<p>My daughter got into the following colleges and the amount we would have to pay after scholarships is shown. She wants to major in Math and eventually be a Math teacher.<br>
She is a pretty independent person and likes Northeast weather. (We are from NJ but are currently living in Germany). </p>
<p>University of Massachusetts Amherst (Honors) $20,294
University of Connecticut (Honors) $25,822
State University of New York at Binghamton $27,535
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute $38,135
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester $41,440</p>
<p>Which would you suggest and why? I am trying to give her more input.</p>
<p>I was prepared to foot Princeton if she got in…I am not sure if RPI/WPI are worth that price. I suppose we could say that we would pay mid 20,000 and she could pay the rest if she wants the higher price schools.</p>
<p>If she has to foot the bill and plans to be a teacher, I say look to the Honors programs at the chaper school. She will still be challenged and have intellectual peers and special programs and will not have to pay years down the line for the private school experience. she will need a masters degree for teaching, so that will add to additional costs down the line.</p>
<p>I would not suggest RPI or WPI for someone who wants to be a teacher. Those schools are very focused, with much less in the way of liberal arts. Also, if she changes her mind and decides to major in something else, she might have to transfer.</p>
<p>UMass Honors is an excellent choice, and she can take classes at the other four Consortium schools: Amherst College, Smith, Hampshire & Mt. Holyoke.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that if you attend UMass for education, you must add on the fifth year for your master’s. Your daughter’s undergrad degree would be math and then she would go the fifth year for her M.Ed in education. We looked at UMass for D, but ruled the school out due to that condition. That was a few years ago, but I think that still is the case. Now sure if that will influence your decision, but I wanted to throw it out there.</p>
<p>I think this should greatly depend on where your daughter wants to teach. Teachers are often hired because they were student teachers at a school or the college where they went has a good relationship with a nearby school district. Also, often states have their own unique certification that does not wholly transfer over state lines.</p>
<p>UConn Honors and UMass Honors both have great programs with great reputations!! Actually, if she wants to be a teacher they would be much better choices than RPI or WPI.</p>
<p>What state does she want to teach in? How easy will it be to become certified in the state she wants to work in if she doesn’t go to school in that state?</p>
<p>I would encourage her to consider UConn. Connecticut teachers are paid better than Massachusetts teachers on average, and Conn. in general is just a better state professionally for teachers. Mass. is still dealing too much with MCAS, and now going to change and adopt another testing system with Common Core…it’s like the state of Mass can never make up it’s mind, and just wants to make money off teachers. In Conn, you need a Master’s, just like in Mass, but when it’s time to renew certification, Massachusetts charges teachers every 5 years, and Connecticut doesn’t. I am certified to teach in both states, and I prefer Connecticut as a teacher for the past 20 years.
If she hopes to be a college level teacher/professor - then certainly consider WPI or RPI; otherwise, the high cost just isn’t really worth it. A beginning teacher with a Master’s degree and no experience beyond student teaching is more expensive to hire than a beginning teacher with a Bachelor’s and the same student teaching. Many districts who have to watch budgets carefully don’t want to pay more for an inexperienced teacher with a M.ED., so that can work against you in the job hunt. I went to a selective LAC, and have taught right along side teachers from the STATE U. We were paid on the same pay scale, and my degree may have helped me get the job a little, but in the end, it wasn’t like I could earn a lot more because I went to a school with a prestigious name. The salary schedule is the same for everyone–no bonuses, performance pay hikes, etc, like in business. Something to consider…</p>
<p>^^Gosh, I would hope NOBODY would get paid more cause they went to a “school with a more prestigious name.”</p>
<p>As a teacher, I strongly advise against trying to enter the field these days IN MY STATE with a master’s. I know teachers who have lost jobs recently who are planning not to admit to their master’s when applying for new jobs. Given the choice, districts would prefer to pay the lower salary.</p>
<p>(Of course, a brand new teacher coming out of a five-year program couldn’t pull off this trick; her certificate would be tied the MEd.)</p>
<p>That said, I know nothing about certification requirements in Connecticut or Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Seriously, Look at the certification requirements in all of those states. I highly encourage your daughter to go to college where she wants to live and teach. Colleges will be following THEIR states certification curriculum.</p>
<p>I’m an engineer familiar with RPI (which my son toured) and WPI. Both great schools for engineers, but not really the right choice for teacher training. So you could easily drop your two priciest options - that’s a nice situation.</p>