AMHERST — They came with futons, minifridges and school supplies, filling up empty parking lots with cars. They came with open minds, eager to learn.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst whirred with activity over Labor Day weekend as new and returning students arrived on campus.
Cole Martens has been back at UMass since June, working as a tour guide for the school.
The campus has been sleepy during the summer months, he said, but that has now changed.
“I’m really excited to see everyone coming back,” the senior from Georgetown said. “This place is about to explode with life.”
He’d just visited the New2U Tag Sale, a sustainability-based effort offering thousands of refurbished items and clothing at discounted prices.
Martens left the sale with armfuls of area rugs to “deck out” hardwood floors at his off-campus apartment.
Ezra Small, campus sustainability manager, said items for sale last Sunday filled two classrooms and four 50-foot-long shipping containers.
The items are collected from students when they move out in the spring.
In past years, he said, they’ve collected roughly five tons’ worth of items for the sale.
This year’s sale is the largest yet.
Sebastian Kopacz, an incoming freshman from Worcester, took some time to browse the massive collection.
The flurry of activity he found at the sale is just what the 18-year-old was looking for in a college experience.
“I’m hoping to diversify myself in a large place with many different interests,” he said.
The entering class is approximately 4,650 to 4,700, which is similar than last year but more diverse. The African-American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American population will increase from 24 percent to 29 percent and the minority population will increase from 12 percent to 13 percent among the class.
Kopacz, who chose to major in electrical engineering, is also thrilled to pursue research opportunities at UMass.
The college reports that new students have a grade point average of 3.82 and an average SAT score of 1225.
Kopacz is one of 600 students entering the Commonwealth Honors College. Their average SAT score is 1343 and their high school GPA is 4.27.
“Once again, our campus has attracted an outstanding incoming class of talented students from throughout Massachusetts, across the nation and around the world,” Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said. “The impressive academic credentials of the Class of 2020 exemplify UMass Amherst’s rising reputation as one of the nation’s leading public universities.”
Dave Graziano, a second-time UMass parent, said the school has offered a great education for his daughters thus far. Being a state school, the cost has been easier to shoulder for multiple children than a private university would be, he said.
Graziano, of Wilbraham, spent Sunday afternoon stocking up on UMass gear at the school’s bookstore.
“They’re very organized, here. The move-in is seamless,” he noted while helping his sophomore daughter Rachel to move in.
The cost was also a large factor for freshman Colleen McGuinness, 18, an undecided business major from Concord.
Her dad told her that UMass would be “a good investment in education,” she said, allowing her to graduate without massive debt.
Massachusetts residents will, once again, comprise nearly three-fourths of the freshman class. Among freshmen, in-state enrollment increased by 70 students, while out-of-state students decreased this year by 129 to 870, according to figures provided by UMass. International students increased by 48 to 350.
Total undergraduate enrollment is estimated at 21,575, which is up from last year’s 21,308. In-state enrollment will be about 16,665, or 77 percent of the student body.
“There are so many options and activities, here,” McGuinness said of the school.
This is the 13th year of consecutive growth for UMass, the university reports. It has reached a new record of first-year applications for admission.
Admission at UMass Amherst continues to be selective, with 59 percent of students who applied being admitted for the fall.
Daniella Rodas, a 17-year-old freshman, is thrilled she got in.
“I can’t believe I’m in college already,” she said.
Rodas is from West Milford, N.J., and looks forward to experiencing fall in New England.
Mike Meads, a freshman and Massachusetts native from Hanover, is ready to explore the business school and the western part of the state.
Meads said he loves to hike, so this area will be a good fit.
Along with the first-year class, an estimated 1,200 transfer students arrived on campus.
Students across campus Sunday expressed excitement at how welcoming the environment seemed.
“I’ve been waiting all summer, just counting down the days,” Kopacz said.
Rodas, a double major in hospitality and tourism management and Italian studies, can’t wait to be in class.
The study abroad programs were a large factor in her choice to attend UMass.
“I definitely want to explore all the different possibilities,” Meads agreed.
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.
