I have attended three institutions of higher education as an undergraduate. I first attended The University of Massachusetts Amherst as a Computer Science and Landscape Architecture major, then Quinsiggamond Community College for general studies, and finally Worcester State University for Communications. I have enjoyed them all and consider myself lucky to have been able to attend three different schools instead of spending my entire undergraduate career at one, only to wonder what the experience at a different school would entail.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst was my first choice. It had a reputation for both academics and fun. It was also the most affordable school that got me away from home. Most people were extremely happy to get accepted to UMass. This excludes the academics who used it as their safety school while they shot for big name private schools and possibly an ivy league or two
I found through my own personal experience that it was easy to skip class because no one would know. In a class of two hundred people it is near impossible to show your interest or receive any feedback from the professor. I was talked at, not spoken to. I received numbers not help. We discussed nothing and people who raised their hands to ask questions were chastised with moans and groans. There were so many students that the faculty was overwhelmed and impersonal. I called an office while I was changing my major and I was transferred four times before someone would help me. My advice is to really think about your learning style before attending a large school. If you can handle having little feedback and being completely responsible for your own studies then Umass has wonderful programs and state of the art equipment. If you do better with small classrooms and more face to face interaction with your professors then a smaller school will be better for you.
At my alma mater, Doherty Memorial High School, QCC is known as "Doherty II". This nick-name has to do with of the large amount of Doherty students you will run into at QCC. The class sizes are the same size as high school and the workload caters to students who work full time and/or have families of their own. The class sizes are sometimes even smaller than high school. The only real cons of attending are the negative connotations some students perpetuate. The pros are the lowest tuition in the state at a little above four-thousand dollars for an entire year. The college works closely with other colleges in the area to make sure the vast majority of credits will transfer if and when a student decides attend one of the more than ten colleges and universities in the area. I had a great experience at QCC and would recommend it to any open minded person.
Finally I arrived at Worcester State University, the school that I lived less than three miles away from growing up. I never pictured myself attending because the main reason I wanted to go to college after high school was to get out of my parents house and experience someplace new. Now that I am here, four years later, I want to go to college to learn and prove myself. Lucky for me, WSU is a great place to learn. I have enjoyed all my Professors in the Communications department and have the ability to get to know them. This was not an opportunity afforded to me at Umass Amherst. I am able to work part time and go to school full time. At Umass Amherst it was extremely difficult to find a job because there were so many young people in such a small area.
I find it difficult to find cons about Worcester State University. All the cons would come from a negative perception learned from other individuals. If you have the talent and drive you can get all that you want out of your education at WSU. It makes it that much easier when you can have face to face interactions with the faculty. I'm surprised at how everything turned out but, certainly would not wish to change anything. I am happy to graduate from WSU.
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