Help! My daughter might be attending UMass Boston next year and playing volleyball. I know this is a public college overlooking Boston Harbor, but can anyone give me more details about the school??? It is hard to let her go 3,000 miles aways to school. I%26#39;d appreciate pros and cons so we can make a sound decision. Thanks for your help!!!
UMass Boston
Hi Taxiplease,
You%26#39;re right it is a public college overlooking Boston Harbor. I%26#39;ll tell you one thing I know, it%26#39;s a fantastic school with a lot to offer students. Check out www.umb.edu and you%26#39;ll see for yourself.
Go to the Frequently Asked Questions and also don%26#39;t forget to read about the Tax info. There are over 9 different areas of study at the school according to this site, I didn%26#39;t realize there were so many, did you? The academics is the thing to be focusing on and this site certainly concentrates on it very well. What area of study does your daughter want to go in?
For example I have a really good friend that graduated from UMASS, she%26#39;s a math major and went on to get her Masters degree. She%26#39;s got an unbelievable job to this day, I won%26#39;t even say online what she does. Let%26#39;s put it this way, it%26#39;s an awesome opportunity and it was because of her UMASS education and she even swears by it. The University certainly did her a world of good, let me tell you, we%26#39;re all really really proud of her accomplishments. She%26#39;s got a wonderful career to this day because of UMASS.
Sometimes I think with students, it%26#39;s not where they go to school that matters? But what they do with there education, that%26#39;s the most important thing.
I know some one very well that sent there son to Villanova. One of the best schools in the country and guess what he%26#39;s doing now? He%26#39;s a bouncer at a club and JUST loves it! 4 years of Villanova! Another one we know graduated from a really exclusive private college in upstate New York and she%26#39;s clueless now hanging out with all her friends going to clubs and bars getting wasted every weekend! So you know? Just because UMASS is a public college? You wouldn%26#39;t believe all the people I can name that went there and they%26#39;ve done very very well in life and have unbelievably great lives and careers.
We have UNH in New Hampshire and it%26#39;s the same situation in this State, the in-state residence get a great deal with there tuition while the out of staters pay through the roof, like all the other college tuitions in the country. It%26#39;s a great school, with a beautiful campus and everything and a huge amount of fields of study for these students. Again, I know people including relatives that have done very very well in life because of graduating from UNH. I think it really really depends on what the people do with there education afterwards and that%26#39;s the bottom line.
Good luck it%26#39;ll be a wonderful opportunity for your daughter! You%26#39;re right, she%26#39;ll be thousands of miles away and I don%26#39;t have kids and couldn%26#39;t relate to what that%26#39;s all about! But one thing I do know? I was a complete wreck watching one of my nieces go off to college last year! And now she%26#39;s in her 2nd year and adjusting so well and loves it! It%26#39;s the adults in the family that need to ';chill'; over it, big time! Like my mother and my sister and I! It%26#39;s a real learning curve, trust me!
UMass Boston
Hi. I%26#39;m going to chime in with a different opinion here. I went to UMASS-Lowell for a year and then transferred to UMASS-Amherst. I loved the whole college thing, and that%26#39;s why I%26#39;m commenting on this.
Where is your daughter coming from (home)? 3000 miles away indicates the west coast? What was her interest in UMASS-Boston? Is she possibly getting a volleyball scholarship (if UMB even offers them)? I can%26#39;t imagine anybody wanting to go all the way across the country just to attend UMASS-Boston!!
Granted, I know nothing at all about UMB, other than my friend went there and got a fine education. But I%26#39;m of the belief that generally speaking, it%26#39;s not so much the school as it is how the student applies his/her self while at school. So I%26#39;m not knocking UMB on its academic values.
But you do know that it is a commuter school, right? Just my guess, but you are likely looking at scummy off-campus housing options in and around Dorchester/S.Boston/etc. Otherwise, it%26#39;s a longer commute possibly driving and/or taking the T from nearby Quincy or beyond. It%26#39;s out there on a peninsula with the JFK library, in a sense isolated from the downtown and surrounding communities by Morrissey Drive and RT 93(southeast expressway). No on-campus housing. The JFK/UMASS Red Line T stop is about 3/4 mile from the campus. Yes, there is a UMASS shuttle bus service between the campus and the T stop. It%26#39;s my guess that it might be rather nasty during winter and storms with the location right on the ocean.
I left UMASS-Lowell because I thought the campus was rather ugly in its Lowell setting, and I wanted a bigger university campus. UMASS-Amherst has a great, sprawling campus in a great Pioneer Valley setting, with 20K+ students living on/off campus. Here%26#39;s a link to a skyline photo of the UMB campus. http://www.management.umb.edu While it may be viewed as really nice being situated right on the waterfront, I view the campus as a big slab of brick and concrete, with zero character. It looks more like a sprawling medical center than a university. Just my opinion, though.
What kind of details are you looking for? It would probably help to know what your daughter and you value in a school.
I did not attend UMass-Boston, but do take a class there a couple of times a week. While I can confirm that the campus does not necessarily have the charm or aesthetics that some other Boston schools have, it certainly has its advantages. For one thing, it%26#39;s far enough removed from downtown Boston that you really don%26#39;t feel like you%26#39;re in a city, but close enough so that it%26#39;s incredibly convenient to get right into downtown in no time at all. The campus is just a short free shuttle ride away from the red T line, only a handful of stops from the heart of the city, and there are actually two red line branches that service the UMass stop, so you really never wait long for a T.
Why travel 3,000 miles to go to UMass Boston? In my opinion, there are many reasons. Boston is an amazing place to go to school. It%26#39;s fun, safe and filled with things to do no matter what the student%26#39;s tastes. It has a great atmosphere - really more of a big town than an intimidating city. It%26#39;s very easy to get around and it doesn%26#39;t take long at all to really get to know. Second, UMass has a great academic reputation. As an outsider, it%26#39;s always appeared to me to be a school committed to improving and raising its profile each year. The folks I know who have gone there loved it and talk about how hard they worked. To me, that%26#39;s always a good sign.
Good luck in your search!
Hi Taxiplease again,
Yes it%26#39;s true Celebrian, every thing you said! I can tell Taxiplease one way the non commuters are living there! They%26#39;re renting apartments in Southie and the surrounding communities near UMASS-Boston as one way of doing it! It will probably be a wonderful experience for your daughter as she goes through the 4 or 5 year program she takes.
Living in the city of Boston for college students is ideal. They have public transportation available everywhere, you won%26#39;t have to worry about them driving long distances. They can get jobs in downtown Boston or any of the Malls in the surrounding area of the campus. They have jobs right at the schools which is what my niece is doing right now. If they eventually wanted to rent an apartment with a few others? There%26#39;s bulletin boards at the schools with where to get them, as well as word of mouth. Usually they hook up with people and work it out. It%26#39;ll be fine, don%26#39;t worry about her being in Boston!
As far as the shabby areas of the City one of the previous posters stated? It%26#39;s nicer than you think there now! Every one and
there mother wishes they could live there or wishes they were from there, even Hollywood!
They have million dollar condos and homes that would knock your eyes out in those neighborhoods that are so called shabby! She%26#39;ll know where to look for an apartment/condo eventually, believe me,
they%26#39;re upscale and quite nice! I know because I lived there for over 15 years! One of my friends husbands happens to be one of the ';renovators'; in a couple of neighborhoods, believe me they%26#39;re beautiful apartments and condos now! It%26#39;s NOT what it used to be!
They%26#39;re also building a new complex for students to live if I%26#39;m not mistaken right on the campus. It%26#39;s probably built by now, I know we were over there this past summer and they were still building it. When you and your daughter go on the ';tour'; of the school, ask about it. It looked pretty well done this past summer, check it out.
Whatever your daughter decides to do? Best
wishes! Remember you have to sit back and
watch those wings fly baby!!
My boyfriend actually lives in North Quincy, one T-stop away from UMass and it%26#39;s not an upscale neighborhood by any means, but it%26#39;s perfectly acceptable for students, with plenty of very affordable apartments, restaurants, bars, markets, etc. As NoMo stated, many of the “shabby” areas on the red line have really come along, but are still quite affordable. Several friends of mine live in Southie and love it, it’s not like you are forced to live in the “scummy” parts of town. Also, I really have to disagree with the idea that UMass-Boston is isolated from the city – that was what I thought about it as well before I actually took classes there, but I’ve since come to discover that I was wrong. The shuttle is very reliable in my experience, and it’s barely a five minute ride between campus and the T. Is it a bit tougher to get around during a snowstorm? Of course! But that’s no different than any other area of Boston and at least UMass campus is small, so students don’t have to trudge through the wind and snow for 20 minutes from the dorms to the classrooms like we used to have to do at Boston College! I’ve had absolutely no trouble taking courses and getting around the area at night and I’d imagine it’s even easier during the day.
UMass Boston (UMB) is a commuter school, i.e. there are no residence halls or dorms. She%26#39;ll have to rent/share an apartment someplace within reach of the T (the public transportation system). The campus itself is kind of ugly.
It is part of the University of Massachusetts system, but does not have as good a reputation as the Amherst campus. There are two other campuses, one in Dartmouth and one in Lowell (about which I know nothing).
You can visit the web site: www.umb.edu.
BTW, I am suefee%26#39;s other half and I am a UMB alumnus (Class of %26#39;76). That%26#39;s not 1776, BTW.
I found out from friends in Southie that they made that building in back of UMASS/BOSTON a ';Campus Center'; where Conferences, Events and Meetings are held, it also has a ballroom. It was originally going to be a Student Dorm building at first, but they changed it. I KNEW I saw a sign there for Student Quarters!
Yes, it%26#39;s a commuter school, but if your daughter has her heart set on going there, she%26#39;d have to think about where to live. I know with my other niece going to college next year, there%26#39;s NO talking her in to going to another school! She has her heart set on one particular college and that%26#39;s all there is TO it. They don%26#39;t realize that you have to apply to several and then see what happens from there.
Good luck!
This SueFee%26#39;s other half again.
I attended UMass-Boston for a while when it was located in the Park Square area. You had to change buildings to attend some classes and the Public Garden was a couple of blocks away. This was a far more interesting environment to be in. On the other hand, the Harbor Campus seems like that medieval French monastery, isolated on its own island, and imposing as a structure (or collection of structures), but there is little greenery and seems unrelievedly boring. The only attraction is the JFK Presidential Library.
I wonder if the Columbia Point public housing project is next door still? It was not a garden spot as far as I remember....
Hello SueFee%26#39;s other half!
The next time you and Sue are in Boston take a ride over to see UMASS/Boston%26#39;s campus. When you drive in bear right and follow it all around and check out the view from there. It%26#39;s unbelievable. You can see Marina Bay off to the right and the islands. On a clear sunny day it%26#39;s really pretty. They have tables set up for the students right on the water as you drive in.
As you drive around back to the Archives and the JFK Museum there%26#39;s a shortcut to the old Columbia Point Complex now operated and founded by Joe Corcoran and called ';Harbor Point';. It%26#39;s all different income levels living there now, it%26#39;s not what it used to be. Over 250 students rent apartments and cut through this little side street to the campus, you see them all with there back packs cutting through.
The University wanted to build 4 buildings to house 2000 out of state undergraduate students by 2004, whether they still have it up there sleeves is another story.
A lot of the students are renting apartments either at Harbor Point, Dorchester, Southie or Quincy right now.
This is what you%26#39;ll see if you ever get the chance to take a walk through here, it%26#39;s pretty nice now!
With its long, well maintained stretches and stunning views of the Downtown skyline, the Dorchester HarborWalk is ideal for walkers, runners, bikers and rollerbladers. In summer, visitors can soak up the sun at Tenean, Malibu or Savin Hill Beaches, or take a leisurely stroll through Pope John Paul II Park. On Columbia Point, one can sit at Harbor Point and look across the Harbor to Deer Island. Visitors can also explore the public sculpture at Arts on the Point located on the University of Massachusetts campus, and visit the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Next to the building%26#39;s HarborWalk is the sailboat used by President John Kennedy when he was young. The mixture of recreational and cultural opportunities makes Dorchester%26#39;s HarborWalk a popular waterfront neighborhood.
Wow! I had no idea I would get such a response from this post. First of all my daughter wants to major in English, and has her heart set on the east coast. UMass is a Div. 3 school which means it does not offer scholarships. She just wants to continue her volleyball career at the college level, and the coach is interested in her and has been calling and emailing her. She would reside in Harbor Point in an apt. with other volleyball players. She is also considering schools in NY. Time will tell, the decision is hers, but we will be touring the campus, and Boston on 12/28 with the coach. Thanks for all of your input, and I hope it continues to come so that we can look at all sides.
