This document serves to hold a lot of information that might be hard to find for UMass Amherst incoming freshmen or transfer students. There are many links and sources to each finding. Do not use this as a canonical reference sheet for all things UMass – some things may be outdated.

Last updated: 2024.06.18

Before UMass #

Important Websites and Applications #

This is a list of websites and applications that might be useful to either familiarize yourself with or download prior to UMass.

1. Canvas: Most of your classes will have their class portal here. This is where you will view most of your course modules, important documents, etc. Starting in Fall 2024, Canvas was made the official learning management system (LMS). Previously, it used to accompany Moodle/Moonami and Blackboard.

2. SPIRE: Most of your UMass important things will be here, i.e. final exam schedule, class schedule, class enrollment, on-campus housing selection, UCard/Spire ID information, making roommate groups, etc.

3. GET: Website to view transaction history, UDebit balance, meal swipes left, Dining Dollar balance, etc. You can also deposit money into your UDebit balance here. There is also a mobile app called GET Mobile.

   1. GET App: Mobile application ver. of the GET website mentioned in above question. View transaction history, UDebit balance, meal swipes left, Dining Dollar balance, etc. Reload your UDebit balance here.

4. UMass Dining: Menu for every place on campus, includes the time they’re open, where they are, etc. The mobile app (UMass Dining) also shows how busy an area is via livestream cameras.

   1. UMass Dining Application: Menu for every place on campus, includes the time they’re open, where they are, how busy it is, etc. If you have dietary restrictions, the ingredients for each dish is also listed and you can personalize your own menu based off your dietary restrictions (be careful regardless, it isn’t super vigilant about reporting these things).

5. Academic Calendar: Tells you the academic year calendar. Useful for checking what schedule we follow after academic holidays, when breaks are, etc.

6. UMass Amherst Zoom: If you need to login to a Zoom/online meeting with your UMass email, login here. It’s very common for you to be unable to login to Zoom classes or recordings due to your default email on your browser not being your umass[dot]edu email, so you can login here.

7. Patient Portal: This is where you will put your immunizations and other vaccine information.

8. Navigate: This is where you will make advising appointments (graduate school, general guidance, honors requirements, major requirements, etc).

9. Transit or Google Maps: For bus schedules and routes.

10. SpeedQueen Application: If you put in your residence hall, you can see which laundry machines (both washer and dryer) are currently occupied and how much time they have left until their cycles finish. Useful for when you need to do laundry and to figure out when there’s machines free.

Communication with UMass and Peers #

There are several ways to communicate with UMass and the community:

1. Your UMass (@umass.edu) email
2. r/umass
3. UMass Amherst Instagram @umass
4. UMass Discord Student Hub

Majors & Minors #

Exploratory Track #

“The University of Massachusetts Amherst recognizes many of our incoming first-year students would benefit from learning more about all majors offered on campus that may be a good fit for their academic interests and aspirations. To this end, the university has implemented an Exploratory Track program to better serve students who are either undecided with their choice of major or did not receive direct acceptance into their first choice major. The Exploratory Track program will assist students with their consideration and ultimate declaration of a major based on their interest, eligibility, and academic proficiency.” (Source)

Dual Degree #

A dual degree is different than a double major. Double majors only require you to finish 120 credits total. Dual degrees require you to do the major requirements for both majors and finish 150 credits total.

Minors #

A minor is to demonstrate interest or proficiency in some field. A lot of classes are restricted to the major that the course is for, but minors can get into some (i.e. art minors can take art major classes). You do not get a paper/diploma that says your minor when you graduate. In order to declare a minor, you must reach out to the department. You need to fill out a minor intent form for what department you’re looking to minor in. If it gets approved, then you are good!

Classes #

Transferring Credit #

There are many ways to transfer credit to UMass, i.e. via Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores, International Baccalaureate (IB) exam scores, SAT II test scores, other college credit, etc. You need to know if the credit that you have is able to be transferred to UMass. This website details all information about what counts and what does not.

For example, use this table to check to see if your AP test score meets the requirements for its equivalent course. You usually need a score of 3 or 4-5.

Obtaining Class Required Materials (Textbooks, etc.) #

In order to see what textbooks or other required materials (i.e. student poll participation devices like iClickers) are required for your class, you can view them by

Go on SPIRE > click “Manage Classes” > ensure you’re in the “Classes & Finals Schedule” category > click “View My Classes” > near the top of the web page, click on the “View/Purchase Textbooks” link.

Some things on the View/Purchase Textbooks page might mention homework access codes. An access code is a code that you input to some online portal to access your homework. This is pretty common for math classes. You must buy these in order to do your homework.

Some of you guys might have heard about iClickers – An iClicker is a remote device that allows you to answer multiple choice questions during lectures (potential answers listed from A-E). DO NOT BUY AN ICLICKER IF YOU DO NOT NEED ONE! They are expensive devices, and sometimes the online iClicker website can act as a free substitute to the physical handheld device. I have only taken two CS classes that required an iClicker. Some classes and majors may vary, but do not buy if you do not need!

Required Classes #

At UMass, there are two different types of requirements you need to meet to graduate. You need to fulfill your major requirements as well as a set of general education requirements, or gen-eds for short. Major requirements depend on your major, and you can talk to your student advisor to ask what classes are on the track. Gen-eds encompass a variety of different categories, which are elaborated on in the next section.

General Education Classes #

You need to take at least one class of each of the following categories:

• College Writing (CW)
• Junior Year Writing (JYW)
• R1 – ?
• R2 – ?
• Biological Science (BS)
• Physical Science (PS)
• Art/Literature (AT/AL)
• Historical Science (HS)
• Social & Behavioral Science (SB)
• +1 more class that is either AT/AL, HS, or SB
• Diversity US (DU)
• Diversity Global (DG)

In some special cases, there are gen-ed classes that cover two general education requirements, such as COMPLIT-131, which covers ALDG (AL (literature) and DG (diversity global)). You can check what class covers what general education requirement by looking at this table.

Here is a PDF to track which gen-ed classes you’ve taken.

Living #

Packing #

Here is a list that UMass provides for what to pack. This list also includes what not to bring.

Furniture #

Each dorm on campus is equipped with some basic furniture (re: UMass):

• Single bed frame (bed height can be adjusted from 5" to 30" off the ground)
• Twin XL mattress (mattress dimensions - 80" long x 36" wide)
• Desk and chair
• Bookcase/shelf
• Bureau
• Wardrobe or closet

If you want the bed higher, there are lofting kits that you can borrow during move-in. If you want to swap out any furniture (like if you wanted your own chair for some reason), you can talk to your dorm’s residential service desk to potentially hold onto your original room’s furniture while you use your own.

Internet #

There is no Ethernet at UMass. Upon coming onto campus, you cannot sign into the “eduroam” network, which is the standard network for all students. You are, however, allowed to sign into the “UMASS” guest network. While connected to the “UMASS” guest network, you must download the JoinNow setup wizard. The rest of these instructions depend on what device you’re connecting, so view here.

If you have a gaming console or some streaming device, follow this separate guide to connect your device to the “UMASS-DEVICES” network.

Residential Areas and Residential Halls #

There are 7 residential areas, which are groupings of different halls in different places on campus. They are:

• Central
• Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (CHCRC) available only for people in the Commonwealth Honors College (CHC).
• Northeast (NE)
• Orchard Hill (OHill)
• Southwest (SW or SWEST)
• Sylvan
• North

In each residential area, there are a number of different halls, or dorm halls. Here are pictures of each area.

Residential Communities (Special Housing, RAPs, DRCs) #

If you want to live in a specific area, unfortunately there is not much way to ensure it, since there is a preference application you must submit if you are a first-year. Alternatives to these are special housing options, Residential Academic Programs, and Defined Residental Communities.

Special Housing Options #

There are special housing options you can select during the Housing Preference application such as:

• 24-HR quiet floors
• alcohol-free
• break housing
• economy triple
• expanded housing
• gender inclusive
• single-sex housing
• Spectrum (LGBTQA community)

Residential Academic Programs #

RAPs (Residential Academic Programs) are living campus communities that people can apply for when they are a first-year student. They are based in specific dorm halls. All information about RAPs are in that link, i.e. how to join one, what ones are available, etc.

Defined Residential Communities (DRCs) #

Explanation of a DRC:

“Defined Residential Communities (DRCs) are communities in residence halls where students can live with hall mates who share similar interests, backgrounds, and identities. The DRCs were originally created by UMass Amherst students and today serve as living and learning communities that support personal growth and academic success.

These communities are not restricted by major and are open to all sophomore, junior and senior students interested in the particular focus area. DRCs are an ideal choice for students who are looking for a dynamic, hands-on way to learn about the variety of cultures and lifestyles represented at UMass Amherst.” (Source)

Generally, DRCs are for upperclassmen.

Central Residential Area #

“Close to mid-campus lies the Central Residential Area which is made up of nine traditionally-styled buildings. All Central residence halls are coed. However, Van Meter Hall has several female-only floors and male-only floors; Brett Hall is barrier-free and fully accessible for students with disabilities. Brett also offers Break (9-month) Housing (September through May).” (Source)

Features:

• 4 first-year halls: Butterfield, Gorman Hall, Van Meter Hall, Wheeler Hall
• 5 multi-year halls: Baker, Brett, Brooks, Chadbourne, Greenough
• Specialty housing: Spectrum residential community
• Greenough Sub Shop (student-run business)
• Josephine White Eagle Native American Cultural Center in Chadbourne
• New Africa House - The W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies
• there’s also an art gallery in here!

Close to:

• Franklin (“Frank”) Dining Commons
• Morill Science Center
• University Health Services (UHS)

Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (CHCRC) #

“The first of its kind at UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (CHCRC) sits in the heart of campus, close to classrooms, the main library, and the Recreation Center. CHCRC creates a place for honors students to call home and for all of the campus to enjoy.” (Source)

Features:

• 2 first-year halls: Oak and Sycamore
• 4 multi-year halls: Birch, Elm, Linden, Maple
• honors advising center
• CHC dean’s office and staff office
• faculty office
• 9 classrooms (in Elm)
• Roots Cafe

Close to:

• library
• recreation center (gym)
• student union
• Mullins center
• fields
• Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center

Multi-year halls have suites (suite-style and apartment-style). Suites have private bathrooms (toilet, shower, 2 sinks, large mirror) and common rooms. They are made up of double-style rooms and single-style rooms in each suite. Apartment-style suites come with a kitchen (fridge, oven, stove-top, kitchen sink, countertop, cabinets, microwave) as well as a kitchen table with 4 chairs. These are often not available to freshmen. Sophomores+ usually get this.

Northeast Residential Area (NE) #

“The Northeast Residential Area is comprised of nine traditionally-styled buildings that form a quadrangle around a large grassy area known as the “Quad”. Knowlton Hall has a barrier-free and accessible entrance.” (Source)

Features:

• 6 first-year halls: Crabtree, Dwight, Hamin, Leach, Mary Lyon, Knowlton
• 3 multi-year halls: Johnson, Lewis, Thatcher
• DRC: Asian/Asian American Student Program in Lewis
• Volleyball court

Close to:

• Campus Center
• College of Engineering
• College of Education
• School of Public Health & Health Sciences
• Totman Gym
• Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center
• Worcester Dining Commons

Orchard Hill Residential Area (OHill) #

“Overlooking campus, amid rolling hills and apple trees, is the Orchard Hill Residential Area. The area consists of four residence halls surrounding a central grassy area known as “The Bowl.” Each residence hall has seven floors with two corridors on each floor branching off from the lobby/elevator area in the center of the floor.” (Source)

Features:

• 2 first-year halls: Dickinson, Webster
• 2 multi-year halls: Grayson, Field
• Sweets n’ More (student-run business) in Field

Close to:

• Morrill Science Center
• University Health Services (UHS)
• Franklin Dining Commons
• Worcester Dining Commons

The double rooms feature: long desk (cannot be removed), floating shelf, 2 beds, 2 walk-in closets (hanging-bar, vanity w/ mirror, 3 drawers, cubbies), 2 windows (w/ blinds, can be opened), 2 rolling plastic chairs. OhillDouble Video that shows an old dorm 360 - no furniture is included except for what is mentioned above.

Southwest Residential Area (Swest, SW) #

“The Southwest Residential Area, the largest on campus, houses 5,500 students in its five high-rise towers, and eleven low-rise residence halls. All buildings are coed, although many offer single sex floors. Break Housing is available in James and Prince.” (Source)

Features:

• 8 first-year halls: Melville, Thoreau, Pierpont , Moore, James, Emerson, Kennedy (tower), Cance
• 8 multi-year halls: Coolidge (tower), Crampton, John Adams, John Quincy Adams (tower), MacKimmie, Patterson, Prince, Washington (tower)
• DRC: Harambee (African Heritage Student Program) in Coolidge, El Barrio Community in Washington
• Student Leadership Center in Moore Hall

Close to:

• Hampden Student Center
• Latin American Cultural Center
• Malcolm X Cultural Center
• Southwest Area Government offices
• Boyden Gym
• Isenberg School of Management
• Hampshire Dining Commons
• Berkshire Dining Commons

Sylvan Residential Area #

“Sylvan Residential Area offers suite-style living in a shady wooded area. Each residence hall contains 64 suites. Some suites are all-male, some all-female and some are co-ed. Each suite is a mixture of double and single rooms, a common bathroom, and a common living room. Suites accommodate from six to eight residents. Break Housing option is available in Cashin Hall.” (Source)

Features:

• 3 halls: Brown, Cashin, McNamara
• suite-style halls (6-8 people each)
• transfer/RFYE (residential first-year experience) in McNamara
• basketball court
• Sylvan Snack Bar (student-run business) in McNamara basement
• wooded trails

Close to:

• College of Education
• Totman Gym
• Worcester Dining Commons

North Apartments #

“Imagine living on campus, with all the UMass Amherst resources close at hand, but with the independence of apartment living.

Transportation is easy when you can walk out your door and be right in the center of campus. A kitchen equipped with microwave, stove, and a full sized refrigerator means you can cook and eat exactly what you like. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms allow for convenience and privacy, plus a fully furnished living room to study and socialize.” (Source)

Essentially just apartments on campus. Find furnishings, facilities, occupancy period, payment schedule, cooking & dining, etc. on the above website.

Public Bathrooms #

Some people are uneasy about public bathrooms in college. Hopefully this information is helpful.

People like to bring a shower caddy to carry all the things you’d need to shower with to the public bathrooms, i.e. shampoo, conditioner, etc. It is best if this material is mesh or breathable fabric, otherwise there will be mildew.

Make sure that you bring shower shoes and towels to the bathroom. Ideally, make sure your shower shoes are made of rubber (NOT FOAM!) for the same reason as the shower caddy.

Showers at UMass typically have hooks nearby so that you can hang your towels and caddies. Please be courteous to others and not leave anything in the bathrooms when you’re done.

Laundry #

Bring laundry detergent (either actual detergent or tide pods). Fabric softener and dryer sheets are optional.

There are laundry rooms in each residential area with both washers and dryers. You can use the mobile app SpeedQueen (as mentioned earlier) and input your residence hall to see which machines are available/in-use and how much time they have left.

See more information on how to do laundry and pay for it here.

Residential Assistants (RAs) #

“Resident Assistants are live-in student staff members in our residence halls. Resident Assistants (RAs) play an important role in Residential Life and are a vital resource for many members of the campus community. They serve as role models and leaders on the floors in all of our residence halls on campus.

RAs are primarily responsible for community development and student learning initiatives with a focus on promoting community engagement, academic preparedness, cultural competence, and personal responsibility. These goals are accomplished through building individual connections with residents, creating engaging informational bulletin boards, and hosting initiatives in the halls.

RAs also serve on duty in the residence halls, responding to incidents to provide support and referrals to residents in need.” (Source)

Transportation #

Most students worry about not being able to get to their classes on time when there are only 15 minutes of leeway between each class. Generally, this is never an issue if you’re walking. People also take buses across campus (and you can check the status and routes of each bus with the Transit app or the Google Maps/Apple Maps app). The bus system around UMass is called the PVTA (Pioneer Valley Transport Authority) of Western Massachusetts. The buses can also take you outside of campus to places like Target and Big Y (grocery store).

UCards and Dorm Keys #

Your student ID that basically lets you into everywhere (dining halls, your dorm building, etc…). If you lose your UCard, see this information on getting replacement UCards or temporary meal cards.

If you are locked out of your dorm, you must call your residential service desk (RSD) or your RA. This will incur a cost. See fees here.

Getting a lanyard or something similar helps not lose your UCard or dorm key.

Methods of Payment #

Note: this information is outdated in terms of laundry

There are multiple different types of payment that can be done with your UCard:

1. meal swipes (for dining commons)
2. dining dollars (for non-dining commons)
3. and UDebit.

Meal swipes: To get into a dining hall and actually be able to get food, you need to tap your UCard and use a “meal swipe” to get in. Dining halls are basically buffet-style, where you go to each station and get what food you want. Depending on your meal plan, that’s how many meal swipes you will have. See more information about what each plan comes with and pricing.

Dining dollars are additional dining spending money that comes with some select meal plans that you can use at different places around UMass. There are places on campus that do not accept dining hall meal swipes that come with residential meal plans: Blue Wall (almost restaurant-style food), Harvest Market, and different cafes around campus. You need to use dining dollars, UDebit, or your own money (cash, credit) for these places.

UDebit is stranger and is used for many different things. It essentially functions similar to a debit card where you can pay for many things like items at the UMass store, cafes, Blue Wall, vending machines, etc. You can add more to your balance using the GET website or GET App.

Food and Meals #

There are 4 dining halls:

• Worcester (“Woo”)
• Franklin (“Frank”)
• Hampshire (“Hamp”)
• and Berkshire (“Berk”).

They are located in these spots.

They typically have a lot of the same foods across each day (check the menu), but they usually do offer different meal courses. See menus here.

They all open at 7:00 AM but their closing times depends on their location. Cafes and other locations operate differently.

Student-Run (Food) Businesses #

There are a lot of student-run food businesses on campus. One of my favorites was People’s Market (located in the Student Union, on the side close to the Campus Pond). A nice self-serve cafe. I liked their oat milk chai and asiago bagels. There is also Sweets n’ More in Orchard Hill’s Field Hall. They have good milkshakes.

Each student business usually has an Instagram page you can look up to find their times and what they are serving.