<p>Hey guys! I've been accepted to UMass Amherst and Northeastern for engineering and I need help deciding which school to go to. I plan on majoring in chemical engineering with a biochemical engineering minor/concentration because I would like work in pharmaceuticals or biotech. Does one school have faculty/ opportunities better geared toward my goals or are they about the same?</p>
<p>I really like Northeastern because of the co-op program and its location in Boston, but it is also very expensive. It will cost me around 200k for all five years there if I do not get financial aid after my freshman year.</p>
<p>I also like UMass because Amherst is a nice town and it seems like there is a lot to do. The Five Colleges program also seems neat. As an in-state student UMass would be much cheaper, especially since I qualified for free tuition. Overall it would cost me just under 80k for four years.</p>
<p>I have visited both schools and I like them both but I need other opinions. Will one school benefit grad school admissions over the other? Does one school typically have a higher starting salary? Do the same/similar companies hire students from each school? Any opinions/ insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks!</p>
<p>Northeastern will give you more in the way of practical experience through their co-ops. But I don’t think it’s worth $120K more than UMass. Even at UMass you can get internships and practical experience, and engineering in itself is marketable enough that you will get a job, and probably a good job, right out of school. But before you make any decisions, do talk to someone at Northeastern about finances, possible aid, and co-op earning potential. It’s possible you will get/earn more than you suppose. However, if the difference between the two still hovers in the tens of thousands of dollars range, I’d recommend you go to UMass and with the savings over Northeastern, treat yourself to a fun summer abroad.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I plan to contact northeastern’s FA office soon. Do you think that co-op or any other qualities of northeastern would be worth paying 120k extra for over umass?</p>
<p>Nope, I do not think the differences between engineering co-op opportunities at Northeastern and engineering internship opportunities at UMass will be worth 120K. Engineers are always sought after, pretty much no matter where you go to school.</p>
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<p>Not sure what you mean by this. Have you been awarded grants/scholarships at Northeastern and are uncertain if they will be renewed after freshman year?</p>
<p>I mean that I have received very little financial aid ($5500 stafford loan) and I’m assuming that I will receive the same for each year.</p>
<p>$5500 stafford loan is really not financial aid, anyone can get that and it’s a loan not a grant. So cost is not 200K it’s 55+58+61+64=238K (assume 4 to 5% a year increases).</p>
<p>True… Assuming it will cost 238k, I’m pretty sure my parents could give me around 80k overall. So would 160k in loans be absolutely ridiculous?</p>
<p>yes 160K would be insane. or worse, you get loans for yrs 1 and 2 and then you (actually parent co-signers) wouldn’t quailfy for more loans for years 3 and 4 because they have too much debt already. Then you end up at UMass anyway.</p>
<p>Are you serious? You want to pay off $160,000 in loans? Why would you even consider that, lol.</p>