<p>I'm visiting in April. Anything you guys like/dislike about the schools??</p>
<p>I'm really excited!</p>
<p>I havent visited any of those schools specifically but I live right outside Boston and its a great city to be in (applies to BU and NEU, not UMASS A). There’s always fun things to do around town and for the most part people are friendly as long as you dont wear a Yankees cap :)</p>
<p>i’m a die hard sox fan lol.</p>
<p>can’t wait to visit though, i wanna hear what people ahve to say about them</p>
<p>Northeastern
Northeastern is probably the strongest out of the group. It also has the nicest campus. It is smaller than BU, but feels like a big urban university. It has jumped 120 spots in the US News rankings and shows no signs of stopping, so you could be getting in at a good time. On the flip side, they have a significant amount of applicants and their standards are much harder than they used to be.</p>
<p>BU
BU is an older more established university. It is very large with a number of alumni around the US. It has a decent arts program and is pretty well respected (unless you watch the Social Network, lol).</p>
<p>UMass
The best thing about UMASS is the cost. You’ll get a good education and won’t break the bank. Decent sports, nice campus. The academics are suspect and the reputation is horrible, but a college degree is a college degree.</p>
<p>What’s the deal with UMass?</p>
<p>Visited Boston area schools last spring. My daughter liked BC and Northeastern, but loved Boston University. She loved the urban campus, being right in the city and close to everything. And “strongest of the group” is pretty subjective and not necessarily correct. It is much more important for you to figure out which school is “strongest” for you and what you want out of your college experience.</p>
<p>I know that at one time you favored women’s colleges. At UMass, you could take courses at Smith and Mt. Holyoke and experience that campus climate as well as the big-school environment.</p>
<p>You should vist them all if you have a gut felling that one of thoose fell right you need to go to that school</p>
<p>CPUscientist, you are interested in studying computer science, aren’t you? The computer science department at UMASS is very good, as are many other departments. If you are eligible for the Commonwealth College (honors program), look into it.</p>
<p>Some of the negative reputation of UMASS was earned by its shoddy building program back in the 60s and 70s. Graft and corruption were the order of the day, and it showed. However, most of the negative rep is the result of being in the same state with Harvard, MIT, and other old, established and pretty good private schools. In a larger state, or a state without a heritage of private universities and colleges, UMASS would be far more respected.</p>
<p>I have read stories in recent years about some problems regarding student behavior in the downtown of Amherst. That is too bad, because Amherst is a nice college town. While some Boston-area students find the Pioneer Valley too remote (i.e. not in Boston) or too quiet, I think the rural character of the area surrounding Amherst and Northampton is a positive attribute, but that depends on your own preferences. If you like to hike, the hills and trails are great.</p>
<p>I suggest you make your visit a worthwhile one, and don’t limit yourself to the canned campus tour. Make an appointment to talk to someone in the departments that interest you (undergraduate program directors, or advisers, for example). Look around the town itself. Try to get some first-hand information about student groups. Look into the Commonwealth College and honors-level courses in general.</p>
<p>All large flagship campuses offer a mix of good and bad related to size and the relative openness of admissions policies. CS and related majors pretty quickly lose the students who are not serious. If you think you might be interested in getting some research experience, talk to people in the departments about research opportunities for undergraduates.</p>
<p>FWIW, I lived and worked in the Amherst area for 15 years, but I left quite some time ago. I am not completely up to date about the current situation in town or on campus. I get the feeling that the state legislature has yet to make the kind of commitment to its flagship campus that is, in my opinion, appropriate. However, UMASS is a big research institution and does not rely solely on the generosity, of lack thereof, of the state of MA. The quality of the departments varies, so look at the departments that you will be involved in.</p>
<p>The five-college consortium is a bonus, as gadad has pointed out.</p>
<p>Thanks to all!</p>
<p>I liked the consortium too, as I liked mt Holyoke and smith as well. </p>
<p>I’m going to Massachusetts for a week in April so I will be able to look around the three schools and the area. </p>
<p>They have CS days, but not on the days im going so we are going to call today to schedule something so I can learn more about their CS/systems engineering Programs. I didn’t think about asking about research (I’m very interested in that) so I will remember that when I call.
Other schools I like have consortiums too (like MIT and Wellesley). </p>
<p>I’m exited to go, but a little wary about Amherst because I visited mt Holyoke and didn’t like the too quiet area, but I’ll keep my mind open. </p>
<p>Thanks again, I cant wait for all of this to be over!!!</p>
<p>^ I think visiting is very smart. See how you like the small towns and whether you could live there for four years. See whether the city is too fast paced for you. Imagine your weekdays and weekends. How would life be on each respective campus. SEe which you like. Different people have different interests and lifestyles.</p>
<p>I’m shooting for cities (Boston, NYC, new Brunswick, etc). I’ve lived in quiet areas with smaller populations all my life and I hate it.
I’ll keep an open mind though, maybe big cities will be too much</p>
<p>Amherst and Northampton are not at all like S. Hadley, home to Mt. Holyoke. I like small towns, but that would have been too small for me.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visits. Your enthusiasm is great, and it sounds like you are asking the right questions.</p>
<p>I visited both BU and Northeastern, but out of the two only decided to apply to BU. I live in Philadelphia basically on Penn’s campus, and I fell in love with BU’s campus right away; I think this is because it reminded me so much of Penn’s. BU has more well known academics, a better reputation nationally and internationally, and a more diverse student body. Northeastern does have a co-op though which is pretty sweet and very established. You should know though that you will probably graduate in 5 years if you participate in the co-op.</p>
<p>Northeastern is a very specific kind of school, and not for everyone. Its co-op program means that you will probably graduate in 5, and not 4 years. (Though it IS possible to graduate in 4 with a co-op squeezed in, if you’re determined to do it.) This is a school that’s best for students who know what they want to study, and want a lot of hands-on experience while they’re undergraduates. The co-ops provide some amazing opportunities - but they also do have an effect on the school atmosphere: at any one point many of your friends will be out of school (and possibly out of state, out of the country even) on co-op. If you’re not sure what you want to study – or if you’re really into the humanities (NEU’s weakspot, IMHO) Northeastern isn’t the school for you.</p>
<p>Thanks! I have to ask the right questions… This is my FUTURE(:</p>
<p>^^ I planned on graduating in 5 doing a masters program, but if I have a bachelors and do a co op, that’s even better!</p>
<p>UMASS is OOS for you, so not much aid, just be aware of that.</p>
<p>Thanks ^ every school is OOS except Yale 
I’m banking on scholarships ( I was nominated for queen of the pt Barnum festival, they give good scholarships too)</p>
<p>UMass is still the cheapest ( with the new England scholarship)</p>
<p>[UMass</a> Amherst: Undergraduate Admissions - NERSP](<a href=“http://www.umass.edu/admissions/financial_aid/NERSP/]UMass”>http://www.umass.edu/admissions/financial_aid/NERSP/)</p>
<p>NERSP refers to a New England student getting a break at another New England public school if that major is not offered in your home state public. </p>
<p>For example, if UCONN did not have your major & it was offered at UMASS, then you would get that tuition break at UMASS, if you decided to enroll at UMASS.</p>
<p>I researched that. My major at UMass would be computer systems engineering which hardly any school has, and none in CT. </p>
<p>My major/double major and Minor changes with every school, which sometimes is good</p>