Hi everyone,
I’m trying to decide between UMass Amherst (in-state) and Northeastern for undergrad. I’m in the honors college for both, and my major is biology. I am not premed. I’m interested in research, but I’m not sure what subset of biology I want to focus on (hence the major in general biology). I’m assuming my path would be to go to grad school after college, but it’s not set in stone.
With UMass, I got the Abigail Adams Scholarship and the Dean’s Scholarship, which reduce my tuition to about $26k/year. With UMass, I got accepted to BioTAP, which is the competitive freshman honors biology RAP (If anyone is currently/was in BioTAP, I’d like to hear what your experience was). I am concerned about the social aspect of UMass, as I’m not into partying. I’ve been to the campus multiple times, and it’s nice. I’ve never explored Amherst myself, but I’ve been told it’s a great college town.
With Northeastern, I received the $28k/year honors scholarship, lowering my tuition to about $39k/year. I’ve been to campus here as well, and I like it too. Boston is also a great place to be. Since I don’t know exactly what I want to do in bio, I think the coop could be valuable (not to mention the great experiential learning and job security), but the biology majors are more general than at UMass, which I’m concerned could hurt me in the future. The honors dorms both at UMass and Northeastern are very nice.
Is it worth the extra ~$12.5k/year to go to Northeastern for undergrad? Should I save my money for grad school? What are the research opportunities for each school? Are there adequate career matching services at UMass? Is there a pressure to party at UMass? Is having a specialized bio degree important? Is the NEU coop as valuable for bio majors as it is for business/engineering majors?
Thanks for your help!
If you’re not doing pre-med, then what do you want to do with your bio degree?
If you decide to pursue a Ph.D. in biology such programs are usually funded. Your tuition is waived and you would receive a stipend. Coop at Northeastern would be good in your case in that you could try different types of jobs. Maybe you will like working in a lab and doing research, maybe you will hate it. Better to find out sooner than later.
No pressure to party at UMass, it’s there if you want it but no big deal if you don’t. It’s a big school; you’ll find your crowd. Amherst and the surrounding area is great, and the Five College Consortium is a terrific plus (don’t forget that bus transportation between campuses/towns is free for undergrads).
I’ve been told by a person with more specialized knowledge of the biology programs than I posses that Bio at Northeastern is not a particular strength.
Honestly, I’m not sure Northeastern is worth the extra money, especially if you think grad school is in your future.
Boston is in the center of many biotech/biomedical & hospital communities. And is a member of http://www.cimit.org/web/cimit/home
which means better co-ops and research opportunities. A bio major cannot go wrong being in Boston IMO
I am not familiar with what UMass has to offer.
I think for someone not going pre-med, Northeastern holds a good advantage in Biology with co-op’s so you can get your foot in the door for jobs, research opportunities on campus, and a huge medical hub surrounding it. UMass Amherst is a good option as well, but I think Northeastern makes the difference for those areas. Co-op is valuable beyond simply salary because you can find out what you do and don’t like to do professionally during college and have time to adjust before graduation. Graduate schools will also look fondly on the experience and/or research. If grad school is in the future, research and co-ops mixed is a very good choice.
Whether it’s worth it comes down to where the money comes from for me. Are you taking loans out at either, or are parents paying? If you’re adding to loans, it may not be worth it if the loans go too high.
Lots of variables here. I am a UMASS grad and my wife is a Northeastern grad. Both of us have done well after graduation. I enjoyed my undergrad experience much more than she did. She had a great coop while there that set her up well though she warns that not everyone gets a good coop. It can be hit or miss. Not sure about biology at Northeastern but UMASS just opened a beautiful life sciences building https://www.umass.edu/ials/
No pressure to party at UMASS (ps- lots of partying goes on at Northeastern) but it is semi rural. Amherst is quaint and fun but is not Boston. Not sure how big a factor this is for you. We grew up in Boston so it was no big deal for my wife to go to school in Boston but it might be a big deal for you.
The money is significant over 4 years.
Nevertheless, you need to go with your gut on some of this. Which environment gets you excited? What was your impression of each when you visited? Can you see yourself fitting in and succeeding at one or the other?
Good luck with your decision!
This may have changed since you guys attended - the reverse if anything would be true today, but neither is exactly a party school. Both have very low greek life involvement as well.
So, BBEST, what did you decide?
I ended up choosing Northeastern! I figured that if I turned down NEU, I would regret not taking the chance, so it was at least worth trying out. If it’s not what I hoped, I’ll probably transfer to UMass, but hopefully I’ll be happy where I am.