From Small Liberal Arts School to Big University: What I Didn’t Expect

When I transferred to UMass Amherst this spring, I knew the jump from a 2,000-person campus to one with over 30,000 students would be extreme. The shift has been a culture shock, but one I’ve welcomed with open arms. 

Surprisingly, the biggest difference wasn’t the size itself, but rather everything that came along with it. From lecture halls filled with hundreds of students to the constant activity on campus, I quickly realized that adjusting meant I would have to re-learn my place in a much bigger space. 

One of the first things I noticed was how anonymous I felt. It seemed like nobody was paying attention to me, which may sound like a bad thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by how comforting it was to feel like nobody was watching my every move, waiting to judge me. At my previous school, it was almost impossible to go anywhere without running into someone I knew. Now I can go an entire day surrounded by thousands of people and not recognize a single face. 

You might expect this to get lonely, but for me, it’s been the opposite. At my old school, I would often feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness even when being surrounded by familiar faces. The smaller size created a social environment where everyone settled into their groups quickly; it was rare for people to branch out beyond the friends they made the first week of freshman year. Social circles felt fixed, news travelled fast, and it typically seemed like everyone knew everyone else’s business, kind of like high school.

At UMass, I have never felt unwelcome in a space, even if that space is filled with strangers. There’s a kind of freedom in that anonymity. I’ve noticed it’s much more common to do things independently here, whereas at my previous school, everything felt like it had to be done with someone by your side, as if being alone would make you stand out and feel like an outcast in such a “tight-knit” community. Being part of a larger university has pushed me to become more independent, something I didn’t realize I needed. 

Another unexpected advantage of a big university is the number of opportunities and resources at your fingertips. You might assume that in a place this large, it’s easy to feel like just a number, but I feel more connected to university culture and my career goals than ever before. At my previous school, there was a strong emphasis on small class sizes, and the idea that no one “falls between the cracks,” but at times, that felt more like a selling point than a reality. At UMass, even though these values are less emphasized, I have experienced them more genuinely than in the institution that marketed them so heavily.

I came here worried that I would be behind academically, professionally, and socially. But these fears quickly faded as I settled in and found myself surrounded by people who seemed like they genuinely wanted me to succeed. 

I don’t regret my time at my old school; I met some really great friends through my experiences there. However, I am forever grateful that I decided to take a leap into the unknown for the sake of my academic and career goals. UMass becoming a new home to me was certainly an added bonus! If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that taking a risk on yourself, even if it feels uncertain, can lead to opportunities that never would have been possible otherwise. And sometimes, the things you don’t expect end up being exactly what you’ve been needing.

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