<p>Boston Globe starts mutli-part series (not a daily series) about UMass in today's Sunday Globe (Sept. 6th). I did laugh a bit when the young woman said that UMass just looked like a bunch of buildings to her. The video doesn't point it out, but she didn't apply to UMass. The article seemed fairly even handed, but UMass has a lot going for it and I hope future articles focus in on those points. </p>
<p>My S is starting at UMass. So far he loves it (he hasn’t actually started classes yet).</p>
<p>He would not consider UConn, UNH, or URI. He was accepted at UVM, but they did not have his major, and it would have cost over 40K. He was not interested in the WPIs and RPIs - he wanted a more diverse school, even though he’s majoring in engineering.</p>
<p>I think he’s going to get a good education at a price that our family can manage. My S did not have a 4.0, but he did have good SATs. It’s definitely harder to get into than it used to be. Many of his friends were waitlisted.</p>
<p>We toured several private schools that had lovely dorms and amenities for students. For us, it was not worth it to be paying over twice as much for a comparable education, and have S saddled with loans. My ex SIL is a Umass alumna, and she’s had good things to say about their alumni network, not at all what the author is saying.</p>
<p>I may be biased, but I think the article does UMass a disservice. Yes, I do think it’s a shame they don’t get better funding. But from what I’ve seen, they’re doing well with the resources they have.</p>
<p>My oldest son goes to UMass. He went there for the program and the campus. I scanned that article and think it is from a limited viewpoint. </p>
<p>You can take data and show the results that you want. The graphics stated that the enrolment at other schools had gone up over the past 10 years. True, there is a larger population bubble of students going through the system than at that time.</p>
<p>The acceptance standards at UMass have been getting harder. This is not the case at some of the other schools. Some students maybe going elsewhere since that is where they were accepted.</p>
<p>As stated above, the schools do not have the same program or emphasis on programs. Students go to the school where they feel the program best suits them. Sometimes people just want to go somewhere else to be cool, so they go to Michigan. Some of the schools in the Virginia and California systems have excellent programs, but you can not make that reference to all of the schools in those states as the article implied.</p>
<p>Groton…I agree. What the article didn’t say was if the student applying to and going to Michigan, was doing this because she has a specific major already in mind and it is really just a case of Michigan having a strong program in that field. I can’t answer that. I’m just supposing. That negates the reason for the article which, in this first in a series, was trying to portray strong students going elsewhere. I don’t think the article answered their own question. If it wanted to answer it, the writer would have looked at the whole of Wayland, not just the student going to Michigan, and find out how many “strong” students are attending UMass. I think not only would they find strong students choosing UMass, but also, students like the one in the article who couldn’t afford BC, is now going to UMass. And is happy with his choice.</p>
<p>Anecdotally, the strongest students (in terms of class rank) from my S’s school did not choose UMASS. I imagine their grades gave them significant merit options at private schools.</p>
<p>If my S’s grades were stronger, and he was eligible for merit aid at a private school that would have brought it within a reasonable amount of the the cost of UMass, we would have considered those options.</p>
<p>But I don’t see that paying more for a UNH or URI, or even a UMich etc, would have gotten S a better education. </p>
<p>So my S falls into the camp of not being able to afford a private, but is happy with UMass as his choice.</p>
<p>I thought the article was OK sort of. It was not very well researched or written … however the basic premise that UMass has not been well supported by the state and that it not on par with other flagships like Cal, UVA, UNC, or Michigan is dead on. Personally, my daughter and I both liked UMass more than we thought we would when we toured UMass … and we’re sure students can get a fine education there. However as a family we did see enough of a difference in the potential educational experince that we backed her decision to go to a private school … and I believe that choice would have been a lot closer/tougher in some other states. Given the state’s relative wealth and history with higher education it is a little surprising and disappointing that our flagship U is not it the league of the best of the flagships.</p>
<p>The problem is that UMass cannot or will not offer the kind of aid it takes to snag the really top students in the state. In our case, both children could attend excellent private colleges for less $$ than UMass would have cost us due to generous need based aid and merit aid.</p>
<p>Other states may very well spend what it takes to lure the top kids away from the private universities.</p>
<p>I know a number of high school friends who went to UMass. Most of them are thriving and are doing very well there. A few of them were upset that they were unable to go to their top choices (knew a kid who was accepted to Tufts but ultimately chose UMass because his family was unable to afford it), but I talk to them now and they love it. </p>
<p>I daresay that they have even more school spirit than I do.</p>
<p>This article, while certainly an interesting read, is reflective of how obsessed this country is with college rankings.</p>