Don't know anything about the animal sciences program there. I do know that UMass Amherst is a big school, so feels almost like a city, but in a lovely rural New England area. (And you'd be only a 2-hour drive from us/Boston, a couple hours away from NY city ...) The kind of education you get there depends largely on you - if you are easily distracted, it might not be the place for you. It has large activist communities, that I know. There are groups for almost anything you could think of - but that may be true of all large Universities.

Tell ya what, I work with someone who went to Madison - here's his input:

Hi there! Glad to be here. Reading Karen's review of Amherst, I think it applies to Madison as well. Both are very good schools with great programs, a lot of diversity, and a breadth of culture. Madison, too, is a place where a student can easily get lost (for better and for worse). I went there for grad school, and was lost in the library for years instead, but I was always jealous of the undergraduates -- I wanted to have my Madison experience when I was younger! My vote, all other things being equal, would be Madison -- but I'm biased and also a complete stranger, so don't take my word for it. Visit. The school and the town speak for themselves.