I’m over the sting of the outright rejection from UPenn last night (really, Penn, not even the solace of giving me a meaningless waitlist spot?) and now giving a sharp eye to the schools that have accepted me. First up, Northeastern/BU/UMass. Merit aid/Honors program at all 3. While UMass is the lowest in price, my parents believe that all 3 are doable for us with the scholarships.
I’ve spent time at northeastern & BU…but have yet to visit UMass. I’m interested in a career in the foreign service, love cities more than rural (but trying to keep an open mind), and am trying to avoid colleges overrun with greek life (though i know that its possible to avoid that at even the most frat/sorority places).
Can I toss out some snap judgements…I may be way off here:
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our neighbor who went to MIT and is now a doctor, told us that Northeastern is a commuter school…no matter how they’re trying to change their reputation…and that it will be decades before anyone in the Boston area sees it as more than that. Okay, just telling you what she said.
on the BU front, i like the response from the college…they have been great about calling and writing…but is there any there, there? In other words, their campus is odd…its really built into the city…it reminds me of GW…not sure about this.
On UMass…just too rural? Also, a senior from our school who went there last year and he is this huge drinker and he LOVES It thERE (according to his notes) so maybe that is a bad sign.
Well as a UMass student who has friends at those other schools I can say a few things about it.
UMass:
Academics: This depends on which program your in but the vast majority of them are at least “good” with a good chunk being above that and some even “great” by many standards. As a Political Science and Chinese major, with a specialization in international relations, I have enjoyed my time here so far and some of my classes have been indeed challenging. Lastly, it may not be as prestigious as BU currently but the school is on the up and up. The average student last year had a 3.8 GPA and a 1220 (M+R) SAT, this isn’t Ivy level of course but it is higher stats wise than some similar schools like Penn State (It will likely be even higher this year)
Party School?: I would say it isn’t any more of a party school then the two others on you list. When you have 22K undergraduates on campus it only take a small percent to give the appearance that the campus is wilder than it is. The vast majority of these students are in a dorm complex in “Southwest” and a few in “Central”. I would stay out of these places if that isn’t your thing. (The rest of the dorms are mostly quiet)
Pros:
-Cheap
-Solid Academics (#76 US)
-Good Food (They have multiple places to eat and they have creative “food vans” roaming the campus)
-Many Areas of Study (Majors/Minors/Languages)
-Great College Town + Buses to get there, or around campus.
-Surprisingly small class size in some majors
Cons:
-Large Campus (Could be Pro or Con)
-Dorms vary from great to very meh… (This will be true at the Boston schools as well)
-Has antiquated party reputation in MA, but this is gradually fading and the school has a better rep out of state
-Not in a big city like Boston but there is things to do on campus and in Amherst. The town it’s in is quite sizable and has a solid amount of places to eat/drink.
PS- This all depends on the price, I personally wouldn’t pay more than 10K per year for BU or NEU, anything above that is stupid. (Some majors at UMass like Computer Science, Engineering and Business outrank their counterparts at BU and Northeastern) Lastly, UMass Amherst is a great school as long as you can see it’s advantages and tolerate a large campus.
Your friend’s characterization of Northeastern is stale; out of date. NU’s new dorms have received rave reviews, for example, so students are choosing to live on campus.
The region where UMass is located is full of colleges and college students, so the university’s semi-rural location doesn’t reveal the whole story about the lifestyle of a typical student.
Yes, the Boston U campus is unique because of its configuration; a vertical campus built along narrow stretch of land along the Charles River. Then again, that’s an attractive feature for many people. I’ve enjoyed a great view of the annual Charles River Regatta from “the banks” of the BU campus. All that concrete on campus can be a turnoff, however.
@Greenman57 and @LakeWashington Thank you for these great insights! I really think i need to visit UMass…how much do the other 4 schools mix with umass?
And I know what you mean about the BU campus along the river…I kind of liked that too!
p.s. as an OOS, there’s no way that i’m going to spend less than $10,000 (all in) a year at any of these schools…
@GreyGarvin - Woops! That was a slip of the tong. (I guess key in this case…) I meant I wouldn’t pay 10K “MORE” than UMass. lol
Also, to answer you question about the 5 colleges… yes and no. I have many classes where students from the surrounding schools attend a class at UMass. Town events additionally are a mix of students from all colleges. It is what you make it, you always have the option to meet new people on, or off campus. Lastly the five colleges also have a partnerships where students can take classes at one of the other schools.
@GreyGarvin My D attends one of the other 5 College Consortium schools connected to UMass (Mount Holyoke.) No one has mentioned that you can take classes at ANY of the other colleges (Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire) in addition to UMass, so that is a great benefit. There is a free bus that connects all the schools and shopping/eating areas and the towns of Amherst and Northampton. It’s a pretty vibrant area. I can only speak for my D and her friends, but they definitely mix with the other schools, attending parties at all campuses and going to cultural/academic events.
But they do note that UMass is huge and the party tends to be a bit more frat-boyish. I think, though (could be wrong) that the honors college students have a separate housing situation, so that would probably help in that you might be surrounded by a cohort of more intellectual/less partying type of students.
If you visit, make absolutely sure you also visit the towns of Northampton and Amherst, and ideally take a drive through all 5 colleges. Because attending any of those schools is really being part of the whole community. There’s just so much there!
NEU student here, just confirming that NEU is exactly the opposite of what your neighbor said. I don’t know a single commuter.
I highly recommend NEU, I love it here. But it’s not for everyone. While it’s not a commuter school, the co-op program is a pillar of NEU. What do you know about co-op? If you aren’t very familiar with the program, I recommend researching it well before making a decision. It may make you love NEU or cross it off your list, but it’s very important.
To BU’s campus, your assessment is correct and it’s a common BU criticism. Even though I chose NEU and do enjoy the centralized campus here, BU’s campus didn’t bother me. I chose NEU for the co-op program and the CS program among other things.
All of these are great schools, you have a great choice to make.
If you have any particular questions I would be happy to answer them!
My daughter just started her first year at Northeastern. Freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus, so it’s not a commuter school. Also, many upper class students live on campus as well since housing is guaranteed if you want it. My daughter visited this school as a Junior in high school and fell in love for many reasons. She is an International Business major, and NEU has a great IB program - ranked 8th in the nation by US News and World Report. This year’s acceptance rate was just 27%, so it’s definitely getting very popular with students and it’s rankings are getting better each year.
our neighbor who went to MIT and is now a doctor, told us that Northeastern is a commuter school…no matter how they’re trying to change their reputation…and that it will be decades before anyone in the Boston area sees it as more than that
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Maybe that’s why 75% of students come from out of state. I wonder if the doctor friend still uses leaches?
