<p>Was i supposed to apply using the commonapp? For the colleges i have applied to, i used their own application. I am aware that some colleges use the commonapp, but the ones i applied to had their own application</p>
<p>UMass Lowell uses the common app.</p>
<p>I used their own application.</p>
<p>I just checked their website and says that you can do either.</p>
<p>Even if you use their own application, your counselor is the one who has access to the transcripts and school profile. Your teacher provides the teacher recommendation. Two different things.</p>
<p>Squeegis (& others with current UMass Lowell knowledge) My child is also out of state and very interested in Lowell. It appears it will be our least expensive option , with the scholarship received. My child likes the idea of being close to Boston, and is also interested in the Criminal Justice major. It appears that Lowell has improved quite a bit over the last few years. Are there lots of activities on the weekends? Do the kids go into Boston much? Is the area safe? Thanks for any info that you have!</p>
<p>a note of caution: before moving across country to Massachusetts because you love the red sox, perhaps a visit to massachusetts colleges would be in order. I’m all for adventure, but MA is really different from CA. I’m from PA and found the winters and spring in Boston to be long and difficult. It won’t reach 75 degrees between October 15 and May 15 in most of MA. Remember, please, that it was in MA that Emily Dickinson wrote that, “There’s a certain Slant of light, / Winter Afternoons – / That oppresses, like the Heft / Of Cathedral Tunes –.” The people of MA are also quite a bit different from those of CA, more regional, in general. In grad school, whenever a colleague would say something peculiar, the stock response was, “Yeah not from around heah, are yah?” You’ll probably love it, but just a suggestion.</p>
<p>Personally, I can’t imagine someone from California coming all the way out here for UMass Lowell. First, it isn’t even our state flagship university (UMass Amherst is), and is neither in a bucolic leafy college town nor is it in Boston (a great city for college students).
UML is a great choice for kids in this area since they have some very strong programs, great connections with local businesses (for internships/co-ops/research, and to help with program funding), and they offer merit scholarships to top students (to lure them away from UMass Amherst or private schools).
But Lowell is an old mill city and even though it has undergone some huge improvements over the past 10 years or so (some of which are tied to UML expansion and improvements) I don’t see it as a place I would leave California for. Certainly not without a visit! Don’t get me wrong, I know students at UML and I know many adults who have chosen Lowell as their home. It’s just not some idyllic campus or college town.
The campus is relatively safe for an urban campus, but also note the campus is not one cohesive campus. There is the North campus (north of the river) which houses science and engineering departments (and others? not sure) while many other academic departments are in the south campus. There are new dorms and academic buildings (and more underway), and their sports have moved up to Division 1. For an idea of the many new buildings and other improvements currently underway [Department</a> of Facilities Management](<a href=“http://www.uml.edu/Facilities/Capital-Improvements/default.aspx]Department”>http://www.uml.edu/Facilities/Capital-Improvements/default.aspx)
I think UML is a great value for local students, and **could **also be for OOS students as long as they know what they are getting. Some more info…
[About</a> the City of Lowell](<a href=“http://www.uml.edu/About/about-lowell/default.aspx]About”>About Lowell | UMass Lowell)
<a href=“http://www.wrrb.org/files/downloads/events/2012/baacke-lowell-may-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wrrb.org/files/downloads/events/2012/baacke-lowell-may-2012.pdf</a>
[UMass</a> Lowell’s Reputation Rising | Chronicle - WCVB Home](<a href=“http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/umass-lowells-reputation-rising/-/12523032/23059494/-/r5n9t6z/-/index.html]UMass”>UMass Lowell's Reputation Rising)
<a href=“http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/really-there-is-a-lot-to-like-about-lowell/-/12523032/23059476/-/12io48mz/-/index.html[/url]”>http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/really-there-is-a-lot-to-like-about-lowell/-/12523032/23059476/-/12io48mz/-/index.html</a>
[Art</a> renaissance building in Lowell - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/16/art_renaissance_building_in_lowell/]Art”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/16/art_renaissance_building_in_lowell/)</p>
<p>I agree with everything BeanTownGirl has said. I live about 20 min from UML. My son got accepted to UML for engineering and even though they offered him a 1/2 tuition and fees scholarship and co-op opportunities he chose to attend UCONN instead. On the other hand a friend of my son’s chose UML over UConn for engineering. They are renowned for their program in Plastics engineering.</p>
<p>UML and Lowell itself have greatly improved over the last 10 years. Love going out to eat in Lowell, to the theater, to the museums showcasing Lowell’s contributions to the Industrial revolution and to UML RiverHawks hockey games but it is not the stereotypical New England college experience. </p>
<p>You should definitely come and visit before making such a drastic change.</p>
<p>UMass Lowell has the #2 program in Criminal Justice in Massachusetts (Northeastern is first). My son lives on campus and has made GREAT friends. The kids all help each other out. At first he used to come home every few weeks but towards the end of his first semester we didn’t see him at all. At the end of the first semester he actually stayed 2 days past his last final because one of his friends was having a birthday and no one wanted him to be there alone with nothing but a final on that day. So a group of kids all stayed to help him celebrate. He made such good friends that they hung out over the winter break. As BeanTownGirl said Lowell is no California but they do have new dorms, classrooms & other buildings opening. He was accepted into UMass Amherst and chose not to go because it is HUGE and in the middle of no where. He was also accepted into Northeastern with a 1/2 scholarship but intends on attending grad school and didn’t want to spend $$$ with more school still ahead. It is a 1/2 hour train ride into Boston and although kids go into UMass Lowell with the intent on getting into Boston they are having such a good time there it rarely happens.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. My child is also looking at Northeastern, loves the school and campus, but also really likes the Homeland Security concentration at Lowell. Northeastern will probably also be much more expensive. (We have visited both schools, so understand that Lowell is not the college town that Boston would be. 
)</p>