hoping for an external fellowship. If that doesn't work out, I'm hoping my husband picks up a well-paying jIT job in Springfield. I am in a postgraduate program right nowl and cannot really afford to visit Amherst since I'm living in Germany. However, I'm so anxious about possibly not getting a nice apartment that I'm willing to go into a bit of debt to secure a nice place not too far from campus. Also, I wouldn't want to live in graduate housing for the reasons Debating pointed out. I like the independence of living off-campus in my own apartment.

AMB: Hello! We'll likely have some classes together since I'm an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary program. What are your research interests?

lds: Ah, ok. Well, I've found a nice place, at least online it appears nice, but it's in Turner Falls. It's about 15 miles from campus according to the owner. I'm wondering if this might be too far. My husband will have to have a car anyway depending on where his job is, but I wonder if it may be too tiresome to always catch a ride with him. Decisions! Decisions!

Is everyone as excited as I am about starting their respective programs? I'm so excited! I've even started some preparatory reading for one of my classes. I can't believe I'm actually (eventually) going to earn a PhD. Cool!

[Guest Debating]

Boston is actually very European-like, I think that's why I like it so much. NYC is... filthy. I love going there for a couple of days but I have a very low rat/filth tolerance (subway is disgusting) and if I stay too long I start hating it.

I'm really excited as well, although sadly enough, I'm excited about moving out and having my own place and a life. My undergrad has been incredibly intense and although I will probably be very excited about the academics in late July-August, right now all I can think about is the beach and going on a meditation retreat or something over the summer...

To Lila, Nadine and everyone else looking for housing: from my research it looks like living in a house (independent landlords so to speak) is generally cheaper, and I would do it myself, but since I won't be able to see the place before May I'd rather not commit. We're therefore going with an apartment in a compex in Sunderland for our first year because they have pictures and info online and since it's a well-established complex I was able to read reviews online and get feedback from the people in my department. I think we might end up moving out to a house next year though, when we have ample opportunities to look around etc.

How much sleep do you guys/ladies think we'll be getting in grad school? I certainly hope it'll beat my current average of 4 hrs.

[Guest lds]

I've been out of school for a couple of years, and my night-owl tendencies have conformed more to my husband's bedtime...he's down by 11:00 p.m. I actually think that I'm getting TOO MUCH sleep, if that's possible. I think getting more than 4 hours would be good, though. And I'm actually kind of excited about staying up late to do research and write, stress out, drink too much coffee...or wine. I offer a big Huzzah for all of us soon-to-be PhDs.

And I agree with Debating about the housing -- find a decent place, or just find a place, and then commit to a year there. Once you get a feel for the area, you can look around for cooler digs. Plus, you'll get to know people, who will know people who know people who are moving out of their fabulous houses or apartments and need someone to take their place...

I'm excited about exploring Boston more -- I visited once, but only for a couple of days. Yay for European cities. NYC is fun, but for me, only for a little while. I have friends who live there, and I think it oculd be cool for a bit, but it's just too big and noisy for me. I can't imagine staying more than a week...it would take up too much energy. Ü

[Guest AMB]

Lila, I study instances of cultural pluralism, anti-coalition sentiment (especially female-to-female betrayal), and methods of resistance in twentieth-century American fiction. I majored in English and history as an undergrad, so I'm really excited about the English department's American studies concentration.

I don't live far enough west to know anything about housing, but I can verify that Boston is a fantastic, albeit expensive, place. We moved to Massachusetts two years ago and fell in love with the culture, the people, and the location--not far from beach, not far from mountains.

[Guest Nadine]

I would think grad students don't get a lot of sleep, but only four hrs. a day sounds kinda terrible, BUT, I guess since we'll be doing some research and stuff, it'll be worthwhile (better than partying and just wasting your time).

Wow, is everyone here going for a PhD? I'm going for M.A., although it's not so economic, since it's gonna cost me (literally), but I need a year or two to make sure my credentials are good enough for a strong PhD program in my academic.

Another thing, it seems almost everyone drink some sort of alcohol reguarly (beer, wine...etc.), and enjoy having a drink with friends every once in a while. This is kinda new to me (can you believe it?), probably because a) I'm in a Asian country I'm not use to drinking, sometimes just a bit of alchohol makes me dizzy. Ok, I'm sounding like a prud, which I'm not, hopfully I'll be able to develop a liking for...beer (I'm not gonna think about anything stronger than that). So please, invite me to have a drink.

To Debating, I also love Boston, it's one of my favorite cities! RI sounds nice, I've heard about that Mansion trail, but never visited before. I'll definately check it out! I'm also planning on visiting some places in Maine, 'cause I have a thing for quiet coast lines and lighthouses. Probably watched too much "Road to Avonlea" on the Disney Channel when I was young (I really miss those, I was so sad when it finally ended), but that was actually Prince Edward Island.

I'm rambling, but I feel happy since I finished my midterms today, and still excited about going to UMass. Yay

[Guest lds]

Nadine: I'm actually in the MA-PhD program. I got my BA and took a couple of years off. Ü Maybe I'm the only one not coming in directly from undergrad work!

Lovely UMass thread, let's please get together in Amherst for a drink. I'm still trying to like beer, but at this point, I'm about ready to give up. Now, a nice glass of wine...that would hit my spot. Nadine, you are not a prude. Like anything, it just takes practice, i.e., developing a taste for it and building up some tolerance. Like coffee for some. Now maybe I sound like I drink too much, talking about tolerance...

[Guest Debating]

Nadine: I probably have a drink less than once a month (undergrad dorms don't allow it), that may change as I get my own place, but I am certainly not a heavy drinker, so don't think you're a prude .

As far as not getting sleep because of research... no, it's not worthwhile, that's why I'm not sleeping right now and I don't appreciate it. If I knew I was having fun and wasting my youth at parties, well that might be a better justification for lack of sleep, honestly. All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl...

lds: I saw a bar in Amherst (or was it Northampton) specifically for grads, meaning that's the demographic that seems to congregate there, it's called the ABC (something, guessing Amherst, Brewery Company) and they are supposed to have really good beer--I didn't try it myself--so you might change your mind. Besides, Boston is home to Sam Adams, which is by far the best domestic beer in my opinion, and they have fresh summer ale, which they don't deliver much outside of Mass to my disappointment.

How many people are coming from abroad? Will you go and visit before you move? I know most people already talked about that but I'm lazy and don't feel like hunting through posts :roll:

[Guest Nadine]

Wow, our thread has 41 replies!

Debating, I do agree with you on the fact that spending most of our time on research and work is actually pretty terrible, but still, I will probably put work before anything else these two years. I'm not looking forward to stressing out, but I'm going into a huge amount of debt to put myself through a M.A. program, it's for the best that I do all that necessary to make myself an extremely prepared candidate for PhD application.

Well, I won't be visiting before I actually come to stay. And after what many people pitched in about graduate dorms, I feel like I really don't want to live there. Hopefully, I'll be able to find somewhere nice in the end.

By the way, what's the average age at grad school? Any ideas?

[Guest Debating]

26-28? This is a wild guess. I'm thinking most people take a year or two (or more) off before grad school, some don't, and then it takes an average of 6-7 years to complete (22+2+3 = 27, that's the reasoning behind my guess). But then there's also people on both sides of the spectrum, including people who've been married for a while with kids, and kids coming straight out of undegrad because they're afraid of the real world and 9-5 jobs (like me :oops: ).

I think people in academia don't care about age in general (at least I hope they don't) and I didn't notice the students in my department being segregated because of age, except for all the first years, but I guess that's freshman survival syndrome or something .

[Guest hydsnare]

hello all... will be going to the UMass PhD prgm in management this fall... i'm international and family wise i'm at one end of the spectrum - married + 2 kids... yes it shud be interesting to see how i will find that balance!! but i truly am looking forward to the prgm - its something i have wanted to do for a long time and for a variety of reasons it just all came together now... for all the international students - i'm told the respective countries student associations are a big help and sometimes even help with housing - so that wud be a resource to tap into... i did visit the campus last year and hv been reading about the school also. The chancellor John Lombardi does seem to be a maverick when it comes to funding and the plan to add 250 faculty members over the next 3-5 years augurs well (http://www.umass.edu/budget/250/index.html) ... especially after the buget cuts of about 3 years ago. I'm glad i discovered this site - its wonderful to see all this info and comments exchanged - especially when u are far removed both geographically and mentally from academia.UMass here we come :-)

[Guest Nadine]

hi hydsnare, welcome to this thread! I'm also coming from abroad, thinking about booking a flight for late July or Early August sometime soon.

Which airport are people coming most by? Someone recommanded Logan Airport, but that's kinda far from Amherst, about three hours. How about Bradley Intl Airport in CT? Does anyone know how it'll take to get to Amherst?

I checked out more housing on-line, it seems that vacancy in Amerst or Sunderland (more close-by area) are going down Not a very good sign, hope this is just temporary. Ids, did you visit Holyoke when you were in the area? I know that's kinda far from Amherst, but do you think it's still within good distance, that it won't be too troublesome to live there instead of somewhere closer?

[Debating]

Welcome hydsnare!

Nadine, I only have a flight booked to JFK, haven't quite decided what to do from there. I might just take the train to avoid another transfer :? I feel Holyoke is a bit too far away from the school for a comfortable commute, especially with your schedule being broken up because of classes, etc. but then it depends on which side of campus you're going to be at. I chose Sunderland because I'm in the north part so it's really close. Availability might be going down now but people from my department told me the most postings go up in July, so if what they say is true, I wouldn't be too worried...

[Guest Nadine]

Debating, I thought about JFK, since that's the biggest airport in that area, and I'm sure it'll be easy(and probably cost less) to book a flight from Taipei (that's where I'm at) to JFK, but it seems like a five hour trip from there to Amherst. That sound pretty bad, and worse when you've already traveled halfway around the glob.

Hmm...I never considered what part of the campus most of my classes are at, I should take a look. I hope July is the time when good housing opportunities show up. I have totally rejected the idea of graduate housing by now, since there's no kitchen, and I really need one of those.

Hey, I love you're little signature thing. It's funny but true. 8)

[Lila]

Hello hydsnare!

AMB: Very cool research interests.

Nadine: I, too, thought about flying into the Hartford airport. Right now, I'm trying to find the cheapest prices. I think it may be better to find cheaper prices for flying into New York and then taking a train. I'm coming from Berlin, Germany. About the average age of graduate students... It depends on the field. I would estimate that the average is around 27 or so. Although you may have some people in your cohort coming straight from undergrad, as far as I can tell, most have taken a few years off and worked. I'll be 23 when I enter graduate school. I got my MA from UCLA last year. I haven't taken anytime off... Actually, in a way, I have.

lds: It would be great for all of us to meet and get a drink in Amherst.

To anyone: Is Turners Falls too far of a commute? Gosh, finding an apartment is going to be rather arduous; I can tell already. There are a lot of roommate deals. Fewer deals for couples.

[Debating]

Yeah, looking for housing is pretty time-consuming, but I managed to do everything online, we just got approved today. I think it may be easier for me since we'll be getting an apartment so I could fax everything in and they're pretty good about helping people from out-of-state.

You are right, JFK is pretty far away, but that was the cheapest flight I could get (still a good 1300), and I wasn't sure where I'd be going when I bought it so it had to be a good large airport. Since I will be landing there anyway, I have the choice of either making another transfer or taking the train/bus, and honestly, I think it will end up being about the same amout of time. If you can find a cheap flight directly into Bradley, that's great, but I really doubt it :?

Lila, according to the map, Turners Falls is about 17 mi away, on a local route (don't know how bad trafic is).

We can all meet up and hit ABC when we get there .