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Anyone from the northeast have any thoughts on the relative quality of a UMass education (any campus) compared to BU?

wly_cdgr 4y ago
UMass Amherst is significantly more prestigious than BU - or at least it was ~20 years ago when I was applying to colleges. But Amherst is the one "good" UMass campus
- voidfunc 4y ago
  Are you confusing UMass Amherst with Amherst College (generally considered an A-tier school)? I've never heard anyone say UMass Amherst is _significantly_ more prestigious than BU... they've always been fairly comparable other than BU having the urban Boston campus benefit.
  - wly_cdgr 4y ago
    Nope, I'm not. Amherst college is another tier or two above UMass Amherst, yeah I went to the best HS in the Northeast in the 90s and no one seriously considered BU, but UMass Amherst was a non-shameful safety. But I am out of the loop - things could have changed in 20+ years
nr2x 4y ago
Main value of urban campuses is they provide a leg up in the local job market, so UMass Boston could be good. Amherst I think has more research, but not much of a job market.
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seibelj 4y ago
I went to BU for undergraduate and master’s degrees ~12 years ago. Was only (!!) $50k then but was still very expensive. The education is high quality and there are so many majors that they keep grading standards high as anyone can switch out to something easier (i.e. communications). That said BU is full of very rich foreigners, and fairly rich US students who couldn’t get into Ivy league schools for whatever reason. Some of the dorms and buildings are new and cutting edge, others are really old and shitty. Living in the newer dorms is significantly more money than the older ones, so the prices quoted at the link are for the shitty old buildings. I would not encourage anyone to go to BU who needed loans. I would recommend a merit scholarship or have rich parents. The price isn’t worth the degree or the experience.
chc4 4y ago
UMass schools are all pretty good. UMass Lowell is a pretty well regarded engineering school, UMass Amherst is consistently ranked highly nationally, Bridgewater State is a nice liberal arts college, etc. The majority of students in high school had UMass Amherst as their main choice - there probably is some amount of advantage to BU over state school, but it is a very large price difference especially if you are in-state.
jonathanlei 4y ago
Prospective student from the area here —- here are my two cents, but keep in mind these are the opinion of someone who doesn’t know what he is talking about. From an educational quality standpoint, they are comparable. I personally like the rural feeling of UMass Amherst a lot more than the city surroundings of Boston University. Educational quality also stems from the quality of your classmates. In that regard, UMass Amherst is a bit worse than Boston University, which has better rankings and attracts students whose families are more affluent. Finding a job with a BU degree is going to be easier than with an Amherst degree from what I understand. Personally, I’d choose UMass Amherst because it’s cheaper and some of my smart friends go there (due to affirmative action going to another level this past year blocking out Ivies for a bunch of Asians).
voidfunc 4y ago
I didn't attend UMass, but have had friends that went there and they seem fine a decade and some change after graduating. I think UMass education AND networking is on par with private schools that rank in the 50-100 tier (I went to one of those, I don't think I am any better because of it). College these days is mostly about getting a useful degree and building up a network... as long as the school gives your opportunities and has a decent alumni network it doesn't seem to matter much beyond that.
vineyardmike 4y ago
I'd attend BU and hire from BU before UMass Flagship, and certainly before non-flagship. That said, I wouldn't think poorly of someone with a UMass degree. I assume BU has a better professional network and more business connections to get a job. The volume of top-tier schools in the north east means that there is a subtle student brain-drain from state schools not found in other parts of country - this obviously applies only to students who can afford it of course, and smart people certainly attend UMass.

UMass Amherst is significantly more prestigious than BU - or at least it was ~20 years ago when I was applying to colleges. But Amherst is the one "good" UMass campus

voidfunc 4y ago
Are you confusing UMass Amherst with Amherst College (generally considered an A-tier school)? I've never heard anyone say UMass Amherst is _significantly_ more prestigious than BU... they've always been fairly comparable other than BU having the urban Boston campus benefit.
- wly_cdgr 4y ago
  Nope, I'm not. Amherst college is another tier or two above UMass Amherst, yeah I went to the best HS in the Northeast in the 90s and no one seriously considered BU, but UMass Amherst was a non-shameful safety. But I am out of the loop - things could have changed in 20+ years

nr2x 4y ago

Main value of urban campuses is they provide a leg up in the local job market, so UMass Boston could be good. Amherst I think has more research, but not much of a job market.

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seibelj 4y ago

I went to BU for undergraduate and master’s degrees ~12 years ago. Was only (!!) $50k then but was still very expensive. The education is high quality and there are so many majors that they keep grading standards high as anyone can switch out to something easier (i.e. communications). That said BU is full of very rich foreigners, and fairly rich US students who couldn’t get into Ivy league schools for whatever reason. Some of the dorms and buildings are new and cutting edge, others are really old and shitty. Living in the newer dorms is significantly more money than the older ones, so the prices quoted at the link are for the shitty old buildings. I would not encourage anyone to go to BU who needed loans. I would recommend a merit scholarship or have rich parents. The price isn’t worth the degree or the experience.

chc4 4y ago

UMass schools are all pretty good. UMass Lowell is a pretty well regarded engineering school, UMass Amherst is consistently ranked highly nationally, Bridgewater State is a nice liberal arts college, etc. The majority of students in high school had UMass Amherst as their main choice - there probably is some amount of advantage to BU over state school, but it is a very large price difference especially if you are in-state.

jonathanlei 4y ago

Prospective student from the area here —- here are my two cents, but keep in mind these are the opinion of someone who doesn’t know what he is talking about. From an educational quality standpoint, they are comparable. I personally like the rural feeling of UMass Amherst a lot more than the city surroundings of Boston University. Educational quality also stems from the quality of your classmates. In that regard, UMass Amherst is a bit worse than Boston University, which has better rankings and attracts students whose families are more affluent. Finding a job with a BU degree is going to be easier than with an Amherst degree from what I understand. Personally, I’d choose UMass Amherst because it’s cheaper and some of my smart friends go there (due to affirmative action going to another level this past year blocking out Ivies for a bunch of Asians).

voidfunc 4y ago

I didn't attend UMass, but have had friends that went there and they seem fine a decade and some change after graduating. I think UMass education AND networking is on par with private schools that rank in the 50-100 tier (I went to one of those, I don't think I am any better because of it). College these days is mostly about getting a useful degree and building up a network... as long as the school gives your opportunities and has a decent alumni network it doesn't seem to matter much beyond that.

vineyardmike 4y ago

I'd attend BU and hire from BU before UMass Flagship, and certainly before non-flagship. That said, I wouldn't think poorly of someone with a UMass degree. I assume BU has a better professional network and more business connections to get a job. The volume of top-tier schools in the north east means that there is a subtle student brain-drain from state schools not found in other parts of country - this obviously applies only to students who can afford it of course, and smart people certainly attend UMass.