I am in the process of choosing my college for next year and have narrowed down my options to Providence College and UMass Amherst. I will be going in as an accounting major with a possible minor in Spanish. I have been leaning towards PC for a while now, and my parents support me on it, but I also know UMass’ Isenberg School of Business is an excellent program and may even be better than that of PC. What would be the best option for an accounting major?
Also, since I live in MA, I would be getting in state tuition plus the Abigail Adams Scholarship with reduces the cost of UMass to about $20,000 per year. PC, on the other hand, is about $46,000 per year for me after scholarships. My biggest problem is the size and possible negative reputation of UMass Amherst. While it is a great school, it tends to have a poor reputation as a party school. In the long run I would come out of UMass with money to spare and PC with about $20,000 in debt.
I guess what my true point is if PC is worth the extra money for the personalized college experience. Between the small campus and personal feel, I love being on PC and really feel at home. I have only been at UMass one time for a short period of time, but did not enjoy it as much as PC. My other problem is with UMass’ location because I want a school in a city setting. I am just so conflicted and do not know what to do. Should I go with my gut and go to PC for the personalized education, or should I go for the cheaper and slightly more prestigious UMass? My parents went to PC and UMass, so it’s impossible for them to give me unbiased opinions on the schools. Please help.
I would go to UMass and stay in one of the quieter dorms. (Northeast/Orchard Hill) The school’s party reputation is based on what it was like ten years ago and not today. The business school at PC is ranked #75 in the US by Bloomberg and UMass’ Isenberg school is ranked #36 in the US… In addition the average incoming freshman GPA at PC is a 3.37 weighted and at UMass Amherst it is a 3.8. I would say that given that UMass almost completely outranks PC so 100,000$ in debt is not justified…
Lastly, UMass is huge but as long as you find clubs/activities to do it becomes a much smaller place.
(http://www.bloomberg.com/bschools/rankings#5)
Currently, I go to UMASS. The party atmosphere does still exist, and it can get lonely. But you will find your people. Isenberg is an exceptional program, and it’s definitely worth considering.
Did you get invited to Commonweath? The honors dorms are nice, and provide a really nice little community that may help with the adjustment.
They are two very different schools, and PC has it’s own strengths-consider what you really want from a school and then make the best decision you can
I did not get invited to the CHC, so I wouldn’t be able to stay in the honors dorms. I’m going to the Open House for Isenberg this Saturday so I hope that will shed some light on the program and school for me. Lately I’ve been leaning towards PC, but after today and thinking everything over I really have to rethink UMass. Isenberg is a better program than UMass, but also the classes are larger and slightly less personal. PC has more school spirit, but is it worth being $20,000 in debt? I have a lot of thinking to do and hopefully will have a better idea of UMass after visiting this weekend.
If you decide to go to UMass, we have living learning communities known as RAPS. You can select one your freshman year and will live with others who made the same choice; you will take a seminar, class, or both together. It’s an awesome way to meet people and get to know a few people in your class.
UMass also has the five college consortium which allows you to take classes at Mount Holoyoke, Smith, Amherst, or Hampshire, which will allow you to have a few smaller classes in addition to your larger ones.
Athletics aren’t huge here, but there are things to do around campus; it’s rural, but Northhampton is a really cool town and has a lot of awesome things to do.
I have a student who graduated from PC and one who is currently at UMASS. For my children it came down to size and fit – the PC student never seriously considered UMASS, way too big. The UMASS student only applied to large state schools, no interest in PC. Both have good business programs, but Isenberg is probably better known. My PC student was not in the business school, although now works in the finance arena. I will say the strong liberal arts background , including critical thinking skills, strong writing emphasis helped in the job search. It seems that you should really focus on feel at each school when doing your return visits. Can’t really go wrong either way. Best of Luck!