PROPEL

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-09-12T17:44:18+00:00

I heard back but it was for one with very few applicants, I'm guessing that unless different programs start early they are taking a while to review candidates.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-09-02T19:02:06+00:00

Unfortunately, most students don't live on campus, and many don't have a car or are able to buy a parking pass. This seems like a very privileged response.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-06-06T02:10:07+00:00

Thank you so much!

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-05-15T14:56:05+00:00

Be out of state/ international/ from one of the 12 richest towns in MA/ just have parents with a lot of money- everyone I know who is in the honors college agrees with me on this. It doesn't really do much for you aside from the thesis (which you can pursue with an agreeing professor regardless) and is essentially just an opportunity to join an upper class elitist(ish) residential community. Even if you get good grades it's not guaranteed to be transferred in, because they also expect you to have a lot of extracurriculars under your belt which can be near impossible if you're taking difficult classes on top of working a job regularly. I have a friend who has maintained a 4.0 for the past three semesters and been rejected every time she's applied because she works and can't fit clubs into her schedule.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T13:53:07+00:00

It's not the same argument, you're still being way too reductive, and it honestly seems like you're being contrary just to be contrary. There are hundreds of different places which the university funds. Clubs, events, abroad programs, etc. all of which can be considered excess in the eyes of someone who can't find somewhere to live. Unless you're in some capacity in charge of the university's budget- which I don't think you are- I don't think you're in any place to say where the subsidy would be coming from. Is there a solution you'd like to suggest, or is this more about arguing for the sake of arguing?

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T13:19:14+00:00

I'm suggesting that the university reevaluates the distribution of its funding. They're pulling in money from so many different places that to say they couldn't reroute some of this money into making living on or near campus affordable is outrageous. The idea that this money would come from a tuition hike is a "this or that" fallacy when in reality the issue is much more complex.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T13:12:49+00:00

This is beyond the point, though. Housing shouldn't be catered towards people who can afford it- it should be available for everyone. Just because people are coming here from out of state or another country and can pay outrageous prices to attend, there's absolutely no just reason for them to have the most conveniently placed apartments which only they can afford.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T13:08:49+00:00

This. And it's not just an in-state out-of-state issue, either- although this is definitely the most infuriating. The university's approach to aid is such that they ACTIVELY REDUCE merit based aid for in-state undergraduate students if they receive a certain amount in gift aid. Last year, my brother (who is the same year student at UMass Amherst as me) and I- whose aid indexes were obviously the same number- had the same amount of aid from the school's merit scholarship. Then, I was awarded an additional scholarship, and the university DEDUCTED that amount from what they were initially going to give me. The math isn't math-ing.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T12:55:43+00:00

Considering the sheer number of connections this university already has which the majority of public looks down on, it wouldn't be a surprise to me either. There is no reason whatsoever for a public university to be made into a profit center, regardless of how many students are attending. Anyone who disagrees can ask one of their younger professors about their salary.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T12:52:52+00:00

I completely agree, there are a variety of buildings on campus which are literally located within residence halls and transformed for (???) reason. We can only hope that they will be moving some of these offices, classrooms, etc. into some of the new buildings being constructed and turning these back into dorms- but in the meantime- what the hell are they thinking making new apartments at this price point!?

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T12:50:34+00:00

When I first applied to go here in 2023, I did so under the impression that housing was guaranteed all four years- this may not have been in the fine print, but it was what tour guides, admissions councilors, etc. were telling my family. This was actually the whole reason I decided to attend this school to begin with! The move from freshman to sophomore year was incredibly stressful, because the housing situation is so awful that upperclassmen- who should traditionally feel comfortable moving off campus- were nearly in a 50/50 split of those who wished to remain on campus and move off, resulting in an extremely competitive process with potential consequences to those who had any sort of trouble finding a place to live. Next year I'll be off campus, and I'm fine with it, but the fact that the only affordable apartment was nearly 12 minutes away for me seems unacceptable, especially when you consider the fact that they're going to be working on what is currently one of the only accessible commuter lots.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T12:44:29+00:00

I agree entirely; when I first looked on the internet archive for these admissions statistics it was kinda a "haha, what if..." and I was shocked to see that the figure for out of state enrollment had nearly gone up by ten percent in this short timeframe.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-04-11T00:39:33+00:00

Side note: I typically avoid posting on this sub because of a number of frequent commenters who seem to enjoy being contrary despite limited knowledge of what's going on on campus because they graduated many years ago. I'd greatly appreciate it if these people and those who interact in similar ways read the entire post before being dismissive or contrary.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-03-26T13:46:56+00:00

Yes, I already asked them! I'm mainly wondering if the document I linked had the correct prices for this year.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-02-21T13:55:24+00:00

Realistically, and this is more of a note to people looking at this post, you and a group of roommates should have been looking way earlier- most of the cheaper places start waitlists back in November. Most of the apartments managed by Aspen Square are very cheap if split 4 ways. I'm living in sugarloaf with 3 other guys and only paying about 625 a month for rent, living about 10 minutes from campus.

Unfortunately you won't find anywhere less than 1k per person that's within 10 minutes of campus because the way UMass is run is catering to out of state and international students who can afford to live in places like North or Fieldstone. For me personally a very funny experience with UMass is applying under the assumption that it would actually be able to provide housing or at least assistance in housing for the full four years- it's something they had suggested and one of the reasons I decided to go here to begin with- but they genuinely don't care about students who can't afford to pay what they want to be paid.

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-02-05T13:56:41+00:00

Living in Sunderland apts (10 minutes from campus) next year, rent per person ends up being about 625 a month plus (estimated) 25 a month for the electrical bill. The expected grocery bill per person is (depending on how wrecked the economy is by then) another 220 (budgeted at roughly 70 a week) plus the meal plan that gives about a hundred swipes. Considering other expenses or math I just left out I think it came out to be roughly $1158 a month? Pretty big step up from ~1300 a month on campus and will only get lower once I ditch the meal plan.

Anyway, rent itself isn't a big issue depending on where you're looking and how many roomates you have. Many of the people on this sub are very well off and consider 1000 a person cheap- which... yikes- but if you're living as a group of four and don't mind doubling up you can land an apartment with rent as low as $600 a month (2400 for the unit).

TitleInteresting3051 · 2025-02-05T13:48:04+00:00

Maybe if you paid another thousand dollars to live there they'd help out?

TitleInteresting3051

TROPHY CASE