I was accepted to Clark University in Worcester, MA. They gave me an awesome scholarship. Besides, they took almost all of my credits - being a transfer student, that is very important to me.
While it all seems amazing, I have a few reservations, and I would love to get your opinions…
First of all, I am a conservative, and I know that Clark is one of the most liberal colleges out there. Although I am not too political, I worry that I would not be able to fit in.
I am not too happy with Clark's location. I heard some not so nice things about Worcester, which is another concern of mine. I might be able to live closer to Boston with family, but is that really worth it?
Besides Clark, I was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill, Brandeis, and Bentley. I am still waiting to hear from some others. Would attending one of the prior mentioned colleges give me a better chance of being accepted into a good law school in the future? I hope to get into one of the best law schools.
Brandeis and Bentley are just not affordable for me. UNC Chapel Hill is affordable, but I do not like how big it is. I’ve heard that some classes have hundreds of people in them. Personal attention is extremely important to me, as I would like professors to actually know my name
Thank you in advance! I appreciate everyone’s feedback, input, and recommendations!
Are you transferring in as a junior? If so, you won’t have to worry as much about UNC’s large classes. Once you are in your major, that should be less of an issue. As for the personal attention part, well, I don’t know.
Clark is a terrific school, and for those who maintain a certain GPA (3.5, I believe), they can attend a fifth year of Clark and earn a master’s degree there for free. Worcester has its detractors, but it’s also home to Holy Cross and WPI. Yes, Clark is a very liberal place, but you do say that you’re not too political. If you’re mostly interested in academics and are easy-going and maybe even open to hear different ideas (even if you don’t agree with them), you should be fine. It’s been my experience that things rarely get explosive; they usually become so when someone is looking to start trouble or is intentionally trying to get a reaction. Still, Clarkies are liberal.
If you have time, Clark is one of the schools profiled in the book “Colleges that Change Lives,” so maybe you could check it out. Yes, there are write-ups of Clark in other college books, but the profile in CTCL is a bit more in-depth and personal than the somewhat generic write-ups in other guides. Your public library may very well have a copy on its shelf.
@Hapworth yes, I’ll be transferring with 62 credits. But since I am an out-of-state student for all of these schools, they won’t accept all of my credits. I suppose it will be closer to 40-50. I will have to retake some classes.
I actually applied to Holy Cross as well, but I am still waiting to hear from them. I do not mind hearing other’s opinions, and I do not get into arguments often.
Thank you so much for the information about Clark. I greatly appreciate it.
@Hapworth would you mind explaining what you mean by “detractors”? I’ve never been to MA before, and I’m just trying to figure out what I should do location wise. Would you say living near Boston would be a safer option? Thanks!
Like you, I was a transfer student (we’re talking twenty years ago), though I was transferring from a community college (I don’t know your situation). I was an A student and figured that I had options. I had a sense of wanderlust, wanting to get far away from IL. But I wanted to go to a good college. Obviously, I wasn’t going to transfer to Harvard! So I looked for “hidden gem” schools, excellent LACs (I knew that this was the perfect environment for me) that would provide a solid education. I dreamed of going to Willamette in the PNW, Austin C. and Southwestern U. in TX, and schools in the NE like Clark or Wheaton (the one in MA, not IL). Note: I ended up attending a LAC in IL.
Like you, I too read about “concerns” regarding Worcester, a blue-collar city, not a classic college town. Now that I’m older, I’m sure that Worcester is just fine, and there are plenty on this site who went to school in MA or who live in MA and can give you more precise information. I guess I’m saying that I was like you: someone looking at schools in MA but not knowing much about the area.
BTW, if you do get into Holy Cross and it’s affordable, that might be your ideal choice. Terrific school. Rigorous academics. But it also has the traditional social scene. Even though HC is quite progressive for a Catholic school, I’d guess that its students are much more centered than the left-leaning Clarkies.
EDIT: There’s a thread here (it shouldn’t be too buried, as it was active a day or two ago) where someone is deciding between HC and Brandeis, two schools that you also applied to. I realize that Brandeis is not an option for you because it is too expensive, and you haven’t heard from HC yet, but if you’re interested, you might take a peek at the thread.
@Hapworth our situations are certainly quite similar! I am also transferring from a community college, but a Florida one. I currently have a 4.0 GPA, so I’m really hoping to have some decent transfer options.
Thank you for the additional information about Worcester. Personally, I am not even really looking for a “college town.” I’m not looking for parties or some kind of amazing social scene - I’m rather boring in that sense. Work and internship opportunities are MUCH more important to me.
I’m really hoping that Holy Cross works out. I will make sure to share it on here, once I get their decision.
And I will definitely check out the thread. Frankly, I am still very much considering Brandeis and Bentley. In the worst case, I’d just get a student loan and find a job. The biggest question: is Brandeis or Bentley really worth it? If so, I do not mind paying - especially if going there will eventually help me earn more and get into a better law school. But if not, I’d rather choose a more affordable option.
To help you question the “worth it” questions you might want to view the law school placement history at Brandeis. The following information was collected off their website @ https://blogs.brandeis.edu/hiattreports/
Hunted around the Bentley website, but could not find a comprehensive listing of law school placements. See https://www.bentley.edu/search/site/law%20schools. Because of the nature of accounting I would assume it would be good preparation for tax law studies, but you should ask specifically about placement…
Worcester is the second largest city in New England (just ahead of Providence RI) and it is an early industrial center. Boston was always more of a business and financial center. Holy Cross is very secluded up on its own hill. Clark has a nice campus more in the city. WPI (the largest University) has its hill on the other side of town. Worcester State University is the second largest university and Quinsigamond CC is the third largest. The cost of living is markedly lower in Worcester than Boston and its surrounding suburbs. The good news is a five year trend in the decline of crime in Worcester as reported by the Worcester Telegram. See http://www.telegram.com/news/20170322/worcester-crime-rate-on-downward-trend.
Brandeis and Bentley are in a more suburban settings. Clark and Brandeis are more liberal, but not radically so. You are in Massachusetts. We did start that revolution some time ago. Probably a good environment to study law. “Clarkies” were always “laid back” when I was a student, years ago, at WPI. From what I have heard, their reputation has not changed.
When you mentioned living with relatives in the Boston area, I wouldn’t recommend this. Worcester is an hour west of the city, and with traffic the commute can be very long.
@retiredfarmer thank you very much for all the information. This is incredibly helpful. I will make sure to check out all the websites and base my decision on them.
And I appreciate the additional information about Worcester. As someone who has never been to Massachusetts before, I was partially worried about living there. But I do feel a lot better after what you said about the decline of crime. But considering that I would be living with family, would you recommend living in the suburbs of Boston? Or staying near Worcester? As I’ve said I’m really not looking for parties or some kind of special social scene - just work and internship opportunities. Safety is a major concern for me. And I do not mind driving for up to an hour, if that is the only way to get that.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about WPI and even considered applying. But realizing their focus on STEM, eventually I just decided against it. I’ve never been good at sciences or math.
Location wise, Bentley and Brandeis’ city of Waltham appears to be very nice. I like the suburbs and their proximity to Boston. I’m from a large Florida city, so I am not sure how much of a contrast it will be with Worcester.
I am actually a huge fan of the United States history, especially the American Revolution. Which makes me only all more excited about moving to Massachusetts. As I have mentioned, I try to stay out of politics. So, if the Clarkies tend to be more laid back, I suppose I’ll be able to survive
I’ll wait to hear from all other colleges before I make my final decision. But all of the information you can provide is very much appreciated! At this point, I am just hoping to go to one of the colleges in Worcester/Boston area.
@madgemini4 thank you for the information. How long would you estimate the commute from a Boston suburb (such as Waltham or Wellesley) to Worcester is? After living in South Florida, I am used to long drives lol. But Massachusetts weather will certainly be something new.
Also, safety is extremely important for me, and that is a major reservation that I have with Worcester. What would be your thoughts on that?
Besides that, would you say that Boston offers more work and internship opportunities than Worcester?
I don’t know the exact commute time to Worcester from Wellesley or Waltham (these two towns are within maybe five miles of each other). It’s about 40 miles to Worcester from either town, and the drive time varies depending on when you’re on the road. I’d say a rough average is an hour (could easily be more with rush hour and weather conditions). You’d be pretty isolated from the campus scene if you lived that far away. I know you mentioned you aren’t into the party/social scene, but it helps to be in close proximity to campus for study groups, events, etc.
I don’t know about internship opportunities in Worcester, but it’s a big college town home to Clark, WPI, Holy Cross, Assumption, Worcester State … and I’m probably forgetting others! I would imagine there are good opportunities.
I’m a big fan of going with the most affordable option. Looks like you’re aiming for law school? Save your money on undergrad because that will be expensive. Clark and its scholarship sound like a great opportunity. You can visit your relatives on weekends – maybe live with them if you go to law school in Boston.
You are overestimating the difference in size between advanced undergraduate classes at UNC & the others. There won’t be a significant difference in most cases.
I used to live near Worcester, & Clark’s rough neighborhood has long been its main drawback. I would pick UNC if it’s affordable. Holy Cross would be fine (much better neighborhoid than Clark), but UNC is a special place, and I would jump at the chance to go there.
@Kate0615
Fifty years ago I used to commute from Worcester to Wellesley on route 9 for a weekend job next to Wellesley College. It was a 45 minute drive. Since then the commuting volume has grown dramatically and is stop and go all the way. The Mass Pike is not much better. This problem could be avoided by not traveling during commuting hours. Route 9 is the most direct. Stay off the roads from 7 to 9 AM and from 4:30 to 6 PM. Check with your Wellesley/Waltham relatives for best commuting hours.
Years later I partnered with a Clark Student to commute for two years from Worcester to Chestnut hill for GS at BC and back. We avoided commute times and the shared ride was a good idea as we also split costs. Remember, this will knock two hours out of every day.
As you like early American history, check out the American Antiquarian Society, a well kept secret, at http://www.americanantiquarian.org/hours.htm. It is on the corner of the WPI campus. Its presence in Worcester is a big draw for US History faculty in Worcester area.
@retiredfarmer I appreciate the information and all the details. I will definitely keep that in mind, when I am making the decision. I’m touring Clark, Brandeis, and Bentley later this week, so hopefully that will also help me figure out what I’m doing lol
Wow, it looks beautiful! Thank you for letting me know about it. I will definitely check it out, when I visit Worcester.
@moooop I really hope you’re right. Thank you for the advice. UNC Chapel Hill is definitely an outstanding school. I just visited it and the campus is beautiful! However, what I also saw is a lot of sororities/fraternities and parties. That also worries me, as I am trying to get away from that. It is one of the reasons why I decided against even applying to some of my state schools. What would be your thoughts on that? Do you think that sororities/fraternities really do play a big role in UNC? Or that’s just how it seems at a first look?
There’s also an issue with the credit transfer… Because my community college is in Florida, UNC is not accepting all of my credits. So I will have to take at least 4 large general education courses, such as English Composition and Math. I am also considering majoring in International Studies, and I’ve heard that some of the main courses for my major get really really big.
@madgemini4 thank you very much for the information. I greatly appreciate it. I’m visiting Clark later this week, so hopefully that will also help me make the decision.
The only thing that truly worries me is Worcester’s high crime rate, but I’ll see how it “feels” when visit the city. Had crime in Worcester been lower, this would have been a very easy choice for me, as I would’ve definitely gone with Clark.
Waltham appears to be a much quieter place. Is it worth $20,000/year more? I frankly don’t know. In the worst case, I would just have to get a job to cover the cost difference.
I don’t know a lot about Worcester but I don’t think it’s as dangerous as suggested in this forum. I would imagine that Clark has security measures in place for its students.
It’s not more dangerous than any other small NE city. It is just depressed that only a visit in person will relay. There are parts of the city making a comeback and some parts that are perfectly lovely. Around Clark it isn’t the case.
@Kat0615 – UNC is around 20 to 25% Greek so not real large for a flagship public. I know lots of students there who do not party a lot. It’s large school and you can find every type of social scene you’d be interested in and there are substance-free living communities (not sure if you plan to live on campus.).
@AlmostThere2018 thank you so much for the info. I greatly appreciate it. Not planning to live on-campus. But, still, I would like to avoid the parties and certain “craziness” that comes with them as much as possible. Thanks again!
