So I got accepted to Umass Amherst (where I was planning on attending) but did not receive the financial aid I need. I tried to negotiate, but they wouldn’t budge. This limits my options to two of my cheaper safety schools, Worcester State and Bridgewater State. Both of these colleges are really easy to get into, but I got into their honors programs so I’m not too disappointed about having to go to one of them. I guess I’ll just give the pros and cons of each of my safties and you can give your opinions
Worcester
Pros - In a city with a ton of other colleges, generally has a better reputation than Bridgewater,
Cons - Classrooms/dorms are very out of date, not that many clubs/activities I would be interested in, several people I really dislike go there/will be going there
Bridgewater
Pros - I know one of the professors (for my major), far enough away, I like campus, several clubs I am very interested in
Cons - In a bad area, bad reputation, would be slightly more expensive
You hit on the first thing that came to my mind - way better to be in Worcester than Bridgewater. Other things to consider:
Is one stronger in your major than the other?
Do you know current students who go to each that could tell you about them?
Perhaps check out the reviews of each on Niche
I imagine that both schools have a significant number of commuters. If you plan to live on or near campus, is it important that lots of student actually stay at school versus going home for the weekend. Maybe more kids stay at one school more than another.
My impression is that WSU and BSU are both known as “commuter schools”. But in Worcester, there are also going to be thousands of residential college students in town, at other schools like WPI and Clark and Holy Cross. I would suspect that even if WSU has lots of commuters, there may still be enough residential students in the Worcester area to support a better college town vibe than you would find in Bridgewater.
WSU is smaller than BSU, but WSU is part of a consortium with the other local colleges, so you can cross-register at other schools. This could be a significant plus, depending on your academic interests.