<p>I was born in Canada, but have resided in Massachusetts for the majority of my life.</p>
<p>Background information of my capabilities as a student: rank 24/326, stellar extracurriculars with leadership positions inside and outside of school, competed in business competitions taking home awards, regionals to science fair. Got into NEU, BU, BC but have to pay 30k+ to attend.</p>
<p>I got accepted into UofT to study Economics, and UMass Amherst in the Isenberg School of Management (not in the Honors College despite by good gpa -- I will try to get in during my second semester/year if I go here though).</p>
<p>Here's the issue. My family is considered middle class, so I don't get any reduced fees for lunch or for college applications. At UMass Amherst, I'm expected to pay ~10k with loans. At UofT, I am still waiting for my financial aid package to come in. I do't think it will come in by May 1. I am estimating 15k-20k with loans (hopefully). </p>
<p>I am planning to get my MBA in management at one of the top schools in the States (Wharton, Kellogg, etc) with a lot of hope and hard work of course haha. The thing is, I'm not sure if I should go to UofT or UMass Amherst for my undergraduate. My parents are willing to pay 40k for my four years of undergraduate, where I will pay off the rest through loans when I graduate. Reputation wise, I know UofT is a better school compared to UMass Amherst. There are many kids who attend my high school that haven't worked half as hard as I did and are going to UMass Amherst too. Kind of a blow to my self-esteem and waste of hard work. </p>
<p>Or perhaps I can just stay in Canada for my MBA too. But then I feel like I would end up settling in Canada and I really haven't thought that far. </p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm kinda rushed because I only have 2 days to put a deposit in for UMass Amherst. I am going to give a call to UofT tomorrow about my financials. </p>
<p>That’s a bad way to look. You need to look at the outcome. Not everyone that comes out of a college will be on the same level. Why can’t you work hard and be better than them after college ? College is just 4 years, life is not.</p>
<p>I don’t think you will find any difference in education quality between those schools. If you choose UMass Amherst, your transportation cost won’t be high. 10k is a great deal. I suggest UMass-Amherst.</p>
<p>Thank you so so much for your reply. I was just wondering for your opinion: Would I be able to get into a good graduate school (say HYPS) even if I went to UMass Amherst with the given reputation? (hypothetically, with an awesome gpa, essay, Letters of Rec, and extracirrics)</p>
<p>The business school at UMass Amherst is well respected and is harder to get into than the university in general. Do well at UMass and you should be able to aim high for grad school. My son is finishing up his sophomore year at UMass. He started in Engineering (also harder to get into) and has since switched to a math major. He has really enjoyed UMass and has had a good experience so far. His roommate is in the business school and I haven’t heard about any complaints. The only reason to go to UT is if you want to work in Texas after you graduate. Otherwise, save your money for your MBA.</p>
<p>To the OP: I assume by UofT you mean University of Toronto not University of Texas. As a Canadian citizen tuition is very low there and U of T has a much better reputation than UMass, even in the US.</p>
<p>Yes! I’m so sorry; I should have typed out University of Toronto rather than UofT. </p>
<p>Paying back my loans is an issue and getting a job in the states are the main concerns for me. Do US companies look down upon Canadian degrees? Or perhaps should I just stay in Canada? (haha).</p>
<p>Aside from my other post to you jmc512, I think getting a job in the states is easier at UMass than UofT. Again, from my experience with the accounting program in UMass, recruiting for jobs in Boston is on par with Bentley, BU, and Babson so it should not be tremendously hard to find work in the Boston area after graduation as long as you put in the effort. Also, all majors at Isenberg are well regarded among adults with whom I have spoken in MA.</p>
<p>I don’t think a degree from UofT would be “looked down upon” as you feared, but finding a job in the US may be harder since your professional network from college will mainly be based in Canada. As far as staying in Canada, you could find a great job in Toronto since Rotman is well respected there. </p>
<p>If you do want to work in the States and you want to stay in MA, then UMass would be a fine choice. And keep in mind that the reputation of Isenberg is distinct from UMass as a whole. From what I have seen around campus, UMass is constantly renovating buildings and construction is everywhere (especially for the new honors dorms) so the University is making visible improvements.</p>
<p>The likelyhood of you getting into a top 5 graduate school (or similar caliber) coming from UMass is not great. I suggest Toronto over UMass. However, I would suggest looking into BC, BU and Northeastern over either Toronto or Umass, if you can afford them.</p>
<p>Is it UofT Rotman School of Business or Economics in UofT arts and science. I wouldn’t recommend the latter because you’ll have to apply to the business school after your freshmen year. I’m also not a big fan of the UofT arts and science department. Pretty big classes and not much of a community. </p>
<p>If you’re Canadian, shouldn’t UofT only be less than $10,000 a year? Plus living costs.</p>