Dunno if MIT has ever been called a party school but point still taken. And I think to continue along your line, that's what getting into a good grad school is

Dunno if MIT has ever been called a party school but point still taken. And I think to continue along your line, that's what getting into a good grad school is all about. Do well at UMass and you can get into an elite grad school. Party at an elite and you probably won't. Indeed that's what junior colleges are all about, a second chance. Look, rich people who can afford elite high schools, etc, are going to dominate elite admissions. But allowing hard working kids from the wrong side of tracks multiple chances helps even that playing field. Case in point, a buddy of mine, wrong side of the tracks, arrest record, freaky smart, he started over in junior college, killed it, went to Cal, murdered it, went to Columbia, got bored with it and became a quant.