<p>So, my son's first choice is Purdue for Aerospace Engineering. We found out this week that he did not receive any merit aid, which we thought he was a great candidate for. So now we are left to decide whether it is worth it to pay the $40K vs. $20K for in-state options. All you Purdue fans, tell me why I should pay the premium for Purdue. We will not be receiving financial aid and can afford to pay if he does end up there. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Purdue’s Engineering degree is considered godly. Plus the average starting salary of a Purdue graduate is 55k+.
If money is your primary concern then that would be my best argument.</p>
<p>Besides Im not just saying that: Im an international student and you should know that it’s even more expensive for us with no scholarship and high travel expenses…</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on the quality of your in-state school. Does it actually have an aero program? How well does its students place? Purdue is an amazing school and has a fantastic aero program and community. I was pretty sure that you don’t hear about FA until April and I thought there might still be time to hear about merit? So I’d say don’t give up hope. Have you visited both schools? Atmosphere and other intangibles really can help make a decision. </p>
<p>The in-state options are Ohio State and Cincinnati. Both have aero programs but have heard that even though OSU’s overall program is highly regarded its aero is not so much. He would likely choose Cincy of the two because he would like to be in marching band and OSU is an all brass band and he plays sax so that doesn’t work out for him. He’s been to all three, plus Michigan and he really does like Purdue the best and for good reason, their porgram is very impressive. But is it $20K more impressive? Likely not but he is set on going to a top-ranked school.</p>
<p>The question is "is it $80k more impressive? I don’t know your financial situation. My D goes to Purdue and we consider ourselves fortunate that she is able to attend. U of Cincinnati has a very good engineering program with a mandatory co-op. I would say if price is not an obstacle then go with Purdue, if however, it would require borrowing a lot of money then Cincinnati will give him a fine education and opportunity for employment when he graduates. </p>
<p>Thanks for the comments, lvvcsf. We would likely be able to swing Purdue without loans but it will stretch us for sure. I am just having a hard time swallowing paying $80K more when an adequate option is here in state. I have only heard really good things though from parents such as yourself and students that will help make it easier and hopefully, he would end up love and thriving at Purdue making it worth it!</p>