Anonymous wrote:DC was accepted into the Honors College at VT, and has a $16k merit aid package at UMass. We are instate for VT and from what I can tell we are looking at roughly $36k per year for Tech and $41k per year after merit aid at UMass. It’s not a big enough difference for us to say no to UMass.

They are undeclared or a likely a humanities /psych major at either school.

US News rankings are better for Tech but wondering if there is something else to consider post-graduation. DC has visited UMass but is resisting visiting Tech.

Thoughts?

UMass is a flagship school at least.

Those who can not imagine why a student might wish to go somewhere outside the state of Virginia, somewhere other than VT ... they are the reason. Their limited outlook is the very reason.

The State of Massachusetts has the best schools in the country. UMass is going to have plenty of excellent students

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Which is in-state you might recall so stop the laughing

Also, I imagine OP’s kid would rather go to VT with 65% instate Virginians and friends from high school (at an in-state price) than a bunch of Massachusetts students who couldn’t get in anywhere else in Mass.

My DS wanted to get out of VA — he’s now at UMAss, where he knew no one going in, and he’s very happy there!

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Which is in-state you might recall so stop the laughing

Also, I imagine OP’s kid would rather go to VT with 65% instate Virginians and friends from high school (at an in-state price) than a bunch of Massachusetts students who couldn’t get in anywhere else in Mass.

The private colleges' on geographic diversity has really hurt Massachusetts students. And it's not always about "who didn't get in" but about "who couldn't afford."

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Anonymous wrote:I guess I don’t understand the Virginia Tech homers here. UMass is a far superior school for humanities.

LOL a mediocre state school with 70% acceptance rate is supposedly "far superior school for humanities" LMFAO

Um VT had a 70 percent acceptance rate until a few years agor. It’s barely below 60 now.

DP. It's no longer "a few years ago." Nice try, though. It's now 57% - compared to UMass at 64%.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/umass-amherst-2221/applying
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-3754/applying#:~:text=Virginia%20Tech%20has%20an,acceptance%20rate%20of%2057%25.

Per the 2023/2024 CDS for both schools …

VT acceptance rate was 57.0%
UMass acceptance rate was 57.7%

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Which is in-state you might recall so stop the laughing

Also, I imagine OP’s kid would rather go to VT with 65% instate Virginians and friends from high school (at an in-state price) than a bunch of Massachusetts students who couldn’t get in anywhere else in Mass.

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Anonymous wrote:I guess I don’t understand the Virginia Tech homers here. UMass is a far superior school for humanities.

LOL a mediocre state school with 70% acceptance rate is supposedly "far superior school for humanities" LMFAO

Um VT had a 70 percent acceptance rate until a few years agor. It’s barely below 60 now.

DP. It's no longer "a few years ago." Nice try, though. It's now 57% - compared to UMass at 64%.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/umass-amherst-2221/applying
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-3754/applying#:~:text=Virginia%20Tech%20has%20an,acceptance%20rate%20of%2057%25.

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Except that no one was making the absurd claims about VT that the poster (you?) was about UMass.
DP

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Anonymous wrote:I guess I don’t understand the Virginia Tech homers here. UMass is a far superior school for humanities.

LOL a mediocre state school with 70% acceptance rate is supposedly "far superior school for humanities" LMFAO

Um VT had a 70 percent acceptance rate until a few years agor. It’s barely below 60 now.

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Which is in-state you might recall so stop the laughing

UMass' yield is 18%. It is a safety for any strong Mass. student considering it.

Amherst College 39.07%
Babson College 39.67%
Boston College 41.36%
Boston University 36.51%
Bowdoin College 57.34%
Brandeis University ~22.11%
College of the Holy Cross 45.05%
Harvard University 84%
MIT 84.59%
Northeastern University 49.00%
Smith College 32.88%
Tufts University 50.49%
University of Massachusetts 18.09%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 19.86%

The best students in Mass don't go to UMass. The kids from Wellesley, Newton, Dedham, Weston, etc. if they want in state or local (and Harvard isn't an option) will go to BU, Tufts, NEU, BC, etc. over UMass. There is just a different mentality in how the flagship is perceived.

Of course there are middle class families that can't afford $90k a year, just like DMV.
This is also outdated information. Plenty of upper middle class Massachusetts families not thinking that the cost difference between BU and UMass — or any of these schools — is worth it. The same reasoning that is making Maryland rise is making UMass rise. The point that Virginians are missing is that UMass is the best public option in Massachusetts. As this trend continues in favor of publics nationwide (and it will), top public universities in each state will rise faster than, say, the third best public universities in each state.


Third best public is a reference to Virginia Tech? Wow. For engineering and some other subjects, Virginia Tech is the best public in Virginia, not third best.
Virginia is lucky. UVA, William & Mary and Virginia Tech are all excellent. Each appeals to a different segment of students.
Not to mention other good public schools in Virginia.

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Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.

Meanwhile, VT is ~ 65% from Virginia

😂😭

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best students in Massachusetts do not go to UMass. It is nothing like the dynamic that UVA has with Virgnia, UNC with North Carolina, etc.

You mention that casually as if Massachusetts doesn't have two of the Top 5 private universities in the country, doesn't have 4 - 5 of the Top 25 private universities in the country, and the surrounding New England region doesn't have probably 50% of the country's Top 25 private universities within 250 miles.

OF COURSE most of the top students in Massachusetts aspire to attend one or more of the Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, BC, BU, etc. - all right in their backyard. For the top students in Virginia, what are the alternatives to UVA that can compete with that list? A couple of borderline Top 10 privates (Duke and JHU), a Top 20 private (Vandy) and a Top 25 public (UNC) - what else can complete with UVA? Not quite the same options.

Please don't act like students from MA turn up their nose at UMass for any reason other than the fact that they live within the largest concentration of top university alternatives in the entire country. But for that fact, UMass would likely be considered on par with the top campuses in the UC system, Michigan, UT Austin, UNC, etc.

But for the fact...that's a big but? eh?
21% of BU students are from Mass.
23% of NEU students are from Mass.
22% of Tufts students are from Mass.
25% of BC students are from Mass.
29% of Brandeis students are from Mass.
13% of Wellesley students are from Mass.
15% of Harvard students are from Mass.

73% of UMass students are from Mass. UMass has a yield of 19%.

How does this change the fact that the best and brightest students are not choosing UMass? This isn't a slight to UMass. It is a fact. After the top selectives cherry pick the top Massachusetts students, UMass gets the rest. They are the safety for most strong students in Massachusetts.

This!!! One of the most intelligent analyses I’ve ever seen on DCUM. I think that says it all.