<p>I applied to Lowell because i got a free application, i applied early action, but my main question, is it a good school? From what ive seen from videos the school has posted, it looks like a good school, but alot of reviews say that the school is very bad. I wouldnt mind going there if i got accepted, but should i go with what the reviews say and conclude that it is a bad school?</p>
<p>My intended major is Mathematics</p>
<p>It’s a lower-level (non-flagship/commuter/directional) public university with a lot of not-very-motivated students but once you’re past the entry-level classes, you’ll be okay. So if you’re the kind of person who’s self motivated, it would be fine for you. It all depends also what your stats are, what you plan to do with your math major (teach? go to grad school? get into finance?), what your other choices are, and whether you got scholarships/financial aid.</p>
<p>So do you think i should just stick with my California schools i applied to? Also, if it is a commuter school, then how come college board says it is a residential school?</p>
<p>Are you from MA or CA?
If you’re from CA, I would say it makes no sense for you to attend UMass Lowell.</p>
<p>It is not a commuter school. 83% of the students live on campus. They in fact just opened another new dormitory this fall. It has traditionally been a regional state university, that is trying to expand its reach. I believe that something like 90% of the students are from Massachusetts.</p>
<p>UMass Lowell has grown significantly in the last 10 years. Regionally it is fairly well know and pretty well respected, but probably not known by many outside of the New England area. </p>
<p>It is fairly well known for some programs such as engineering, sound recording, and nursing. I would agree that if you are from CA, you probably have equal or better options within your state.</p>
<p>It is ranked 158th by USNews - an increase in 25 positions in the past 3 years, and 10th by Forbes on their best value list.</p>
<p>I would encourage you to check sources beyond what you read on review sites and here on CC. Keep in mind that most of the people writing reviews are people who have an issue or do not like the school.</p>
<p>Yes i am from California. I’m a person who enjoys adventure. I would love to live in a different state just so i can experience a different part of the country. UMASS Lowell cost between 30k-33k (OOST), which is as expensive as the UC’s here in California. A lady from a college fair who represented UMASS Lowell talked to me about the school and she said i would enjoy the quality of education. Call me dumb for possibly choosing Lowell over the California schools i applied to, but i have a different point of view from a lot of people. Also, I’m a huge Red Sox fan and living 30 minutes away from Boston would be awsome.</p>
<p>I command you for your spirit of adventure and your willingness to discover another part of the country!
If you want to attend school in MA, why not apply to UMass-Amherst (the flagship)? If you like Boston, why not apply to one of the dozens and dozens schools located there?
And there are TONS of schools you could attend in MA that are better than UMass Lowell… Do you want suggestions - because we could suggest many if we knew your stats (some schools will have Jan 1 deadlines, but others are likely to have Jan 15 or Feb 1 deadlines).</p>
<p>Well, it all depends on your stats of course.
According to the college’s CDS, UMass-Lowell students were mostly in the top 50% of their class with only 20% in the top 10%; the average GPA is 3.2 with 35% above 3.5 and 31% below 3.0, and fewer than 5% scored 700 and more with 15-20% scoring below 500. This is slightly above UC Merced for SAT, but below UC-M for GPA. Is that your profile? Are you within range, well above that? </p>
<p>Also, the UC’s will NOT cost you 30K if you’re a CA resident - seek out UCBAlumnus who knows everything about Cal Grants etc, etc.</p>
<p>The main reason that is keeping me from Applying to Amherst or BC are my high school stats. My GPA entering my senior is a 3.05, im not sure if it is W or UW. The online grade website is awful. My SAT scores are not good either. Plus, my first semester was just a huge step downward. My GPA for 1st semester will most likely be a 1.8; it got to that because so much happened to me during the first semester. </p>
<p>My grandmother had passed away and it really hit me because she is the first family member that has passed away; it took me a while to cope what had happened. During september i found out i had psoriasis; which is a skin disease that itches a lot. I had to wait two weeks to get the cream that i needed to treat it. It got really annoying because i was itching all the time, it was that bad. I know that these are essay topics to talk about, but my GPA will be the decision maker im assuming.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to any UC’s, i just did CSU’s.</p>
<p>The admission criteria has risen at UMass Lowell and I don’t think you would be accepted with that GPA unless you had really good SAT/ACT scores. My son was accepted into the Commonwealth Honors program last year with a GPA of 3.2 but had an SAT score of 1500/2170. He had classmates with similar GPAs but lower SATs who were not accepted. They have built 2 new dorms, 2 new parking garages, 2 new academic buildings and are finishing the new administration building. Next up is another new academic building on North. They have also remodeled 2 of the older dorms and all sports have gone division 1. UMass Lowell has suddenly become a hot school and the number of applications continues to rise.</p>
<p>Okay, I see.
You have till May 1 to reply, though. Try to get a few admissions and financial aid awards, then compare.
Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket, so to speak.
If you like Massachuestts, check out the following:
Clark, Elms, Regis, Curry, Lesley, Suffolk, Endicott, Wheelock, Assumption, Bentley, MCLA, Springfield, Stonehill, Wentworth. There’s also Umass Dartmouth but I agree UMass Lowell sounds like it’d be good for you. UC’s > Lowell, but Lowell can be better than CSU’s, so graduation rate should factor in as well as cost and class availability. Did you say they gave you a scholarship? How much would it cost?
Fill out the “request information” form on each college’s website - see which ones offer you a “free” application (or if the application is free already). You don’t have much to lose, right? :)</p>
<p>Okay ill check some of the other colleges out. Any of the colleges have good Math programs? All these schools are brand new to me, anything you can say about the ones you have listed?</p>
<p>Also does me being Hispanic have any advantage through acceptance?</p>
<p>Yes being Hispanic will help - not as much in MA as in some other areas, but certainly more than in California. :)</p>
<p>You’re looking for a math program at a college that admits with roughly a B average, right? What are your SAT or ACT scores (especially in math) and do you want to work in economics/business or do you want to teach?</p>
<p>Schools with good math programs that admit some students with a B average would include Beloit (in Wisconsin) and Hendrix (in Arkansas). Beloit is better than Hendrix but Hendrix is better than CSU’s and most schools listed above except Clark, Bentley, Wentworth. Clark would be another good, supportive school, and Bentley is business-focused (mostly applied math). Wentworth is a techie school (STEM) = math is strong. Apply to all three plus Beloit and Hendrix, then compare aid packages? (Of course, this will depend whether your SAT scores are closer to the 1500-1600 mark, or around the 1800-1900 mark).
Another school that’s good for B-students who want to do math is NJIT but the graduation rate is pretty low, indicating weed-out classes during freshman year.</p>
<p>Psoriasis is NASTY, it’s a miracle you even made it to school. If I’d been your parent I’d have kept you at home until you got the medicine and ointments. It’d be like sending a kid with major chicken pox AND eczema to school and expecting him to do okay. :s That must have been horrible. Make sure your counselor mentions it in his/her recommendation (and to make sure s/he doesn’t forget, include it in the bullet-point list you’ll give him/her to help his overworked days during application season.)</p>
<p>I would like to become an actuary. Yeah i have received many B’s in high school; my best SAT score is a 1640 and my math score is a 710. Okay i will research some the colleges you mentioned. Also, what do you think of Emmanuel College in MA and Bradely University in IL?</p>
<p>Yeah i didnt want to go to school for two days until i went to go see my dermatologist. I first noticed it on my hands and i never seen this before. I have eczema as well, but this looked a little different. Later it spread to the bottom of my feet, my shins, and arms, my back, and other places. It was very bad.</p>
<p>You definitely have a shot at Wentworth and NJIT with a 710 math.
Bradley is pretty good, so is Butler ( a similar school :p).
A school that’s very good with B students is Earlham.</p>
<p>With a 710 in math on your SATs you would probably be accepted into UMass Lowell, even with the lower GPA. UMass Lowell has a program called UTeach. It is where you major in math and do a program that gives you teaching credentials. You graduate ready to enter a classroom but you will also have your math degree. You should check out their webpage to get more info on the program. It is only offered to students with STEM majors.</p>
<p>That was one of the reasons why i liked Lowell a lot because of that program. Teaching Math is something i would not mind doing as my career. I love helping my students who struggle in math because it helps me understand the subject matter and better understand others. </p>
<p>Also for my recommendations, it’s okay if i have my math teacher create them right? He sent one to Lowell and he wrote a great letter. I had him for 3 of my 4 years of high school. It’s just that you said have my counselor make one, but id rather have my math teacher write them.</p>
<p>Actually, you can’t have a teacher replace your counselor. Your counselor MUST be on your commonapp because only s/he has access to your entire high school file and HS profile, which they must upload. THEN you add a teacher for your recommendation by entering their name and email address, they get invited, and you go to each college’s supplement and add them in the space provided for teacher recommendations.</p>
<p>I agree with MYOS1634. You must have your counselor submit a recommendation but also have to include at least 1 teacher. So yeah, your math teacher can go ahead and write your recommendation.</p>