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I'm looking into UM Amherst, UM Lowell, Boston College and Boston University. I will soon be applying for colleges, and am coming here for info. I was wondering if I could get some personal experience on these universities since the only things I know are the good aspects from the university websites.
I took a mock SAT last year and got 510, 550, and 570 in critical reading, math and writing, respectively. I'm positive I did better this year, because I didn't know enough math last year, so hopefully, all of my scores will be over 550, maybe even 600. My GPA will be 4.0 or higher, and I am very involved in school activities and clubs.
So, with that said, where do you think I should apply to, because I don't want to apply to too many colleges. Also, which one is in a great area that mixes liveliness with safeness. Oh and what is the main difference between BU and BC besides the number of people. They seem very similar.
Thanks for any replies ahead of time. If you have any suggestions, feel free to say them.
Where you apply should be based on what you want to study...
BU has more of a downtown/city campus. BC has more of a suburb campus.
Unfortunately, you were born in few of the most competitive years for college acceptance. These score were fine about 15 years ago when there were much less people applying to colleges. Not to discourage you from applying, if just based on your SAT scores alone... It is not likely you will get into BC or many majors in BU... most likely just U Mass. Check with your guidance counselor to see what is the acceptance by these colleges for your high school based on these scores.
I'd say you should not base your decision on what schools to apply to strictly on the basis of your SAT scores. At the same time, it's important to find a school that is a good fit for you personally.
A few colleges now are no longer even considering SAT scores. The vast majority still are, but the fact that some no longer do is an indication of the reality that many colleges are re-evaluating the importance they attach to test scores. Under any circumstances, colleges will look at the whole picture--SAT scores; grades; any extracurricular activities that show that you're well-rounded or demonstrate leadership ability; anything that shows you're responsible, such as holding a weekend job for much of high school; special talents (athletic, musical, etc.). The personal essay that's part of the college application also provides an opportunity for you give the colleges a picture of what kind of person you are. If you've overcome any difficulties to succeed in school, the essay is a good forum for explaining this as well.
This said, you need to be realistic about finding the right school for yourself. I happened to see your post on the NY forum as well, so I know that all the schools you're asking about are major universities. Maybe life at a large university would suit you well, and that's why you're looking at those schools. However, if you're thinking of these schools mainly because of their reputations, keep in mind that highly regarded major universities get their high-powered academic reputations largely because of the research the professors do, and the contributions they make in their academic fields. None of this has anything to do with their quality as teachers. Some are excellent teachers, but others really aren't especially interested in teaching, and would rather focus on their research. Though some professors at large universities are outstanding teachers, and the quality of teaching varies from one school to another, generally, you'll find a higher caliber of teaching at smaller colleges. In fact, at the large universitites, including the schools you're looking at, many lower-level classes won't be taught by professors at all. They'll be taught by graduate students, who vary a lot in their skill as teachers. Some grad students are excellent teachers, but quite a few are really pretty bad. At smaller colleges, not only do professors teach all classes, but, allowing for the fact that every school is different, in general you'll find the atmosphere more supportive than it is at large universities, where you tend to get lost in the crowd.
It's okay to apply to a college or two that seems out of reach for your test scores and the like, because you never know what might happen when the admissions officers look at the total package you present. It's a good idea, though, to apply to several schools that are a really good fit with your test scores and grades, and also to include one or two safety schools, where the average scores and grades of students they admit are below yours. And, consider those smaller colleges as possibilities as well. Best of luck with the college search.
I just re-read your original post, and I see not only that you have a good GPA and are involved in activities, but that the SAT scores you listed were for a mock test. I'd strongly suggest doing some serious prep for the real SAT. One of the well known test prep services could be a big help in boosting scores. If that's too expensive, I'd suggest checking out a bookstore and investing in a book or two with SAT prep exercises. As I said in the earlier post, the colleges will look at the whole package you present, but every little bit helps.
I would strongly advise anyone to avoid UMass Amherst. I'd say the only people who should go there would be those who have no choice because they live in MA and are strictly on a state-school budget, and no other MA state college offers the major they want. I would strongly encourage even people in this situation to exhaust all other possibilities before resigning themselves to UMass Amherst.
I attended UMass Amherst as an older young adult (age 35 when I started there) returning to school for a second bachelor's degree. I found the place to be rife with incompetent, uncaring bureaucracy. Believe me, I am not the sort to complain about having to wait in line to take care of business, or to get upset over the occasional little snag that's par for the course when you deal with bureaucracy, and these minor snafus are not what I'm talking about at UMass Amherst. I'm talking about a fundamental problem in the whole attitude of the place, and chronic ineptitude among employees at all levels.
One way to get some idea that my experience was not unusual is to check out the website of the Princeton Review at princetonreview.com. They have rankings of colleges for a wide variety of factors that affect the overall college experience. Check this out and you'll see that UMass Amherst is ranked in the top 20 in the category of worst colleges for red tape.
I can't emphasize too much that I'm NOT talking here about just a little bit of basic pain-in-the-rear inefficiency. Not only was I a student at UMass, but I held a student job, which eventually led to my being a full-time employee of the university. I saw that school from several points of view, and I believe the quality of service it provides its students is atrocious.
The local area around Amherst seems to have a lot of small-town cronyism, and the fundamental problem at UMass seems to be that this shows up in a big way among the university's employees. There are some good employees there. However, way too many of the employees seemed to have no interest in doing their jobs at all, but seemed instead to have the attitude that their whole reason for being there was to use the connections their jobs gave them to make deals all over the place. Way too many employees had no apparent interest in their jobs at all, and had an openly hostile attitude toward students, whom the employees viewed as people who got in the way of all the wheeling and dealing by actually expecting the employees to do a little work.
The result is major error after major error, having such serious effects, and happening so frequently, that it can truly affect the basic quality of your life if you are a student there. I hesitate to go into detail, partly because I don't want to get into trouble on this site for being too negative, but mostly because there's not nearly enough room in one post here to detail all the serious problems I encountered at UMass Amherst. If you want more detail feel free to send me a p.m., and I'll get back to you with details.
But please, be good to yourself and stay well away from UMass Amherst.
As for the other schools you have listed here, I can't tell you much about UMass Lowell. A friend of mine went there back when, and was impressed with their academic offerings. That was years ago, though, so I can't tell you anything about the school now. B.C. and B.U. both have good academic reputations. B.C. may be more of a big-name school outside the Boston area, but both are known locally to be of high quality in their academic offerings. I have heard that B.U. has a little bit of a reputation of its own for red tape, but that's only hearsay, and you're most likely going to run into a certain amount of that at a school as large as B.U. I can tell you that a friend of mine has a daughter who's just started her sophomore year at B.U., and she says she found her freshman year there to be a very positive experience.
I don't have experience with B.C., B.U., or UMass Lowell personally, but I do hear good things about them. I hear more about B.U. and B.C. than Lowell, but all of them seem to have good reputations locally in the Boston area. Being sickeningly familiar with UMass Amherst, I can tell you to please, please stay as far away from that place as possible.
How did you do in your PSAT? It should give you a good indication.
SAT Math normally test at 10th grade level (but you mentioned that you did not learn until last year? 11th grade?) What kind of classes are you taking? Any AP class?
I guess it depends on what you want to study. UMass has so many departments. My daughter was an honors student in engineering at UMass Amherst (The Commonwealth College program). She graduated near the top of her class with a superb engineering education behind her and was offered admittance to top level graduate programs in the Northeast. She is now attending a highly regarded program. Some of her fellow graduates accepted high-paying jobs with their B.S. and some have gone on to graduate studies.
You should take a look at the school and the surrounding area. If you like a country setting rather than an urban setting, UMass could be for you. There are many areas to ride bikes into the country and areas to hike, swim, kayak. Many students love the area so much they never leave.
BC is a catholic school, and is as much a party school as UMass Amherst. My neighbor's children attend BC and have had a wonderful experience there, but if you're not catholic, I don't know why you would apply. BU is very expensive and has a lot of foreign students, many of whom are very wealthy. The students I know who attend BU are generally happy with the education. UMass Lowell is doing some great things in the sciences, if that is what you want to study. I attended a forum on their green chemistry studies and was very impressed. There is some cutting-edge science happening in lowell.
No matter what school you attend, just stay away from the heavy partying and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. It should be the most incredible 4 years of your life.
While initially a Catholic college (and considered the local Harvard for Irish Catholics!), plenty of people who aren't Catholic go to B.C. I think it might be academically more stringent than B.U.
Both are private and quite expensive.
UMass Lowell is the least "safe" of the schools mentioned, although the part of Lowell it's in isn't that tough, Lowell is overall a tougher town than the colleges in Boston (and B.C. is actually in the upscale suburb of Newton, not in Boston). I believe the tech departments of UMass Lowell would be more famous if not so close to MIT- I hear they are very good. Of course, Lowell is surrounded by world-class tech companies, so if that's the area of study, it's very well located.
Is there a particular area of study and degree specialty you have in mind? Maybe I missed it, but it seems that would play the most critical part in your decision.
I believe the tech departments of UMass Lowell would be more famous if not so close to MIT- I hear they are very good.
You are kidding.... right?
The caliber of students and faculties are so much better at MIT... which MIT are you talking about?
Admission data from college board Massachusetts Institute of Technology
97% in top 10th of graduating class
Middle 50% of First-Year Students
SAT Critical Reading: 660 - 760
SAT Math: 720 - 800
University of Massachusetts Lowell
13% in top 10th of graduating class
Middle 50% of First-Year Students
SAT Critical Reading: 470 - 570
SAT Math: 490 - 610
Boston College
80% in top 10th of graduating class
Middle 50% of First-Year Students
SAT Critical Reading: 610 - 700
SAT Math: 640 - 720
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If you have any suggestions, feel free to say them.
an ecouraging word
