Curriculum and Research at UMass- Amherst

Scibloke
Wed, 28 Jan 2015 05:20:55 +0000

I have gotten into the Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) at UMass- Amherst as a Freshman and have chosen a major in Physics. However, I have a few concerns that I hope someone could address.

1. I took a look at the Physics courses UMass offers but I am quite disappointed. There is no rigor. General Relativity is not taught at all and Quantum Mechanics is taught only in the fourth year whereas in Reed, Pomona and other liberal arts colleges, GR is taught at the undergraduate level. At the CHC, are students provided the opportunity to take graduate level courses without any hassle, or are extra courses provided at the CHC itself?

2. Is active research conducted at UMass? If so, at what level does research begin? Is it really research in the true sense of the word or is encouragement given to copying entire experiments from the Internet? Also, do undergraduates receive adequate time to engage in research?

3. Is freedom of speech given priority in UMass? Apart from my academic pursuits, I plan to do a few shows of stand-up comedy. Also, is the college crowd generally liberal or conservative?

Thanks.