<p>
Tuition may be dirt-cheap at $1714, but tuition+fees is over $12,000. Maybe you consider $12K cheap too. [Tuition</a> and Fees | UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.umass.edu/admissions/facts-and-figures/tuition-and-fees]Tuition”>http://www.umass.edu/admissions/facts-and-figures/tuition-and-fees)</p>
<p>
UMass is about 20% minority, where minority = African-American, Latino/a, Asian and Native American: [Student</a> Body and Admissions Statistics | UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.umass.edu/admissions/facts-and-figures/student-body-and-admissions-statistics]Student”>http://www.umass.edu/admissions/facts-and-figures/student-body-and-admissions-statistics)</p>
<p>I don’t know what the breakdown is for each, you can probably find it on the web site somewhere.</p>
<p>
You can join the honors college later if you keep a 3.2 GPA. UMass gives very little in merit aid to in-state students.</p>
<p>
It’s not like it is a slum. Does this really matter that much to you?</p>
<p>
You can party or not, it is entirely up to you.</p>
<p>
My S goes there, and there’s a bunch of kids from his school there. He rarely sees them.</p>
<p>I think UMass is much better academically than UVM. If rankings make you feel better, the “Times Higher Education World University Ranking” puts UMass at #36 in the US, and #17 or so of public universities in the US. UVM did not make the top 400.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html[/url]”>http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html</a></p>