Most schools have co-op programs. My son is at Bama…interning with Ga Tech sttudents on his team this summer. It’s an internship - he won’t do a co-op -but they post loads of them.
This is engineering - you’ll be challenged at any school. They all use ABET curriculum.
UCB Alumnus above makes great points - transfer scholarships are much less than first year.
We all know not to spend beyond our means.
College costs more than the COA schools list.
So this person, going to GTech, is asking for many years of financial strain and the stress levels that come with it.
Sometimes being the adult is tough. If GT isn’t affordable then it’s on to plan B. We took colleges off the table for S20 and S21.
I wouldn’t offer if financial situation changes to just transfer. That’s a bad idea.
UMD and UMASS are fantastic for AI and it looks like about $10-15k/year cheaper.
VT is also great for CS but not necessarily AI/ML. He still would get an outstanding education for CS. Our friend’s son is graduating in June. He was NMF. It’s a tough school.
Not sure about UVA CS but would be a great option if he changes his major.