rkelley41194

Hi guys, I'm a high school senior and I was accepted to UMass (my safety) and Northeastern (my target). With financial aid UMass comes out to being free, but Northeastern comes out to around $13,000 per year....which is still awesome. In my high school class I was ranked 10/177 with a 96.7 GPA and a 2060 SAT score, and I absolutely love Northeastern...the location in Boston, the Co-op program and everything; however, UMass is incredibly tempting coming out debt free. Also, I'm a runner and Northeastern has a running club where I could run but UMass doesn't have anything and being a member of a team is something I'm big about. I'm just a little unsure over what to choose because I feel that Northeastern reflects the effort I've put into high school over the past four years, where if I went to UMass it would be like I could have put in much less effort and still have been accepted (I'm not trying to sound pretentious, but it's just how I feel). Any thoughts on what I should do?

lynxinsider

Gosh, once upon a time UMass's reputation was better than Northeastern. It's just been the last 10-15 years or so that Northeastern has come to any sort of prominence. I wouldn't hesitate to go to UMass if you think you'd fit in and would meet your academic desires.

gadad

I'd consider the two to be equals. I'm surprised that you saw one as a target and the other as a safety.

siliconvalleymom

UMass Amherst does have a running club as a registered student organization.

sovereigndebt

Northeastern has risen dramatically in recent years and is now considered a very hot school. Its right downtown Boston near Fenway Park.

How much can your parents afford to contribute? Is that 13k all debt? Student loans for you? The national average on graduation is rising...but its generally around 25k.

They are both large schools. UMass is public and Northeastern is private. Visit both and see.

I generally support saving money for graduate schools. But there are exceptions.

If you could attend UMass would you work just as hard and rise to the top of that class there? Are you disciplined? Nothing wrong with safeties if you work hard and come out on top...gain entrance to prestigious grad schools.

TomSrOfBoston

Really? According to each school's Common Data Set, for Fall 2011:

Mid 50% SAT
Northeastern: 1250-1430
UMass: 1090-1280

Mid 50% ACT
Northeastern: 28-32
UMass: 24-28

ucbalumnus

What intended major? Interestingly, UM Amherst has a high reputation in computer science. But the two schools seem to have similar reputations in many other subjects.

A question would be, what do you think Northeastern with respect to integral co-op programs in the curriculum? That would appear to be the big difference between the schools, although students at UM Amherst could still seek co-op employment.

Also, how much of the $13,000 per year at Northeastern would end up as debt? (The co-op jobs may allow paying some of it down before graduation, though.)

ClassicRockerDad

Please explain how UMASS is free.

I hope you're not talking about the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, introduced by then Governor Mitt Romney, which provides free tuition ($1714 in 2011-2012) but doesn't include fees ($10,243 in 2011-2012).

Check out the details at
http://www.umass.edu/bursar/Full-Tim...ate%20Fees.pdf

Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you need to know. It's amazing how many people fall for this.

pierre0913

The higher SAT scores can be attributed to the fact that Northeastern receives many more applications (due to its location in Boston) so it can accept higher caliber students. UMass is a state school. Reputation wise, there probably isn't too much difference between the two schools in the New England area.

zephyr15

OP --

Are you admitted to the Honors Program at U Mass Amherst? If there is a comparable program at Northeastern?

Overall, I think Northeastern is probably thought of a notch higher than U Mass Amherst, though the Honors Program probably narrows the gap somewhat.

Otherwise, I think you've listed most of the differences between the schools. Personall .... between these two schools, and assuming UMass honors, I probably wouldn't incur the debt.

If things were closer (i.e., check ClassicRockerDad's post very carefully), I'd probably go to Northeastern.

pierre0913

ClassicRockerDad makes a good point as well. I received the John & Abigail Adams Scholarship as well when I was a senior in high school for UMass-Amherst......but that just covered the $1,700 something in tuition not the whopping $10,000+ in fees!

Be careful that tuition-free = tuition + fees!

rkelley41194

Yea, I was admitted to the honors program...personally I like Northeastern a lot more though, but I have until May 1st so there's a lot to consider...coming out of school debt free would be very nice though...

zephyr15

So the question is whether you go to the school you want and incur debt, or to another school and come out debt free.

Although we can offer opinions the only one who can say whether it's worth it is you. Consider that you will be paying off your debt for many years and decide whether it's worth it. FWIW, I had to incur debt to complete my graduate education and always considered it a good investment. I didn't have a debt free option though.

Dacinlu

Leaving school debt free can make all the difference in terms of your options when you graduate. Student loans is a major problem today.

happymomof1

Much depends on where, exactly, that $13k is going to come from each year. Sit down with your parents or whoever it is who is helping you pay for your education, and run all of the numbers through this handy calculator: FinAid | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool

If attending Northeastern means you don't need to borrow any more than the Stafford Loan maximum each year ($5,500 freshman, $6,500 sophomore, $7,500 junior, and $7,500 senior), then things are probably doable. Any loans beyond that would require a co-signer.