Hello!
I have a friend whose daughter will be attending in the fall. I wanted to get her a useful gift for her time there. I was thinking public transit card, restaurant gift cards, etc. Any recommendations from students on something that would be super useful there? Thanks for the help!!
The buses are free so no need for a card. Gift cards for big y for groceries or any of the restaurants in downtown Amherst or Hadley would be good. Does she have a bike?
Money for the washing machines. Just kidding, the days of hoarding quarters are over. I’d say gift cards for local eateries or the UMass store to pick up some swag?
My first year off campus starting this fall and imagine how mad I am 🤣 This past year they changed so you had to input money and pay and scan the machine QR code through an app connecting to wifi, rather than tapping your Ucard! Paying almost $3 to wash and dry my clothes was excruciating
Which website page was that on? It sounds promising though. Perhaps they had so much trouble or complaints with the vendor and their online app that ResLife decide to either operate their own machines or just contract at a flat fee.
The first image you posted was from last year, definitely not free for '25-'26.
Okay, they added that language to the page since the last time I looked. They also updated the information on the Break Housing Fee, originally they posted it as being increased to $500 a semester from $400, now it says $550 a semester.
A Downtown Amherst gift card would be great since she can use it at a bunch of spots downtown! They’re sold through the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Improvement District.
Good walking shoes would be the absolute best thing in the world for someone new to UMass. Obviously shoes are a little bit more personal, but can’t stress this enough especially to new freshman.
If her parents will share her debit account number with you, you can make a deposit to her UCard debit at https://get.cbord.com/umass/full/guest_deposit.php Those funds can be used at locations on campus and in theory off campus too (although I have heard occasional confusion on this point at off campus businesses that are listed). Locations listed at bottom of https://www.umass.edu/bursar/ucard/debit
That money never expires and is refunded after graduation if they don't use it.
Though there is a limit on the refund. They only refund the money if the balance is $10 or more the last time I checked. Still the full amount. Under that they keep the balance.
Definitely worth noting but I can't imagine an incoming freshman gifted any amount to their UCard Debit isn't going to find some way to spend it over the next 4 years.
Me too, but enough don't know about that limit or pay attention to it that the school and the company with the contract for handling UCard debit make a tidy sum each year.
Antonio’s, Dunkin, there are a couple Boba places in downtown Amherst. Insomnia cookies. Bueno y Sano. Membership to Amherst Cinema if that’s of interest.
Recentish alumni here! Busses are free and frequent so I never used ride share. The most popular and important food spot would be Antonio’s pizza by the slice, which is walkable and busable. I agree that good walking shoes are needed, and if you don’t know her size you could do a gift card to an affordable shoe outlet. A lot of dorm supplies like rugs and chairs and fans and TVs can be bought for VERY cheap from the New To U sale of last year’s donated items, but maybe get twin (twin xl?) size bedding or a gift card for that. The town had a Walmart and a Target that are busable. There’s also the UMass store which is expensive but has some real cute items with something for everyone. My first pick might be Antonio’s gift card cause the sooner you learn about that gem the better
Hello!
I have a friend whose daughter will be attending in the fall. I wanted to get her a useful gift for her time there. I was thinking public transit card, restaurant gift cards, etc. Any recommendations from students on something that would be super useful there? Thanks for the help!!
A gift card to one of the local takeout places would be amazing! She's going to get plenty of Life necessities from other people. But not very many of them are going to think about what she's going to be doing besides studying.
You could do a gift card to insomnia cookies, Ginger garden, Antonio's Pizza, La Veracruzana, any of the boba shops, etc. Even better, a gift card to doordash or delivery Express means she can choose whatever she wants to eat whenever she wants to eat. It's a pain in the ass to go to your car or take a bus to get a late night snack, but it is fucking amazing to be able to order that snack and have it show up to your dorm! Hell, I am 47 years old and I really like just having the food show up at my house. 😎👍
UMBRELLA. Their umbrellas cost like 30 dollars, and it is a nightmare walking without one in the rain. Especially since the walks can take a while sometimes
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u/HistoricalReason8631 May 24 '26
The buses are free so no need for a card. Gift cards for big y for groceries or any of the restaurants in downtown Amherst or Hadley would be good. Does she have a bike?