UMass Amherst

Nishita Nickey

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Delhi, India


"My first year was just amazing," says Nishita Nickey, who lived in Orchard Hill in the EnginOPTIONS learning community. "It was fun because I met a lot of people who shared a similar enthusiasm about the same things." By living on the same floor as her honors engineering classmates, she was able to develop friends with whom she could study and work on projects. "We became a support system to help one another through rough times," she recalls. Nishita recommends learning communities to first-year students because "they offer students the opportunity to build connections with their peers and future colleagues."

Through Commonwealth College, Nishita received a sophomore fellowship to work with assistant professor David Schmidt on investigating different kinds of fuel and develop a fuel library. "The data I am collecting will aid him in his research on fluid flow and fuel injection," she explains. "This research opportunity has introduced me to different aspects of my major and has gotten me involved with the engineering faculty." Nishita speaks highly of her professors. "Any professor that I approach guides me to what I need; they offer suggestions on what I can do to take full advantage of my undergraduate career."

Nishita is impressed with the array of opportunities available at UMass. "There's the university and the other four colleges to pick classes from. There are brilliant professors to learn from. There is just so much to do at this intellectually stimulating and extremely diverse campus. It is a great place to begin your journey of independence and to step into the real world."