I am a senior at a small Catholic high school in MA, and am a prospective STEM major considering several universities in New England. My SAT I is 2240 and am ranked 1 out of 63 in my class, so I don’t think admission will be a problem for the second-tier schools in my state. These are my general impressions of the schools on my list:
UMass Amherst- 30 mins from my hometown, might give me a near-full ride (I am NMSF), and has well regarded engineering and CS programs. However, I am afraid that the notorious party culture there wouldn’t be right for me (I am an introverted/intellectual type). Also, I feel that the isolated environment at UMass might make it more difficult to find a job compared to the Boston schools.
Northeastern- Have not visited, but friends of mine who have say I would like it. The co-op program and the school’s reputation are impressive, and they offer a decent scholarship for NMSF, but for a middle-class family such as mine, financial aid would probably be disappointing. With two younger siblings who will go to college after me, my family simply cannot afford to pay much more than $8-10 k per year for me.
BU- Have visited, seems like a university with a great deal of resources and programs. They also offer a very nice NMSF grant, but are known for not giving much financial aid.
If you guys have anything to add about these, or any recommendations for me on schools w/ good STEM programs, solid job connections, and an academically rigorous environment, please let me know. Thank you in advance!
You’re likely to advance to NMF? Northeastern guarantees $30k off for NMF, more than BU (at $20k).
I’m assuming you’re applying EA for Northeastern? You should because they say it matters for merit aid.
For BU, apply by Dec. 1 (and for Trustees scholarship) for best shot at merit.
Drexel University in Philadelphia guarantees free tuition for NMF and has co-ops like Northeastern. I believe it has solid STEM, at least in some areas.
UMass, unless you get great aid from the others. To avoid the party scene live in the honors dorm or Northeast. My son got a job in Boston after graduating this year. Lots of Boston-area companies recruit at UMass.
UMass is an outstanding school. STEM is not really BU’s forte IMHO and Northeastern is good but I’m not sure better than UMass, especially after you factor in the money. I would totally go with UMass. There is a dense alumni network in Boston, and while you won’t feasibly be able to get term-time internships, you should have no problem with summer and post-college work.
They’re all good schools, and I would definitely recommend trying for the honors colleges if you aren’t already. But honestly, I would wait to see how your financial aid turns out, since all three of those can be really unpredictable (I had a friend with very good scores who only got $5000 from UMass; she’s currently at BU). And they all have different features and environments, so a lot of it is going to come down to fit – if accepted, definitely try to attend accepted students events and/or overnight visits.
Have you considered Lowell? Anecdotally speaking, I’ve found they’re much more generous than Amherst. They might be a good safety.
It isn’t on your list but if you are a NMSF consider Fordham Rose Hill for excellent merit aid (full tuition likely) and you might qualify for the honors program.