UMass Amherst: Students 4 Real – David

Everyone asks me, usually during introductions:

“David, why do you like history so much?”

Well, I always respond with something my A.P. United States History teacher Mrs. Lynch said to all of her classes during the first week of school. “Without a past, there can be no future.” The events that have taken place throughout the world’s timeline will never cease to amaze me. Ever since I was able to read, I remember always having a history textbook next to my bed, reading and re-reading everything that happened from the first codification of law in the Babylonian Empire, to the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States.

With that being my personal interest in the major, the History department at UMass is very well organized and offers a wide variety of classes that range from “Western Thought Since 1600,” to “America in the Gilded Age.” The department also sends out a weekly email listing events that are relevant to the major, which allows students to take advantage of all the resources available to them in the history department.

So would you study history? If you are interested by in-depth lectures on world cultures, past events, and famous figures, history is right for you, as I know it is for me.

What an exciting weekend. I had the chance to experience what UMass Minutemen football will be like when we make the jump to the FBS division of football (Division I). The tailgate was very nice, great food and the chance to meet an innumerable amount of UMass AMherst alumni that also wanted to come and support their alma mater. Though the UNiversity of New Hampshire WIldcats came out on top for the second year in a row, this year was much closer than the previous Colonial Clash match up, and the Minutemen were almost able to pull out a victory, coming up just short, 27-21.

Though the weekend was fun, it’s back to school mode. This weekend is sure to be exciting, as Halloween is right around the corner. Celebrity Disc Jockey Afrojack is performing at the Mullins Center tomorrow night, which is sure to be exciting for those attending (I couldn’t get a ticket!).

After Halloween weekend, however, is when the true fun is going to start. Homecoming is the next weekend, with UMass holding homecoming events all weekend! I always loved homecoming at UMass ever since I was a freshman. Not only is there a home football game and tailgate, but it is a great way to get in touch with alumni from the school and get a chance to network with people who graduated with a similar, if not the same, degree that I am working to obtain.

A very cool aspect of homecoming this year is that UMass is bringing back the homecoming parade that used to be an annual event in the past. That is something that I circled on my schedule, for the sake of being part of an event that held a rich tradition at UMass. If you and your family and friends are planning on coming up, here is the schedule of events that I hope you find helpful:

Homecoming Events

Wow, this past weekend was really fun, especially since UMass ice hockey returned to the Mullins Center for another fun-filled and exciting season in the competitive Hockey East. The first game of the year definitely did not disappoint UMass fans, as the men’s ice hockey team dispatched Bentley by a final score of 5-3.

The atmosphere was really fun and exciting. The cheering waves of students in the stands, families in attendance cheering on UMass with their younger children present as well. My favorite part, the food, was it’s usual deep fried goodness.

The hockey game on Friday night was a welcomed option for me, as I had endless amount of papers that needed to be finished last week. Tuesday through Thursday was the closest thing to a campout at W.E.B. Dubois I have ever experienced, but the effort and time was worth it for the good grade that I hopefully am going to receive in the near future. Hockey definitely helped me cut loose a little bit.

Another weekend is in the books, that means I’m back in lectures and discussions for five days straight. Luckily I love my major and find class interesting, otherwise I think college would be a lot more difficult than it already is.

I would definitely recommend trying to make it out to Amherst for one of the UMass hockey games. Here’s a schedule to help out:

Happy Monday!

As expected, the beginning of the semester was not too hard to manage. A couple of readings for each class every week, then interesting discussions on the readings. I love that as a history major, exploring histories of countries on different continents, their culture, as well as military historical events, probably my favorite aspect of all.

But now that October is in full swing, I have been spending more time at DuBois library. A couple readings turned into a couple of papers per week, and I have finally hit my first two exams. Eastern European history, and Western Thought before 1600. Both are manageable (I just got out of my first test today, nailed it!) because I have been prepared well in advance.

A little review for each class every night, say about 30 minutes to an hour, is a lot easier to manage  compared to trying to cram in a month’s worth of information the night before. Believe me, I used to be the type of student to cram on the eve of a midterm, and it was very stressful.

“Will I pass?”

“I’m way too tired.”

“I think I studied the wrong material!”

Those were the thoughts running through my mind for my first couple of college caliber exams. My Peer Mentor that was on my floor in the Southwest Residence tower John Adams, witnessed me in my studious craze, calmed me down, and planned out a manageable study schedule for each week. Tests have been much easier to take in. One exam down, still one more to go, but I feel very confident I will pass with flying colors if I don’t cram the night before, and partition studying into easier periods (Which I have done of course!).

After the test however, I will be heading home to enjoy some time with the family for a long Columbus Day weekend. It was a hard decision as UMass football will be playing at McGuirk Stadium on Saturday, and I love watching the games. My mother reminded me though, “David, I’m sure there will be other games.”

I guess mother knows best, right?

So in college you know that most campuses around the nation have fraternities and sororities. We all know that a lot of these greek organizations get a bad wrap from movies such as Animal House, and isolated incidents on different campuses.

There is one huge area of greek life that most people choose not to notice, and that is philanthropy. Every house on the UMass Amherst campus is tied to a certain charitable organization. My fraternity, Theta Chi, in the past has worked with the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and several others.

With that being said, a lot of philanthropy events have already taken place, with a few more on schedule in the coming weeks. Theta Chi put it’s motto “Lend the helping hand” into action, and the brothers pitched in on Friday and Saturday (September 9th and 10th) to help out the annual event on the Amherst town green, “Trash for Treasures”. They helped move old unwanted furniture that was resold to people’s cars, and helped organize the display.

Alpha Chi Omega, a sorority on campus, is planning on a dodgeball tournament called, “Dodge Against Domestic Violence”. The dodgeball charity event asks for individuals to donate only three dollars per person, and it’s a fun way to help raise money for a good cause.

With all the individual efforts taking place to raise funds for various charities, one would think that would be enough right?

Wrong!

The Greek community, as an annual event, get together sometime near the end of the semester, and have a dance marathon in the Student Union. The event is called UDance, and it helps to raise awareness for the Children’s Miracle Network. The 12 hour dance marathon features different pairings of fraternities and sororities performing dance skits, and it is something that is really fun to be a part of. People are usually charged five dollars at the door, which goes to the Children’s Miracle Network. A great event for a great cause. I will definitely be updating during UDance, be sure of that.

So going greek at college is not all about the parties. Plenty of great aspects of being in a fraternity or sorority. If you do not  believe me, check it out for yourself! I guarantee that any greek organization on this campus will be more than willing to open it’s doors if you feel that you want to look around.

Happy Monday to everyone!

First I would like to congratulate the UMass football team on taking care of business on Saturday, and defeating  the University of Rhode Island 36-27. It was really great to watch. The Fall weather mixed with the thousands of students showing off their maroon and white school spirit, it was a sight to behold.

Sadly, back in the reality of academics, I have three papers due this week. On the bright side, the prompts for the papers are very interesting, and none are required to be more than five pages long. I am most excited about writing for my History 393 class, the study of Central and Eastern Europe. Though it is the longest of the three papers I have been assigned, it is probably the one that I will have the most fun with typing.

All these papers can really pressure a student. Luckily UMass has an answer for that problem as well! Try electing to take a course pass/fail. Instead of receiving a specific grade for a class, you can take pass/fail. The instructor will evaluate your work if it is up to his or her standards, and if they deem it adequate, they will pass you. It is a stress free way to make a semester just a little bit easier, but as every student here knows, even a little bit easier helps a lot!.

Staying stress free is important at college, especially since each semester is months long, and an individual can burn out quickly if not balancing academics and fun. Myself, as an example, did some light reading homework last night (Sunday), then met up with my friends and watched The Lion King in 3-D. It took my mind off of school for a while, and was just plain enjoyable. Being able to balance the academics and social aspects of school help me stay fresh and eager to learn at each and every class. It is just a suggestion but try it out a few times, you might like it!

Well first week is over, but who says the fun has to stop?

I personally have been looking forward to this weekend. Not just because I get to blast that ridiculous Rebecca Black song, but because I am excited the events that UMass has set up to entertain it’s students. Tomorrow night, I will going to the Guster concert that is in the Fine Arts Center. For those of you who do not know who Guster is, it’s a band that was predominantly popular during the 1990s, but still one of my favorites. It’s only five dollars to get in, which is great on a college students budget.

Then Sunday night, I think I might make an appearance at the Cape Cod lounge located in the student union, and enjoy a late night movie before getting ready for classes on Monday.The late night movie is a great idea because it gives students a chance to see movies that are not in theaters anymore, but not out on DVD or Blu-ray. If you excuse me, I have to go finish up some readings for a couple of history classes, then it’s off to dinner for my friend’s birthday! This looks like a good weekend to me!

So, the first day of classes has finally arrived and I can not be more excited. Meeting new people and new teachers is something that never gets old for me. There is, however, something that does get old, and that is finding and buying all the textbooks that I need for the semester, it is a serious pain.

There are so many options when it comes to textbooks, as I have found out over the last two years. The textbook annex on campus has a bulk of all the books one may need in a concentrated area. In the town of Amherst, off campus, many book stores carry the books that students need and are encouraged to buy their books there instead of from the textbook annex. I have personally began buying my books from an online source (Amazon.com in my case), and found it much easier and economically friendly  since my mother has a membership, thus receiving good deals on a large quantity of books, and trust me as a history major, my book list is very long.

For those of you who have a tighter budget and are strapped for cash,you can buy used, you can rent books for the semester. Renting textbooks because it is affordable for all and can potentially save paper, since there would be less demand for textbooks due to the books being handed down throughout the years. At the end of the year UMass has stations set up around campus to sell their books from the year or return ones that they had rented from the school, and there are multiple locations, thus it is more convenient for the student.

In other news, the UMass football team one their opener of the season, which I am very excited about. The beat Holy Cross 24-16. The win is a good start for the team, and they also jumped in the FCS standings to number 21 in the top 25. Good job Minutemen! Keep up the strong play!

It is that time of year again! Can you feel it? I sure can. IT’S FOOTBALL!! I can not wait for the the lively atmosphere of such a physical game, not to mention the tailgating environment. The hotdogs and hamburgers, corn hole tosses, and not to mention the fans that go above and beyond to paint their bodies all Minutemen colors. It certainly is a great time, and something for every student to enjoy on Saturday afternoons.

Not only does UMass Amherst have a rich academic tradition, we also have prominent reputation as a Division I athletics program. UMass has multiple division I sport teams including ice hockey, basketball, soccer, and their newest member football.

The decision made by UMass is a gradual transition, however, with the football team not moving to the Mid American Conference (MAC) until Fall 2012. Also McGuirk Stadium, The current home of the Minutemen, will be replaced by Gillette Stadium, a football stadium that many of you already know is home to the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

I have been told by fellow students however, that fan buses will be provided for the students to get to Foxborough and back to show the football team the amount of support it deserves. Personally I am very excited for our football program to move to the FBS and test their talents against the so-called “Big Boys” of NCAA football. This move could really put UMass Amherst on the map with a reputation of a developing athletic powerhouse.

The games at McGuirk stadium have a lively atmosphere as it is, which can only lead me to imagine how crazy a huge stadium such as Gillette stadium has. Needless to say, something that I have been excited about since I moved in as a freshman, the move to a larger limelight would show everyone what a great school UMass is. September 17th is a date circled on my calendar, as all of you could probably guess, when I get to watch our football team take on the University of Rhode Island, come out on top, and then it is on to the next one!

If you want to view a full schedule of the football team in their quest for a championship, here is the link:

http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/umas-m-footbl-sched.html

I am sure that if I asked, a majority of people would say that they have seen a movie that had a “college-esque” theme to it. While the majority of these movies focus on partying and having a wild night, there are some aspects of these movies that hold some truth in regards to what someone can expect from their freshman or pre-requisite classes. Such as the big “boring” lecture halls.

For a majority of you attending UMass Amherst for the first time, you will be experiencing at least one of the stereotypical large lecture halls that can seat hundreds of students at once. Though this may be the case, UMass has a twist for these large classes in the form of an extra session for each class, referred to as a discussion.

The discussion is a more personable environment in which a student is really able to showcase their individual knowledge and understanding of the material being covered during the lecture sections. You may think that now you have finished high school, participation is not a key part to your overall grade at the end of the semester, but that is far from the truth. Teaching Assistants that aid the professor with these smaller discussion groups look for students with an overall understanding of the specific material being covered, and there is no better way to display your personal knowledge, than by raising your hand and giving your opinion.

From personal experience, I always enjoyed discussion sections of classes. Being a history major, a lot of the answers and opinions in my department’s classes can be debated or further elaborated. For example, if I answered that the United States’ Declaration of Independence  was signed in 1776, another student could elaborate on who signed the document, where it was signed, and for what purpose. Thus instead of just getting a date imprinted into my head for an exam, everyone in the discussion session would have a grasp of the topic, not just topical information.

Here are  some tips for you during your first few large lecture hall classes:

1. Try and sit front and center, it may not be the best place to have a mid-lecture chat, but you will hear the professor more clearly as opposed to sitting in the back of the room, thus getting the information that you are taking the class for easier.

2. Introduce yourself to your instructor and teaching assistant. A personal introduction would go miles for a student. It indicates to the instructor and assistant that you are ready to learn, and it could help knowing them on a personal level if any conflicts with class attendance arise.

3. Participate actively. A majority of my classes have had my grade quite dependent on participation, between 10 and 15% more specifically. Participating in class can really save a grade if you did not do as well on an exam or paper.

Hope those tips are helpful!