University of Mass or USD? (Boston, Worcester: rent, bad credit, loans)

[ChelseaRave]

I live in CA and got accepted to University of San Diego, but found out it's going to be $35,000 for one year (and i qualify for $29,000 in loans, which needs a cosigner because of my bad credit). After being accepted there, I started thinking about the possibility of going to the University of Massachusetts in Boston, which is $21,000 for out-of-state tuition. USD is private and UMass is public, but which one has the better reputation and prestige? I was also looking at Bridgewater State College in Mass, which would only be $12,500 for out-of-state tuition. i would really like to live back east, but don't want to relocate and turn down USD if it means I would just be moving to go down in reputation (college-wise).
Thank you

[shiver]

UMass-Boston doesn't have the same prestige and reputation as UMass-Amherst, but it's a decent school... if you live in MA. It's not so good that I would relocate cross country and pay out-of-state tuition to attend unless there is some program that is unique and particular to the school. It's primarily a commuter school and there are so many colleges and universities in the Boston area that it tends to get lost in the shuffle.

If you really want to relocate East and go to UMass-Boston, I'd move here first and establish residency and reapply in a year or two.

Did you apply and receive admission to any of the University of CA schools? That would probably be my route if I were you.

ETA - I don't know much about Bridgewater State, but UMass-Boston has the better reputation. Again, not a school that I would personally pay out of state tuition for.

[ChelseaRave]

The thing is, is that if I payed out-of-state tuition for say UMass, it's still $14,000 cheaper than staying here and going to USD. And Bridgewater's out-of-state is a whopping $22,000 less than USD's in-state tuition. I'm just worried because I want to go on to Med school after my B.A., and now that I'm accepted I'm trying to take a step back. Thanks for your help : )

[cowcat]

As someone pointed out, it might be worth it for UMass-Amherst but it's not for UMass-Boston. You're in CA. I would choose a slew of public schools in CA before relocating across the country for UMass-Boston. Any of the UC schools and a good number of the Cal State schools fit the bill.

[ChelseaRave]

Originally Posted by cowcat

As someone pointed out, it might be worth it for UMass-Amherst but it's not for UMass-Boston. You're in CA. I would choose a slew of public schools in CA before relocating across the country for UMass-Boston. Any of the UC schools and a good number of the Cal State schools fit the bill.

I've heard about Umass Amherst, but they don't have the major I need (International Relations)-but it sounds like a very good school. And besides just the school-factor, it's much cheaper to live half hour out of Boston than it is to live in San Diego..I'm working full time here in SD just to pay for $750 in rent for a (literally) minuscule studio.

[ChelseaRave]

And I thought it would be pretty neat to go to a university that was established in 1840 (Bridgewater)-whereas no universities in CA have been around that long.

[RemiJP]

I agree, a large number of the UC or CalState schools are FAR more prestigious than UMass Boston or Bridgewater. If you can't get into a UC right now, it would be better to go to a community college and transfer to a UC later than to move across the country to go to UMass Boston.

[lrfox]

I would seriously consider UMass Amherst. My sister is Pre-Med and nearly went to UMass Amherst (she ended up choosing Northeastern for their Co=op program). It's an excellent school. If you can work towards becoming a resident, you also have a better shot at UMass Medical School in Worcester which is very affordable for Mass. residents (though VERY selective).

UMass Boston isn't a BAD school, but it's certainly not a wonderful one. It's highly oriented to non-traditional students and commuters. There is no college life there. In fact, there aren't even dorms (this isn't as big of a deal as it seems since Boston is TEEMING with students as you know). However, you will never get the feel of a campus community at UMass Boston. Is that really worth $14,000 to you? Most (put me in this boat) will agree that half the reason you go to college is for the experience and you lose that experience at UMass Boston. It may be worth it to you, but think hard. I heard an excellent quote somewhere that went something like, "I went to college and learned a LOT!... I also took some classes while I was there." It may just be me, but I would avoid UMass Boston and look for a more traditional college experience.

Now, Bridgewater state is a middle of the road college (I don't know if either UMass Boston or BW State is an excellent choice for someone looking at Med School). It's not bad, but it's specialty is education majors (teachers). I don't know how good their pre-med or biology programs (do they even have pre-med?). It's a more traditional campus though and it's not half bad. It's a small school, but a decent one. It has a commuter rail stop right in the middle of the campus so it's easy to get to/from downtown Boston without a vehicle (good for internships AND fun). Bridgewater is also a moderately underrated college town. It has a lot of the bars and restaurants that cater to the student population.

In the end, I'd say University of San Diego is the best bet even given the cost. if you're hell-bent on cutting costs (and you want to come back East), I'd choose Bridgewater over UMass Boston because of the college atmosphere (and it's a lot cheaper than even UMass Boston). The quality of education and the value of the degree at either isn't significantly different. I would still recommend UMass Amherst (or even UMass Dartmouth) over the other two. Amherst is the flagship school in a great area. It'll also be much more affordable than USD. If there's still time to get in, go for it. If not, Bridgewater seems to me to be your best bet.

[ChelseaRave]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I would seriously consider UMass Amherst. My sister is Pre-Med and nearly went to UMass Amherst (she ended up choosing Northeastern for their Co=op program). It's an excellent school. If you can work towards becoming a resident, you also have a better shot at UMass Medical School in Worcester which is very affordable for Mass. residents (though VERY selective).

UMass Boston isn't a BAD school, but it's certainly not a wonderful one. It's highly oriented to non-traditional students and commuters. There is no college life there. In fact, there aren't even dorms (this isn't as big of a deal as it seems since Boston is TEEMING with students as you know). However, you will never get the feel of a campus community at UMass Boston. Is that really worth $14,000 to you? Most (put me in this boat) will agree that half the reason you go to college is for the experience and you lose that experience at UMass Boston. It may be worth it to you, but think hard. I heard an excellent quote somewhere that went something like, "I went to college and learned a LOT!... I also took some classes while I was there." It may just be me, but I would avoid UMass Boston and look for a more traditional college experience.

Now, Bridgewater state is a middle of the road college (I don't know if either UMass Boston or BW State is an excellent choice for someone looking at Med School). It's not bad, but it's specialty is education majors (teachers). I don't know how good their pre-med or biology programs (do they even have pre-med?). It's a more traditional campus though and it's not half bad. It's a small school, but a decent one. It has a commuter rail stop right in the middle of the campus so it's easy to get to/from downtown Boston without a vehicle (good for internships AND fun). Bridgewater is also a moderately underrated college town. It has a lot of the bars and restaurants that cater to the student population.

In the end, I'd say University of San Diego is the best bet even given the cost. if you're hell-bent on cutting costs (and you want to come back East), I'd choose Bridgewater over UMass Boston because of the college atmosphere (and it's a lot cheaper than even UMass Boston). The quality of education and the value of the degree at either isn't significantly different. I would still recommend UMass Amherst (or even UMass Dartmouth) over the other two. Amherst is the flagship school in a great area. It'll also be much more affordable than USD. If there's still time to get in, go for it. If not, Bridgewater seems to me to be your best bet.

Ah it does seem like such a good school! But my B.A. major is International Relations and they don't offer that at Amherst..

[cowcat]

Here's the thing. It's obvious that you're still trying to figure things out. You want to go to med school but want to major in international relations as an undergrad. Not that this can't happen, but this isn't typical since it's not easy loading up on poli sci classes while meeting all your hard sciences requirements. There's nothing wrong with tossing around these ideas, but it sounds to me that you need to keep you options open while in school. This means you should go someplace that provides a breadth of offerings. If you're not sure what you want to eat, you shouldn't go to a seafood restaurant, you know what I mean? A school like Bridgewater State will not give you nearly as many options if you decide to change your major after exploring a bit. You'll be thousands of miles from home and potentially feeling lost. If you didn't apply or get into a school that can provide you with a wide variety of options, I would stay close to home and attend community college for a couple years. This will allow you to explore while saving a load of money. If you maintain your grades, you could easily get into a number of prestigious programs in IR, if that's even still your goal. The other thing about IR to keep in mind is that the nature of the discipline means that the highest profile schools with international reps usually have the best programs - Georgetown, Berkeley, Tufts, etc. At the minimum, you'll probably want to be at a school like UC-Davis or Syracuse. This might all be irrelevant if you decide to go a different route. The worst case scenario is an expensive school that also provides little flexibility. If you're paying good money, you should at least be fairly sure it's a place where you can thrive. Good luck.