<p>So all my acceptances are in, and I'm down to five real choices: Rowan, Rutgers, U. of Maryland, Lehigh, and Northeastern. I know where I want to go to just based on things like campus location and stuff, but I'm trying to figure out where is the more rational place to go. (NOT counting money, as I haven't gotten all of that in order yet.... although Rowan will by far be the cheapest no matter what.) So, assuming I go for computer engineering...
Here's what I gather from these schools:
Northeastern has the amazing co-op program
U. of Maryland has a killer CE program apparently, and I also got into a cybersecurity honors program, which has potential.
Lehigh is, from what I gather, the most prestigious out of these universities.
Rutgers has tons of research.
Rowan has... money. =P</p>
<p>I also got into the honors program in schools for which it was available (basically all except Lehigh), and essentially all of them are in good proximity to some sort of city (which is big for co-op/internships). And all of them have good programs, obviously.
Any comments or things to consider that I may not be considering?</p>
<p>Sure! I had a 2250 SAT (800 M, 730 CR, 720 W) and 800s in both the physics and Math Level II SAT IIs. My unweighted GPA was a 4.0, my weighted a 5.6/6.0, and my class rank was 13/579.</p>
<p>I’d argue Maryland is the most prestigious out of that group rather than Lehigh, but it’s not like Lehigh is bad or anything. Which one are you leaning toward and why? Chances are, that’s the one you should go to.</p>
<p>@boneh3ad: I’m definitely leaning towards UMD. I also have a close friend that goes there, which is part of the reason why. However, it’s more pricey than Rowan and slightly more so than Rutgers, hence my concern. The loan I’d need would probably be about $50000, which is doable, but still.
Also, not that prestige is a huge issue, but what makes you say that UMD is the most prestigious? @luminiz: nope. Got about $5000 a year in scholarships. I’m still annoyed about that. >_<</p>
<p>Because if you live in the northeast and went to Lehigh or UMD, people will say “oh that’s a really good school.” If you live, say, on the west cost, and you went to UMD, people will also say “oh, that’s a good school”, but if you go to Lehigh, they will say “Isn’t that the school I sometimes see in the NCAA bracket?” Don’t get me wrong, its a good school and its name should carry you at least as far as UMD on the east coast, but the UMD name carries more weight as you leave the region.</p>
<p>Congrats on your amazing choices and your amazing stats! It is unfortunate that the quantity of merit scholarships has declined. With the economy supposedly doing so well, colleges should be revisiting this topic.</p>
<p>I have read in various articles that you should try to keep your loans to a max of $5000 per year for a TOTAL debt to $20,000.</p>
<p>Attending a college where you have friends should be a factor, but not a top factor.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, the debt you should incur should be, at max, what you expect your 1st year salary to be. All of the schools on this list work for that.
And now it’s pretty much down to UMD and Lehigh for me, and it’s REALLY close between those two colleges. I want to go to them both… but that doesn’t really work. That being said, things like where my friends are and even how close dorms are to things matter now, because they both cost the same amount for about the same quality of education. @boneh3ad: Thanks for the perspective. Good point I didn’t think of before… Lehigh is a pretty regional school. I don’t plan on moving out of the northeast, but it’s definitely something to consider.</p>
<p>Debt up to first year pay is probably stretching it, since not everyone gets a job immediately at graduation (if there is an industry downturn at graduation time), and people might change majors to a one leading to lower paid jobs.</p>
<p>More conservative would be to limit debt to the Stafford loan limit, or half the first year pay for graduates in your major, whichever is less.</p>
<p>Check to see whether UMD has any merit scholarship possibilites for rising sophomores and higher. If you are in the cybersecurity honors program I’ll bet some of the federal agencies have some scholarships available.</p>
<p>Ummm, even “by far the cheapest” Rowan would leave you with significantly more than Stafford loan debt? Note that you will need a co-signer to get more loans than Stafford loans.</p>
<p>My son is a Junior at UMD and it has been a GREAT experience! He feels the program has done a wonderful job preparing him for the job market. He obtained a paid internship after his freshman year. He knew how to do things after his freshman year that other interns who were 2-3 years older than him had not learned in their coursework. He continues to intern there during the summer, and they have now kept him on part time throughout the school year. Additionally, he was able to obtain some research experience with one of the professors which he really enjoys. On top of that, he had opportunities to interview for internships with Google, … (which he turned down because he likes his current internship so much). And THEN, like you, he didn’t get offered the “big” scholarship from MD like he had hoped, BUT, they have tons of scholarships for computer engineers that you can apply for, especially after your sophomore year. Additionally, there are MANY outside scholarships where the agencies are very generous, such as AFCEA, IEEE Computer Society, SAME just to name a few. His scholarships ended up covering his cost of attendance - and maybe some more. I can’t speak for the other schools you listed, but UMD has been a great choice for my son. Good Luck!</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus: I’m sorry, I was hyperbolic. Rowan would require no loans whatsoever. That being said, although the program is relatively good… I just don’t like it there. I didn’t know as much about the school when I posted, but, knowing more now, I feel that the extra opportunity that UMD and Lehigh would offer is worth it.
It’s also worth noting that the $50,000 number may be an overestimation, since my financial aid was kind of deflated this year due to financial circumstances with my family. I should get more in future years.
This all said, thanks for the advice. I don’t want it to seem like I’m completely shunning what you’re saying, I’m not. It’s just that the only available school that falls under your category is a school I’m not particularly fond of. I wish I could go somewhere I like with minimal loans… believe me. @davenmame: Where were some of those private scholarships from? Were they just fastweb sorts of scholarships, or scholarships specifically for UMD computer engineers? That’s definitely something to consider though, thank you!</p>
<p>Speaking of that, does anyone know about any similar opportunities at Lehigh?</p>
<p>Then I would look at some of the following. The first 2 I am listing have various chapters. You could look at the Baltimore or Washington area chapters or chapters from your own state. These would most likely apply to any accredited schools - provided there is a chapter in that geographic area.</p>
I can’t speak for the other schools you listed, but UMD has been a great choice for my son. Good Luck!</p>