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Hello friends,
I have lived in MA for a year, so I'm still new. I have 2 kids in high school (9th & 10th grades), and it's time to consider the college routes. Tuition costs are appalling...how do people send 2 kids (simultaneously, in my situation) to college without robbing their retirement? It no longer makes sense, no matter how much you earn or how much you have saved! My kids are average students (mostly A's & B's...with an occasional C sneaking in here and there)...but I still demand that they get an education...(I guess REALITY demands it, not me). Can anyone suggest schools for me to look into, that are reasonably priced, and will accept B students? We live in Franklin, and I was astonished to see that our local college...Dean...is nearly $30K/year. That's absurd, for a middling jr. college, in my opinion! Your advice is appreciated.
Your 10th grader will be taking the MCAS tests this spring. If he or she scores Advanced on both the English and Math and is in the top 25% of the class - they qualify for the Adams scholarship (free tuition at any Massachusetts state college). Of course, you still have to pay fees, room + board. There are a number of good deals at several out of state public colleges, too - based on SAT and ACT scores.
As someone who works in academia, I can tell you that the best bang for your high ed buck in the state is UMass-Amherst. There is a bias among many in MA toward private schools but the quality at these schools is HIGHLY variable. OTOH, UMass-Amherst is a major, quality public university with a good national reputation. You could lower your UMass cost a bit more by doing the first year at a local community college and then transferring to UMass-Amherst (though you must be careful about taking courses that will transfer and apply to the UMass degree.)
having grown up in Mass it was cheaper for me and most of my friends to attend private colleges than attend state schools because of financial aid. Don't rule out a school because of the sticker price.
UMass has gotten a lot better since I was in high school and was considered a saftey school at best.
I agree with ProfessorSenator: UMass/Amherst is the way to go. It's also true, however, that many students do receive significant tuition aid at private schools. But it's more difficult to get into private schools, so unless your kids pull their grades up to mostly As, you should be targeting UMass/Amherst. It's certainly better than Dean College. This private college thing is very much a New England phenomenon. The truth is that many public universities are as good as or better than many of these small, expensive private colleges. Good luck!
Don't overlook public colleges and universities in other states, though. There are many deals out there at public schools that are ranked much higher than UMASS.
having grown up in Mass it was cheaper for me and most of my friends to attend private colleges than attend state schools because of financial aid. Don't rule out a school because of the sticker price.
UMass has gotten a lot better since I was in high school and was considered a saftey school at best.
Agreed. Don't rule out private schools because they appear to cost $10,000 - $20,000 more. Many of these schools will give grants to students. I went to a private school in MA roughly 5-9 years and the sticker said $25K, but the real cost was around $10-$13k per year after grants. I was a similar student in terms of grades to your kids.
Some out of state public schools will cost less than the in-state tuition in MA...so that is something else to consider. Schools in the southeast are very reasonably priced and offer a solid education also. Plus, they may get a different experience then staying around home.
We just went through the college shopping over the the last 6 months with my son & he ended up applying to 3 public & 3 private schools. He is looking to go into engineering & my wife & I (as well as my son) were very impressed with the programs at Umass-Lowell. The price is right & he qualifys for the Adams scholarship mentioned above. He still has not made up his mind & we can afford to send him to the private schools if that is where he wants to go, but would have no problem at all sending him to Umass-Lowell
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