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.

Nope.
College Park >> Amherst

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter graduated in 2022 from UMASS Amherst I won’t miss those 800 round trips to drop her off at start and end of year

Lol..that's what a friend said too. Her 2nd kid is going to closer college

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.

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.

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.

+1. Excellent points and very helpful

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.

+1 see this among my friends who have kids in the Boston area. A lot of super smart kids choose UMass.

Thank you all. This is helpful.

My daughter graduated in 2022 from UMASS Amherst I won’t miss those 800 round trips to drop her off at start and end of year

I did not like the high rise dorms, but the area generally seems like a great one for college. Nature/outdoor activities , and nice town and tons of smart kids because of the five colleges in the area.

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.

Thank you for sharing this information.

I can’t speak to the CS experience, but my kid and a classmate of his is at UMass and they love it. I see on the parent FB page that there are other DMV kids there, and I can only assume they are happy with their choice since they are still there.

We were super-impressed with the school after attending the admitted students day — the school is very communicative about goings-on, and my son, who is in STEM, said there are a lot of resources to help students succeed. Almost every STEM class my son has attended had a recitation of sorts (i.e., a study session). You can live in the party dorms (Southwest) or the non-party dorms (north campus) and find your fit. Great rec center and lots of activities.

Please share DMV area kids CS experience at UMass Amherst