DMV kids at UMass Amherst

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

Have you been to the Amherst/5 College area? Compare it to College Park. Makes perfect sense.

Yes, I've been there. It's a small provincial town. And?

... By which you mean there's no Chipotle or Applebee's? True..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

Virginia schools rank fourth nationally so not really that different than Massachusetts.

Uh huh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How’s that Umass library holding up? Rumor was, years ago, one of the engineers didn’t calculate the weight of the books so it’s sinking.

I think it’s doing fine! It was closed back on the 1980s to address issues with the veneer, but it’s good now.

[Anonymous]

Oh I checked, btw. Umass undergrad is 55k OOS, including room and board. I thought it was higher but maybe I missed something? So... 16k merit, 39k. College Park 30K. Insuring a car for male teen driver in the DMV... Just take out a second mortgage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a DMV kid, but my niece who grew up in MA is at UMass Amherst now and absolutely loves it. Her major is Chemistry. Like a PP said the baseline of kids from her suburb in Boston are all incredibly bright and driven. She went to a very competitive public HS outside Boston.

Not only this but the state universities in Massachusetts are geared more for the average student with a lot of students from the cities. Not at all competitive just a basic education. UMass is in another league and more for students with excellent grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

I think that people not obsessed with rank will make better choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

Have you been to the Amherst/5 College area? Compare it to College Park. Makes perfect sense.

dp.. this is about a college education, not how pretty the campus is. Once they get out of college and find a job, they can live anywhere they want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

I think that people not obsessed with rank will make better choices.

Paying up the nose just for a pretty campus is not "better choices". It's an emotional choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

I think that people not obsessed with rank will make better choices.

I'm from MA. Amherst College, sure, but no way in hell I would pay OOS fees for U Mass Amherst. There is zero about the school or location that's worth that cost. Only kids that can't get into better schools would consider it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

Virginia schools rank fourth nationally so not really that different than Massachusetts.

Except it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

I think that people not obsessed with rank will make better choices.

I'm from MA. Amherst College, sure, but no way in hell I would pay OOS fees for U Mass Amherst. There is zero about the school or location that's worth that cost. Only kids that can't get into better schools would consider it.

^^nothing wrong with this but don't pretend it's a superior choice

[Anonymous]

If a student is gunning for a UMD restricted major (CS, Bio, Engineering) U Mass Amherst could be a more likely admit. Tough winters in that part of MA though. Amherst is a little town with some charm, but not much there to speak of. With the cluster of colleges there, party scene likely good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing that is overlooked by many in DMV is that Massachusetts generally has the best public primary and secondary schooling in the country. The baseline of kids is higher than one would expect from your familiarity with Maryland, Virginia, and DC school systems. And the very top tier of students at UMass, as is true at just about any flagship, is as smart as students anywhere. Couple that with the fact that many middle class families in Massachusetts are foregoing a lot of great (but not quite elite) New England privates because they don’t offer much merit aid (unlike similar-caliber schools in other parts of the country), and UMass is on the rise.

And you can take classes at the other five colleges in the area, including Amherst and Smith, which aren't slouches.

It isn't cheap from out of state, like 60k, I think? They offer some merit, but it's still not cheap. I think it's probably worth it.

If I had to choose between UMD and UMass I wouldn't even look back before driving north. I never went to school up there but I lived there for a few years after college and worked at Smith. Was really, really fun.

College is a lot more than "reputation." And also, UMass has a pretty good one.

Doesn't make sense. UMD higher ranked and cheaper.

Have you been to the Amherst/5 College area? Compare it to College Park. Makes perfect sense.

College Park >> Amherst

In what world?

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, don't need a car for them in Amherst. College Park... I bet you're sending them with a car.

LOL I don't see shit around Amherst. So you are stuck in the campus all the time?

College Park has metro to Washing to DC.

Bus runs between Amherst and Northampton, looping through the colleges about every... I don't know, I think it was 20-30 mins when I lived there. It's free.

Northampton is the epitome of a cute college town. It has bars, bookshops, boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, pizza, extremely gay nightclubs, etc.

There are five colleges in the area. There's quite a lot going on all the time. Actually, probably a lot more that's interesting for a college student than anything in DC.

Never heard of Northampton
Bus to Northampton LOL

Tell me you're a snob living in a bad subdivision in North Potomac, who's never really seen the rest of America without saying the actual words out loud.

Based upon your post, you are clearly the snob.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, don't need a car for them in Amherst. College Park... I bet you're sending them with a car.

LOL I don't see shit around Amherst. So you are stuck in the campus all the time?

College Park has metro to Washing to DC.

Bus runs between Amherst and Northampton, looping through the colleges about every... I don't know, I think it was 20-30 mins when I lived there. It's free.

Northampton is the epitome of a cute college town. It has bars, bookshops, boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, pizza, extremely gay nightclubs, etc.

There are five colleges in the area. There's quite a lot going on all the time. Actually, probably a lot more that's interesting for a college student than anything in DC.

Never heard of Northampton
Bus to Northampton LOL

Good. Western Mass doesn’t want you