<p>Hey everyone, long-time lurker here.</p>
<p>I'm looking to major in engineering, most likely ECE. My college search was going great initially- I had it narrowed down to GT and NEU but then I got accepted to Cornell out of the blue and....well, now I'm really at a loss. This decision has me in a panic- I would love another opinion; everyone I've asked just says Cornell because of the name, but I'm not comfortable picking just because of that factor. I've visited all 3 and I didn't have major problems with the "fit" feeling (out of the 3, Cornell seemed to have the friendliest environment, but none really stood out as bad. I did live in Georgia for a good part of my childhood so I'm familiar with the area and would feel slightly more at home there). Here's the breakdown:</p>
<p>NEU- $37K/yr (got some merit aid)
Cornell-$63K/yr
GT-$44K/yr</p>
<p>We're not wealthy by any standards, but we're about on the lower cusp of upper-middle class (when we filled out the estimated cost calculators last year they estimated we might get a little help, but this year my dad took a new job and we're not getting fin. aid for sure). So we <em>can</em> pay even for Cornell, but we will still feel it, if that makes sense? </p>
<p>I'm also interested in study abroad, and NEU seems to offer the best opportunity for that. I wouldn't consider myself super intelligent (to be honest, I'm shocked I got into where I did), but I work hard and don't want to be bored. I'm just worried that a school like Cornell will drown me. </p>
<p>Is it really worth it to pay the extra 20K (most likely more as tuition increases) for Cornell, especially when its engineering programs are on par with/outranked by GT? Should I just go with NEU because it's cheapest? (if it helps, I'm looking to start working right after college; a master's is not in the immediate future for me) </p>