UMass Amherst vs Lowell for mechanical engineering

College Search & Selection
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I’ve narrowed my options down to Amherst or Lowell (I was accepted to all four campuses, and nowhere else), but I’m really torn between the two.

Amherst pros:

  • all of my aid package (which for context is similar at both schools, and honestly just not enough at either but whatever) is need-based, so I don’t lose it if my GPA drops
  • stronger at a wider range of majors, so if I do switch or fail out of engineering I’ll probably have better options
  • has a boxing club (this might sound a bit trivial but it’s important to me)
  • my parents really want me to pick it
  • I really want to learn a language and it has my top choice (Russian)
  • more out-of-state kids (seems like a neutral to me rather than a pro, but my dad says it’s a benefit)
  • this is going to sound weird, but I feel sort of obligated to go because so many people I know really wanted to get in, and didn’t. I know the best fit for them isn’t necessarily best for me and all, but something doesn’t sit well with me about turning down something all of them wanted so bad.

Lowell pros:

  • much closer to home
  • in a city
  • $3k cheaper
  • mechE curriculum is apparently more hands-on, especially in the first two years
  • felt like a better atmosphere/“vibes” when I visited; students, faculty, prospective students I interacted with on the admitted students day recently were way more friendly and helpful than most of their equivalents at UMass Amherst
  • a few of my friends are going, including in my same major (yes, I know that’s not particularly important)
  • more diverse

Any thoughts? Everyone I’ve talked to is someone who’s heard me go on about this stuff for months now, so any fresh unbiased input would be much appreciated.

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A couple of things to add to your thinking:
UMass Amherst has had housing challenges the past few years, and many students have to or need to move off campus after freshman year. That can be a hassle. Lots of students live off campus at UMass Lowell, but they have plenty of housing availability if you decide you want to live on campus.

UMass Amherst has a better national reputation, so if you are going to be looking for a job across the country, it might have a little bit of an advantage. However, my husband does hiring for his group (mechanical and electrical engineers) and he has personally been more impressed with the candidates he has interviewed from UMass Lowell than those he’s interviewed from UMass Amherst. That might be a small sample or selection issue, but he is a fan of the UMass Lowell engineering graduates.

I think it is a tough decision between the two, and either could be really good.

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UMass Lowell has a very good engineering program but a lot of kids who live “off campus” live at home and commute. UMass Amherst is more of a traditional college experience where kids live on campus or in adjacent off campus housing - not too many kids commute. S22 is a freshman at UMass Amherst and lives in a dorm with mostly engineering/CS students (he is neither) - they work hard. Two more “pros” for UMass Amherst - excellent and varied food and the ability to take classes at other nearby colleges.

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