<p>This college is $14,000 room board tuition for New York residents and even less for Mass. What's wrong with it? I asked D's guidance counselor about it and she said "Well, it's in North Adams." I have no idea why that is bad, never having been to North Adams. It would be a safety school for D according to their posted stats, but I don't want to let it go easily with that rate! Anyone have opinions?</p>
<p>It was orginally Massachusetts State Teachers College. Then, became North Adams State. They tried to put a pretty dress on it and capitalize on its proximity to Williams College by changing the name to Mass. College of Liberal Arts.</p>
<p>It is what it is -- a four-year college in the UMASS system.</p>
<p>I'm not that familiar with the New York system, but it's probably equivalent to SUNY-Potsdam or something like that.</p>
<p>The pictures on the website of the surrounding Berkshires make ME want to go there!!! But of course I haven't seen it in real. Website says it is near the modern arts museum (MOCA?).</p>
<p>I have a friend there who loves it. She always seems to be busy with student activities and such.</p>
<p>I go there and really don’t like it. The academics aren’t taken seriously and North Adams is similar to a rural town, nothing is open past 5pm.</p>
<p>Just like interesteddad said, it is in the league of schools that changed their name to sound better. (Trenton State aka The College of New Jersey and Glassboro State aka Rowna College).</p>
<p>It is a second rate state college in Massachusetts.</p>
<p>It’s down the road from Williams College in a very beautiful area but in one of the poorer counties in Massachusetts. D’s BFF at Williams is trying to get more Williams students to tutor in the community as there is so much poverty (Williams is in Berkshire County which is one of the wealthiest). The difference between Williams and MCLA as to facilities and campus appearance are stark.</p>
<p>You revived a 4 year old thread!</p>
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<p>MCLA is not part of UMASS. It is part of the second tier state university system.</p>
<p>It might be 4 years too late, but I think it is worth noting that MCLA and North Adams, like Williams College and Williamstown, is located in Berkshire County. These two communities are very close to one another and as I recall there is a continguous strip of sidewalk that links the two. North Adams, the home to MCLA, is an old mill town. It has a fairly nice downtown but SOME adjacent neighborhoods are rundown. You’ll never mistake it for Williamstown, but it isn’t a rural ghetto.</p>
<p>At least one graduate from our HS each year goes to MCLA. They are generally B students who come from middle to middle lower class families who are seeking a liberal arts college experience at a public price that is closer to home than Potsdam (good analogy). The students I have known who have gone there are serious about their education but not obsessed with it.</p>
<p>Thanks hudsonvalley51 for the corrections.</p>
<p>I found North Adams to be a cute, artsy town - - MassMOCA (museum of contemp art) and lots of galleries, but admittedly not much night life that would appeal to college students.</p>