…got some rough pushback from NEU (will update y’all in detail at a later time) but out of transparency of this process- yeah, I’m in tears. /sighing, a bit quiet
Any random stories or positivity would help. Processing all of this is going to take time. /sighing
I’ll keep y’all updated! /warmly
The positive is that someone clearly loves you. They have rolled out the red carpet so much in fact.
And It’s nice to be loved !!
You might try loving them back vs trying to hold onto someone who likes (not loves) you, because you serve a purpose of helping to satisfy their new endeavor. You’re a widget for them, not a desired piece of their puzzle.
So that’s the positive. Someone has a big crush on you.
Why not reciprocate ?
My parents (okay- and maybe me, too, sorta. like, 50/50) are set on NEU and they’re just…frustrated noises not being cooperative. /sighing
I would LOVE to be at UMass. But NEU isn’t something I wanna pass up so quick, etiher… /frustrated
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I hope it does. /musing
I understand this is what you want, but sometimes we have to accept we don’t get what we want. The school does not have to be cooperative with your desires. I don’t want to pile on, but admission to Oakland IS a denial to Boston.
I think you have been misled in terms of your chances at these highly selective school. It doesn’t make you any less of a person or student. Your story is remarkable. These schools are admitting students with a high level of academic rigor, AP’s, test scores.
The good news is you have a great acceptance with incredible opportunities. I think the universal sentiment here is that you are far more likely to be successful and SHINE at UMass.
You’re not passing it up quick. You have tried. You have jumped through their hoops. You have filed forms and hoped against hope and - I say this gently and supportively - in my opinion it is time to let go. Hanging on to NEU is not serving you well at this point. It is hurting you and it is delaying your ability to move on and fully embrace your best option (which is an incredible option, by the way!). I am so sorry you are going through this. I wish you peace with your final outcome. But I think you are just hurting yourself at this point by hanging onto hope and I also believe that, even if by some miracle it worked out, the financial burden will be unreasonably high and frankly the opportunities offered will pale in comparison to all the UMass has already laid before you.
Again, I do not say this to be critical of you. You have shown great maturity and grace and I know this is a matter of the heart which can be a delicate and complicated thing. And I know there is the parent issue, too. But I just don’t think holding out for NEU is in your best interest at this point, given everything that has happened and continues to happen. It is time to let go and move on. You have a wonderful future waiting for you.
If is that important to you, you could make Oakland work, I expect. You have great options
I’m so sorry, @premed_equestrian. I’m sorry that you’re in tears and that things are frustrating with NEU and your family. Sending you lots of virtual hugs. 
Out of 2,345 schools in the world, U.Mass is ranked #191, per the Times Higher Education’s 2023 World Rankings. Northeastern was #168, so the different between the two (23 spots) is about 0.98%, i.e. not much. But, what about your particular interests? For the life sciences, Northeastern is in the 201-250 range. UMass? #78 in the WORLD (out of 1,017 schools with life sciences). The difference is anywhere from 123-172. So, percentage wise, UMass is ranked 12.09-16.91% HIGHER than Northeastern. And UMass wants you. A LOT. They’ve invited YOU to be a part of their special cohort in the life sciences…through Bio-Tap. They’ve invited YOU to be in their very selective honors college. So not only is UMass ranked roughly 12-17% higher than Northeastern for life sciences in this publication, but they want you to be part of their elite cohort in the life sciences at this university. Now it’s your chance to take them up on the offer.
/Not the biggest fan of rankings but it does provide some evidence to show that UMass is offering you some awesomeness.
Learning to move on is a life skill that some people never master. I have a friend who had a broken engagement when she was in her 20’s. She mourned, she was sad, she gave away her dress…but 20 years later, no man she ever dated was as handsome and brilliant or charismatic as the ex-fiance. Occasionally a friend would remind her that he was a pompous jerk who used her and manipulated her…and she’d nod and agree. But no real man can compete with a fantasy guy who is both perfect and unattainable.
I know you are sad that your fantasy of living in Boston, being close to your family, being around brilliant people all day at NEU isn’t likely to happen. But guess what? There are slackers and stoners at NEU…like at every other college, and there are professors who give terrible lectures and race for the door (like at every other college) and smelly parts of the library where it’s impossible to focus…you get my drift. You and your folks have an idealized version of NEU and you want to go down fighting. I get it.
But learning to let go can be so life affirming. Warmly.
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I appreciate the words of wisdom. But my parents are also the ones pushing on NEU more than I’d personally like (although I’m also of course rooting for NEU.) /sighing, but grateful for the words of wisdom
It’s just hard at this point and my parents did say that if NEU doesn’t give us Boston, then we’ll put a deposit down for UMass next week. /softly, slightly perking up as they mentioned this like 20 mins ago
So there you go. Maximum a week left of uncertainty. You’ll feel much better once there is a decision.
It is extremely unlikely that NE will change their position because your parents “pushed”. Colleges want to see their students as young adults. Too much (and that’s a low bar) parent advocacy can be a huge red flag.
Nobody can tell your parents what to think or do. I’m certainly not encouraging you to argue with them. But I am encouraging you to prepare yourself emotionally for what is almost certainly inevitable.
Continue your excitement for Honors at UMass and the Bio-Tap program.
I’m the one writing all the email correspondences and getting the forms sent to and from my physicians. The only parental thing my parents have in this are that they’re cc’d on all threads. Honestly, that’s it. /honest, thoughtful
I’m trying to continue to be excited for UMass- NEU is just draining, emotionally. /sighing, honest, open
To be honest, I think you are making it harder on yourself by investing so much of your energy in convincing NEU. These schools (all of them) are massive institutions with lots of different people with varying personal and departmental priorities. They are not incentivized to solve what is really a personal problem that you care about to a larger degree than they do. I hope you get what you want but if not, I hope you learn from this experience and move on.
I guess I am not understanding you. You stated that your parents were pushing to make NE happen. I guess they are pushing you to pursue it, but you are the one sending the correspondence?
Either way, I really advise you to set your heart and mind to UMass. Northeastern is very unlikely to change their position.
If you want an encouraging story…my husband went to the University of Missouri. A standard state flagship. A good friend ended up leaving senior year for an even less prestigious state school because he wasn’t doing well academically. That same guy is now the most successful one in my husband’s friend group of 20+ guys. He went on to become the executive vice president of a very well known Fortune 500 company.
Embrace the opportunity in front of you even as you “see this to the end” where your parents accept it too. Prestige isn’t everything. The opportunities that matter are the ones you are able to capitalize on.
Less than a third of the students Northeastern accepts end up enrolling there. NEU is planning on this yield rate, so they aren’t particularly worried about convincing or accommodating accepted students for whom the terms of their offer aren’t working. They are very “take it or leave it” about their offers, and exceptions to this are rare. My own kid went through the process of contacting them to ask for more merit, in light of the much better merit offers she got from several peer schools. They responded with an offer to provide information about Parent Plus loans. 
And thus goes my “how I didn’t become a Northeastern parent” story, haha.
Also on my mind right now is a close friend of mine from high school, who sadly passed away recently. She developed a chronic illness in college but nonetheless managed to get her MD and PhD, both from elite schools. She became a board-certified pediatric neurologist, but by the time she started earning accordingly, her debt had become unmanageable. She ended up moving to a state that has such a difficult time recruiting specialists that they offer a debt-relief plan to attract them. This wasn’t all bad - she had some good experiences there - but it wasn’t the life trajectory she’d had in mind, and it took a lot of options off the table for her.
My point here is… even if your parents are able to scrape up 300K+ for NEU, it still doesn’t make sense. Bank that money for med school. Sometimes it’s very sad when people can’t make NEU work, but in your case I think they’re doing you a favor by being uninterested in accommodating you. I wish there were some way for your parents to understand how prestigious your Commonwealth Honors + Bio-Tap offer really is. All this talk of NEU opening doors - these elite programs at UMass will open more doors for you than NEU would, and for a fraction of the cost.
I know it takes some time to process and be okay with a hoped-for “road not taken,” but I think in the long run you will be glad that NEU didn’t bend just enough to tempt your family to make an unwise decision. The dating analogy has already been made above, but I will add to it by noting that someone can seem more desirable when they play hard to get, but that doesn’t mean they really are.
I know it is difficult because you are hearing your parents’ point of view, but Northeastern is no more prestigious than UMass. I think most people don’t give Northeastern any sort of prestige . . .
Honestly, look at it from their view. You were given an alternate campus. Along with every other person on the alternate campus you want to switch to Boston. They have to have discretion when they do this, and some of it is going to have to do with their acceptance rate. If they are full in Boston, they are full. Sounds like they might be.
UMass’s dining has been ranked #1 in the country for the past five years by The Princeton Review. I’ve always been like, great, it’s good college food. But what exactly does that look like? Well, not every university has a tandoor…
They have guest chefs and special themed dining options, like the food of Haiti, Crete, and western Africa (source).
There are places around campus for 100% grass-fed beef burgers, steak poutine, organic salads, hot paninis, freshly-made smoothies and pastries, gelato, various places with teas, espresso, and coffee (including Peet’s and Starbucks coffee), etc. (source). And that doesn’t even touch the four main dining facilities which have sushi bars, food halls, and other temptations.
The dining services’ guiding principles of Healthy Eating, Sustainability, World Flavors, and Community, “through serving minimally processed foods and more plant-based items at peak season, less red meat, more sustainable seafood and healthier oils, fats, and beverages,” sounds like an absolute dream (source). Forget the freshmen fifteen. It sounds like there are delicious, healthy options ready for you at your convenience, along with the less healthy items whenever you wish to indulge. Frankly, I’m feeling jealous that UMass’s dining options aren’t available to me.
/Earnest
https://www.umass.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/explore/points-pride
And to get a smile at NE’s expense…
So many interesting things on the Points of Pride list. Apparently U. Mass dining has been named best campus food for a SIXTH year in a row! Its researchers are among the 10 most cited in the world of science, among the best in the world in getting patents, and so much more!
