<p>Totally understandable, billion. I didn’t apply to any UMasses myself - visited UMD and hated it, knew I would be miserable at the Zoo and UML so I went with Framingham and Salem instead. Are you considering any of the state U’s? Those are definitely easier to get into and offer some scholarships. What majors are you considering?</p>
<p>Also, for some reason, a lot of kids at my school go to Merrimack and my dear friend who applied to Framingham and Merrimack got a large amount of merit and need-based aid - to the point where Framingham cost more per year than Merrimack. You can guess where she went. (To put it into perspective, her GPA was similar to yours, bottom 15% of our class, with a much lower ACT equivalent). If you don’t mind a Roman Catholic college (given you’re from here, there’s a 50% chance you won’t) it may be worth a shot.</p>