My son has the opportunity to run track at Bucknell, Lafayette and Stevens Institute of Technology.
He did well on his ACT (31) and has a 4.3 GPA but still was not good enough I guess for scholarship money at Bucknell and Lafayette. He is was offered +$20k from Stevens. He is a candidate for Engineering at all 3 schools.
My question is, is it worth the +$60k cost for name/alumni recognition at Bucknell and Lafayette? My opinion its not worth that amount of debt… Thankfully he liked all three, but I believe Stevens will provide him with just as great an education with just as many opportunities… Looking for some advice since his window is shorter with having to go early decision for track.
Confused was he accepted and offered scholarship to Stevens already?
Some things to consider:
- He will probably find a lot more fellow engineering majors at Stevens than at the others.
- He may want to compare course offerings and faculty rosters in his desired engineering major at each school.
- Stevens has the lowest fraternity/sorority participation, while Bucknell has the highest.
- Stevens is close to NYC if he wants to be near a big city.
A quick internet search shows the admit rate and academic stats are very similar amongst the three. US News has Stevens ranked somewhat lower, but I can’t really comment on reputation, being way out in Hawaii. If he cares about male/female balance, Stevens is not so great comparatively.
My daughter has looked at all these colleges and is most excited about Stevens due to its proximity to NYC and the internship/co-op/recruitment opportunities.
I’ll be following this thread to see what others have to add. 
If he likes Stevens take the $. For engineering, Lafayette and Bucknell are no more or less prestigious than Stevens. As long as he likes that campus environment, then go for it
are you saying you would pay full price at Bucknell/Lehigh but get a scholarship at Stevens at 20K per year? Save the 80,000 and go to Stevens.
Stevens is very different from the other 2 schools (which are actually very similar.) If his people are engineering geeky types who like to enjoy the city, then Stevens is the place for him. If he is more of a traditional fraternity brother, partier type then he might prefer the others. Though Stevens does have fraternities, it is still a little different being an engineering institute. D1 loved Bucknell and Lafayette. D2 sees her people at Stevens. Many kids would be happy at any of these and there is the price difference to consider as well. Stevens is touted as having one of the highest starting salaries of any college and is well known in the area with great job placement. All great choices. It really comes down to how much you can spend and the “fit” of the school. Also, maybe recheck on the scholarship money and see if they can match Stevens.
I visited all three of these schools with my older son. All great schools. My son did not like Stevens that much though he did apply. It must have come through because he was WLed at Stevens and accepted to the other two. However I think if yours did enjoy it, there’s no harm at all in saving the $80k and attending there. It seemed like a strong academic program in an outstanding location.
That’s was my impression. The only red flag I had during my research on the three schools is that Princeton Review does these rankings based on student surveys, and one list is “Professors Get Low Marks”. Stevens is #3 on that list. It gives me a little pause, but it is pretty subjective. Maybe you could ask around here on CC if any current students can speak to it . . .
My son is at Bucknell, and I will just say that he has been happy, happy there from Day 1. Loves the school and can’t wait to go back there each Fall. My younger son is applying there ED because the older is so enthusiastic. Wish my younger had your son’s stats, lol.
Best of luck with the search! Your son sounds like a great student athlete than any one of these colleges would be lucky to have!
For full disclosure my D is at Lafayette and absolutely loves it. I think you have to talk to your S. If he pretty much likes all the schools equally, then Stevens is a good option . If the money is a huge deal than Stevens is a good option. If he wants a more well-rounded liberal arts experience and the cost is do-able then Laf or Bucknell may be preferable. All are fine choices.
The education you receive at college is the most important thing, but one must not overlook the entire experience, such as the social experience. You want a school where you get a great education, meet great people, have fun, have many opportunities, have relatively good food, a pleasant place to live and a campus that you find appealing. However, if the money will be a big factor than you need to consider that first and foremost.
As a NJ native let me comment on Stevens. It is more a vocational school than a college. The academics are good and the Hoboken location is phenomenal, and not just because the Path Train to the Village is a few short blocks away. Hoboken is a jewel for a college student.
Socially, Stevens is bad. Sports are bad as well.
Bucknell and Lafayette are Division 1 in the Patriot League with Holy Cross, Colgate, Lehigh, Army and Navy. A big difference.
The money is substantial but the others offer more in my opinion.
@grad8890 Did either Bucknell or Lafayette pread you for financial aid?
Because of track he had early read and offered $$ and will be early decision
Thanks. All great input!!
Our financial aid is minimal. I do not qualify for much, but I am certainly not rich. So I probably would need to take a Direct Plus loan. I have 2 other kids and seems to me if he likes all 3(has gone on overnights to all), wants to run track, and can get a great engineering degree will be hard to justify that much debt. Its a hard decision bc I did love both Bucknell and Lafayette.
Are you sure that he would not be getting merit money at Bucknell and Laf? My son, a 2014 graduate of Laf, was a Marquis scholar. I didn’t think the decision on merit money was made this early but I could be wrong because S only applied regular decision. Although not an engineering student, many of his friends were and they had some pretty interesting internships. Also, all of his friends had jobs or grad school placements by graduation. If your son decides that he wants to change his major, how easy will that be at Stevens?
My advice is to call the track coaches and tell them what Stevens offered. Bucknell probably won’t care but Lafayette might.
My first job out of college was at an auto company so I saw a lot of engineers. (I was a journalism major, lol, working on the PR staff) The Stevens engineers were just as easily hired and highly regarded as the people from Bucknell, Lafayette and Decent State U. So I’d base the decision on the school and situation, not the name or ranking.
Engineering is a tough program of study, and college sports are time consuming. Be sure the student can handle the rigors of both.
Good luck!
Are these the only available options? How much Direct PLUS Loans do you anticipate borrowing? The total cost over 4-years at Stevens Institute of Technology is about $177.6K+ ($248K for Bucknell and Lafayette). A lot of engineering students take more than 4-years to complete the engineering degree, so your cost could be more than $177.6K. IMHO, there are lots of engineering programs out there that are significantly less than the cost of Stevens Institute of Technology (just as good or even better). They might not offer Track, but given the cost (and the fact that you have 2 other children’s education to consider), there might be some tradeoffs involve.
Out of curiosity, doesn’t any of these schools offer track scholarships?
@Jamrock411 The Patriot League does not give athletic money for track. Stevens is D3 and is prohibited by NCAA.
Only tip top runners get track money and this would be a handful of nationally ranked D1 programs.
Seems like, besides the price, the most obvious differences between Stevens and the others are:
- Engineering-heavy school versus schools that are not.
- School in the NYC metro area, versus schools in smaller towns.
- Lower fraternity/sorority participation, versus higher fraternity/sorority participation (majority at Bucknell).
Note that the smaller town locations and higher fraternity/sorority participation tend to be associated with higher risk of drinking problems, if that is a concern for you.