<p>Right now, I'd like to attend those schools in roughly that order, meaning if I don't get into Berkeley, my top choice would be Michigan (assuming I would not pass up Stanford or Cornell regardless). However, I live in WA, so just about all of these schools are going to be about $45k per year, with UW being about $20k for in state. UW is a good school, but it certainly isn't in the top group of engineering programs that UM, Berkeley, and UIUC are in. </p>
<p>I should be able to attend UW for 4 years with very little debt, but will almost certainly need $100k+ in loans to go out of state. Add another 1-2 years of grad school and I could be looking at $150k or more debt coming out of school. This creates a few questions: </p>
<p>Would it be worth it to attend one of these top programs if it meant $100,000 debt? Will the difference in starting salary coming out of school justify it? How easy/difficult will it be to pay this off, since I likely won't have that many expenses my first couple years out of college? </p>
<p>Also, if it is worth it, how to decide between these top schools? Berkeley, Michigan, and Illinois will likely offer a comparable education since they're so close in the rankings, but what about after graduating? Which have more connections in the engineering community, etc?</p>
<p>1) Although I haven't done that much research on the matter, I know of schools offer a masters program that is quicker to complete if you participate immediately after your undergraduate. Just out of personal preference, I'd also like to continue my education instead of work for x years and then return to school, although I may have to sacrifice this preference if it makes more financial sense to do it later. </p>
<p>2) Not sure at all really. I realize that where I go to school will likely determine where I work and live early on, and possibly into the future, but I don't have a preference at this point. In a very broad sense, I already eliminated places I didn't want to be in applying to schools (hence no GIT), but otherwise don't know. </p>
<p>At this point, I think I'd rather stay on the west coast if I get into Stanford or Berkeley, but if I don't, I have no problem heading east for my education.</p>
<p>Thoughts on taking on so much debt in order to go to a top engineering program?</p>
<p>Engineering is probably the area where school matters least if you see yourself in a typical engineering job.</p>
<p>That said, there are certainly elite engineering jobs you will only have access to from top schools. And if you're not planning on being a functioning engineer, and plan to use the engineering background in business, school starts to matter more.</p>
<p>IMO, Stanford would be worth borrowing for, Cornell to a lesser extent, Berkeley to a much lesser extent and I don't know Michigan engineering well enough to have an opinion. But again, only if you are ambitious and don't want the typical job.</p>
<p>If you will be paying back that debt alone it would really scare me. It will change how you live and where you work. When your friends grab a job with a hot start up for a low salary plus stock options, you won't be able to. When they buy homes you won't because you already have huge debt.</p>
<p>That said, there are some avenues that would make the debt less painful. Top engineering students are hired by Wall Street and consulting firms at high salaries right out of college. But you need to go to Stanford and be top 25%, or to Cornell or Berkeley and be top 10%. Something that's hard to count on.</p>
<p>Or if you plan to get a top MBA after a few years working and become a VC, again, there wouldn't be much financial pain if you have the goods to really make that happen.</p>
<p>So bottom line is it has to do with what your career goals are and how well you will do at any of those schools.</p>
<p>I don't know why UCLA is ranked above wisconsin in your list. Furthermore, it is going to depend on what kind of engineering you want to do. If you have no idea then go with the highest prestige possible.</p>
<p>I don't think the debt is worth it. I turned down most of the schools on your list to attend UCSD, because I got a full scholarship there. Great opportunities still exist at the lower-ranked schools. If you plan to attend graduate school (though it's too early to plan), then your undergraduate university won't matter too much. Also, engineering is a great meritocracy - if you're a good engineer, you can succeed anywhere with a crummy degree, whereas if you're a bad engineer, you will have trouble even if your diploma says Stanford. That's what I have been told at least.</p>
<p>Also, I believe there is a state-exchange program or something that can reduce the cost of out of state tuition. Look into that.</p>
<p>Unless they're awful in the area you're interested in, I can't see turning down your in-state school for OOS at another state school. Dont get caught up in a few levels on the USNWR ranking list - it doesn't really matter that much as long as the program at the college you attend is still good. If you want to go OOS, for example to experience a new area, which is often a good experience, you might want to focus on OOS privates with good programs in your desired major since they can sometimes be less expensive than OOS state schools due to grants/scholarships they're more willing abd able to give.</p>
<p>$100K is a lot of money and a lot of debt to carry if it can be avoided. Do some math on what it takes to pay back $100K in ten years and think of other ways you could use that money (like buying a cool car, taking interesting vacations, having money to put down on a house or condo).</p>
<p>I doubt there'd be any difference in starting salary at most places if you're graduating from any reasonably highly ranked program. Many employers care less about the particular school than you might think. In engineering especially, they'll also pay attention to internships and other real experience.</p>
<p>Although it's fine to consider the plan for a Masters, don't just assume that you'll really end up pursuing it. Many engineers don't and it's not really necessary in a number of engineering areas. You might end up deciding to not pursue it.</p>
<p>I don't know UW-Seattle but I'd assume that with Boeing, Microsoft, and related businesses in that area there'd be some good connections and good programs.</p>
<p>I'd go to UW-Seattle. It's a very good school and it's not much different than Michigan or Wisconsin in terms of quality of an engineering education. Plus you can stay out of getting into deep debt!</p>
<p>Euler: mainly because I already decided not to go to Wisconsin when I didn't send in my housing contract. If I go out of state, it won't be for either Wisconsin or UCLA unless some phenomenal aid comes in from UCLA (highly unlikely). </p>
<p>Slorg: There is a west coast undergraduate exchange program, but I'm pretty sure UC doesn't participate. Also, my friend wants to go to U of Oregon and looked into the exchange, and it's ridiculously restricted. Barely any slots open. </p>
<p>ucsd: My in state school is University of Washington, and generally a good school (elite in med), but definitely a cut below Michigan/Berkeley. I looked into a lot of privates but couldn't get excited about any of them. Most of the top engineering programs are public schools, save the very top of the heap (MIT and the likes). Outside of the engineering departments, the schools in general are of very different caliber. My class of 400 will send 50 or more to UW, but only a handful will get into Berkeley. I'd definitely prefer the better intellectual atmosphere if money wasn't an aspect, so I'm also trying to find scholarships/etc to come up with the money. </p>
<p>Pierre: I know that it's a good school, but I can't help but want something better. I feel there are more opportunities at Berkeley and the likes. </p>
<p>Thanks to those who have replied. I'd really like to go out of state, but the financial aspect is a bit daunting. Just trying to get some objective opinions to offset my subjectivity.</p>
<p>I go to the university of washington and I highly recommend it!
Why waste tens of thousands going to an out of state college with a higher ranking when you can get an excellent education here?</p>
<p>There are many campus fairs and getting internships isn't that difficult. UW is also well known for its research.</p>
<p>Dude, that much debt isn't worth it. If you get into Stanford and Cornell, that's great; they have comprehensive aid programs that would probably make cost comparable/cheaper than UW-Seattle. However, out-of-state public schools are a risky bargain.</p>
<p>Some random thoughts: UW Honors might give you that intellectual atmosphere you desire. Perhaps you're biased against UW because it's in-state and right next door (that's the situation I'm in). I do agree that it's not in the super-elite, but 2nd tier isn't bad at all.</p>
<p>P.S. If you're interested in biomed/bioengineering, UW-Seattle is probably one of the best possible choices you can make, but otherwise, its engineering programs are probably just above average.</p>