News & Updates - UMass-Amherst News and Updates, ASA Study Abroad, Language Immersion Summer Programs, High School Students

News & Updates - UMass-Amherst

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Weekend adventures

After Friday's festivities and fireworks, we started off the weekend with a bang and a Saturday trip to Boston. In Beantown, the students took tours of the Freedom Trail, strolled through Boston Commons and the Public Gardens, and of course hit Newbury Street for some marathon shopping! Three busloads returned home to UMass for delicious smoothies in the courtyard and Poker After Dark, then it was off to bed to rest up for the next day's adventures, Six Flags-style.

Sunday was another fun-filled day as ASA-ers screamed on the Superman roller coaster, went with the flow in the wave pool, and sugared up on fried dough and Dippin' Dots all afternoon long. We're also a pretty talented bunch, judging by the carnival prizes that students loaded onto the buses with them at the end of the day - Guitar Hero controllers, stuffed animals, superhero capes, and massive bouncy balls! Quite an exciting bus ride home...

And now that we're all caught up on the weekend and back in the swing of classes and activities, look forward to updates on ASA-Week Two! (Quick preview - last night's mXc race was nothing short of "Amazing"...)

Friday forward

We've had a busy weekend of trips and late-night poker, laundry and homework, but first back to Friday and the fun-filled staff and student mXc games!

Some team members played volleyball while others worked puzzles nearby to earn points for their teams - it takes brains AND brawn to earn the title of mXc champion! Our sand courts and beautiful Amherst weather made for a perfect afternoon for our Backyard Bash, and students took full advantage of the Independence Day holiday to enjoy some fun in the sun. (Although with the concentration on those faces, it's clear that victory is at stake as well - go team!) mXc excitement continues this afternoon, but more updates about Friday night fireworks and weekend adventures are also on the way...

mXc, sounds good to me!

Well folks, it's officially begun - the Most Xtreme Challenge started yesterday and the Orange team has already taken the lead. Will they be able to stay at number one? The girls seem to think so...

Games in the afternoon led to a town-wide Scavenger Hunt in the evening, with teams singing, building human pyramids, and showing great team spirit as they competed for those mXc points and had fun working together in their new RA groups.

But tonight's competition was even more out of this world - students went cosmic bowling! Then it was back to the dorms for a night of homework and rest before tomorrow's exciting classes and minicourses. Can't wait to smell the cooking minicourse's classwork already, mmmm...

The sign says it all - welcome to ASA UMass! We've just finished our first full day of classes and activities, and judging from the loud thump that echoed through the halls at 11:01 p.m., it's a safe bet that all our students have headed for bed early tonight. We started the day with breakfast and continued our campus tours, had academic meetings and classes, ate some delicious lunch and dinner at The Marketplace (turkey and dressing!), managed to fit an all-program photo in there somewhere, and finished the night with a group trip to Wal-Mart and an ice cream social outside. Orientation continues tomorrow with our mXc (Most Xtreme Challenge) Opening Ceremonies, and students have been hard at work this evening secretly coming up with their team mascots. All will be revealed tomorrow, so be sure to check back in for updates on the fun... From all the staff at ASA UMass - we're looking forward to a great summer!

UMass Amherst News & Updates

Today you will be receiving a series of important reminders and updates to help with your final preparations for the program. Please be sure to read each of the posts in its entirety and attend to the necessary preparations. This will help to ensure a stress-free and smooth start to the summer.

We’ve subscribed this e-mail address to automatically receive postings to the News & Updates for the UMass Amherst program. We will use this to convey important information to you before the start of the program, and to keep you informed about what’s going on once the program has started.

Please be sure to set this e-mail address as one of your trusted contacts so it does not get filtered as spam. If you would like to unsubscribe, send an e-mail with “UNSUBSCRIBE umassupdates@asaprograms.com” in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com. If you would like to subscribe an additional address, send an e-mail with “SUBSCRIBE umassupdates@asaprograms.com” in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com.

T-Shirts

ASA t-shirts and luggage tags have been mailed out and should have begun last week (except international students – yours should arrive in another week or two). It is very important that you wear your ASA t-shirt when you travel to the program so our staff will be able to easily identify and help you when you arrive.

Please note that we are not able to exchange t-shirts for a different size. Shirts were ordered according to sizes given and unfortunately we do not have extras for swapping. If there was a mistake on our end, please bring your t-shirt to the airport / program and we’ll see what we can do.

Magnet Material

Summer contact information (as well as driving directions) has been uploaded to your MyASA account. Be sure to print out this sheet and stick it on your fridge for easy reference during the summer!

All Forms Due

We have now past the June 1st due date for all forms. Make sure to log in to MyASA to double-check that all your forms and materials have been received. If some are missing, please go to the Form Downloads section of MyASA, print, complete, and fax the form to our office ASAP.

NOTE: It may take 2-3 business days for forms to be processed and appear on MyASA, as we have over 1300 students joining us this season. Please be patient and use MyASA to verify receipt rather than contacting our office directly.

Handbook and Packing List

Be sure to download and print out the Orientation Handbook / Packing List from your MyASA account (see the Form Downloads section). The Handbook contains important information about the program and guidance as you prepare for the summer. Please read it through promptly, as it holds the answers to many questions, including some you haven’t thought to ask!

Get Ready for a Summer with ASA!

In the next weeks, as you finish up your school year and prepare for your journey to Amherst, ASA staff will be preparing too. As staff put finishing touches on course syllabi and add last details to excursion plans, they will keep you posted about details that you'll need to know by adding an entry to the 'News & Updates' feature on the ASA website. Before you travel to UMass entries to 'News & Updates' will be informational with details like your mailing address, program phone number, driving directions etc. Once you arrive on campus the section will take on quite a different feel as your program director and senior staff post program updates with photos of you and your friends, your instructors and your adventures. Please make sure you subscribe to 'News & Updates' now so as not to miss any pre-program details. Encourage grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to subscribe before the summer so that they can see all that you're busy with in Massachusetts. Look for a new post each week. Keep working to complete your pre-program forms and don't forget to visit the 'Forms Download' section within MyASA to get a program packing list, pre-program handbook and other valuable materials.

ASA: Academic Study Associates 2008 Programs

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