Decision: Ohio State vs University of Alabama

College Search & Selection
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I was accepted by both schools into my major of mechanical engineering, both have accepted me into their honors programs, and I have received my merit scholarship information from both. At UA, I got the Presidential, full tuition scholarship (plus a small engineering scholarship). At OSU, I received the National Buckeye out of state scholarship + Maximus. I live in Illinois, so both are out of state, but UA would cost me around $11k per year and OSU would be like $22k per year.
My stats (for reference):
34 ACT
4.58 GPA
Mostly AP/honors
My school doesn’t class rank, but the OSU regional recruiter said she thought I’m probably top 1%.

Academics: Now, OSU’s engineering program is ranked like 27, but UA is like 105. That is a big difference, but I realize rankings aren’t everything, and UA was one of the first five colleges to offer engineering, so they have a pretty solid program. I just don’t know if OSU’s more prestigious program is worth the extra money. The hard part is, I know for a fact that I’m the type of student who will do whatever I need to do to be successful no matter where I go,

Opportunities: OSU has more of the clubs/extracurriculars that I’m looking for and it has a bigger alumni network. I’m in the honors program at both. I’m waiting to hear back from the Eminence Fellows program at OSU which is unbeatable. Meanwhile, I was rejected from University Fellows at Bama, but I am a finalist for Computer Based Honors Program. To me, CBHP would be awesome if I went to Bama, but it’s not a deciding factor.

Location: OSU is an urban campus, which I prefer, and I like Columbus and all the internship opportunities and benefits that come with it. It’s also a 6 hour drive, whereas UA is a 12 hour drive. I do like the warm Alabama, but it’s definitely a college-town.

Ambiance/vibes: I feel my personality and studious-emphasis fits in much better at OSU. I’m don’t drink and I’m not a huge partner, so I don’t plan on joining a frat, but Bama is so Greek-heavy that I feel like I’d be an outlier. Also, not saying that the students at Bama aren’t smart, but it’s just much easier to get in with lower stats, and I feel like being surrounded by others more similar to me is a big benefit of OSU, especially on my social life.

I’m still waiting to hear back on the super competitive full tuition and full ride scholarships I applied for at OSU, but if I got either of those, I’m definitely going to be a Buckeye. But, I can’t rely on those whatsoever, so I’m just trying to decide if I should suck it up and save some money by going to Bama (and graduate WITHOUT DEBT–I know, unheard of!) or if it’s worth it to cough up the cash for the better academic and social opportunities at OSU.

Any and all input is appreciated, because there may be something I haven’t considered. I know it’s my decision, but it’s really tough (even though I’m leaning towards OSU) and I like hearing others’ opinions. Thanks!

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Oh! I forgot to mention that Bama’s priority housing deadline is Feb 1, but I cant submit a housing depost without enrolling… OSU doesnt have a priority deadline, but they do it in the order enrollment and housing deposits were received. Thus, idk if I should submit my deposits to Bama. And, since both require enrollment before housing, I cant submit both

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Based on everything you’ve mentioned, I think Ohio State is the way to go for you. Although it may be more expensive, the experience and overall academic prestige will be worth it in the long run, not to mention the fact that OSU is located in a big city, Columbus, which is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and GREAT for job/internship opportunities. Go Bucks!

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Thanks for sharing your opinion! Now I’d be interested to hear from a Bama parent or someone with a UA favorable opinion. Always gotta consider both sides!

Keep opinions coming please :slight_smile:

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All things equal, including Honors College at both, Ohio State would be a better choice by quite a bit.

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Thanks for your opinion! @LBad96 @eopjd9898
Waiting for a big Bama supporter/parent to argue the other way haha ( @mom2collegekids ?)

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It’d probably depend on how much debt you’d be going into in order to attend OSU. There’s only a certain amount you can borrow each year without your parents cosigning the loan.

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@merething Ill pm you

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LBad96 is consistently negative about Bama for reasons that escape me since he has never been there. It is not hard at all to find friends who aren’t in a fraternity, and you won’t have trouble finding academically able people to hang out with. More than 40% of the incoming class last year had an ACT score of 30 or higher. UA engineering is accredited just like the program at OSU.
I understand the appeal of having a university in a larger town with the internship possibilities being closer by, but only you know if it is worth the extra money.

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@AlbionGirl respect. Thanks!

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@d012939

your situation and stats sound eerily similar to ours. with Pell and choosing a cheaper dorm, UA will be about $4K for us after the presidential + Engineering scholarships, plus we are waiting to hear about the Crimson. OSU with Buckeye + Maximus will still be about $20K and out of reach for us, unless he bags the Eminence. we are also shooting for the Michigan State Alumni Distinguished Scholarship, the Kentucky Singletary, and the South Carolina McNair. my best guess is when the dust settles the best affordable option will likely be NC State (our in-state)

if all of these one were magically equally affordable for us, I would pick OSU. if you can swing it financially without too much hardship i would say OSU, but those debts can add up and if money is tight, i would strongly consider Alabama.

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Thanks @Wien2NC ! Good luck with your decision

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@d012939 I have a son who is a chemE who graduated from a small public university (ranked regionally, not nationally) as well as a son who is in CBH and majoring in physics and math. Here is my perspective fwiw.

My chemE ds co-oped alongside students from NCSU, GT, and VA Tech. At graduation he had multiple job offers from different regions of the country. He chose to work for a top global chemical company. He works alongside grads form the engineering powerhouses (UM, UT, UF, GT, etc). His career has not been determined by his school name. New hires all start at the same level and pay and promotions are based on job performance, not school name.

My ds at Bama is a top student. He graduated from high school having completed 5 of his in-major physics core classes as well diffEQ, linear alg, and multivariable cal. He would in no way suggest that Bama is “beneath him.” He loves it there. CBH has been awesome and he has been participating in research since his freshman yr. Last yr he applied to 6 extremely competitive summer REUs for the summer between soph and jr yr. He was accepted by 3. (In case you aren’t familiar with REUs, that is a great outcome.) At his REU, other students were from MIT, ND, UPenn, Rice, Case, etc. Obviously, his being from Bama did not keep him from being accepted. :wink:

Anyway, we are a family whose kids are strong students but attendance is based on finances. They attend and run with every opportunity they are offered. Our current high school sr has been invited to some pretty amazing interview opportunities. She is every bit as advanced as her brother and yet the schools are all pretty on par with Bama in rank. Zero qualms. She’ll be every bit as successful as her siblings bc it college outcomes have a lot to do with what the student does while they are there. Be a student who matters,

If you go to CBH weekend, look for the tall physics geek…he’ll tell you just how awesome Bama is, not bc he has to but bc he absolutely has experienced it.

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@Mom2aphysicsgeek Thanks for your thorough response! Now we have a real discussion on our hands! haha. I am attending the CBHP interview weekend, and I will definitely look for your son to speak with him

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@AlbionGirl lol. I’m stating facts. Don’t know why people always feel compelled to call me out when I haven’t even said anything negative about Bama at all rolls eyes

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I’ve told you my opinion, but i think you’ll find your niche at either. P.S. Go Bucks!

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I am a graduate of OSU and took the higher level math/ science courses before changing my major. My husband got his BS and MS at OSU. Additionally, we did extensive research and visited Alabama since my daughter was NMF and eligible for nearly full-ride.
My opinion is you should go with Alabama. My husband works for fortune 500 company and says no one cares where you went to college; job performance is key for promotions. Engineering courses are really difficult at OSU. He told me it was not unusual for the high score on an exam to be a 39%. It is also difficult due to the high number of foreign TAs (hard to understand with their accent) that teach very large undergraduate courses. I think you would have a higher GPA at Alabama while still getting a quality education. Also of note is that engineers salaries tend to plateau and when I researched mid-career salary, there was virtually no difference in earnings associated with university choice. Avoiding college debt would definitely be goo for your long-term success. I understand that Alabama also has great internship opportunities. When we lived in Columbus, I don’t think there were that many great opportunities and the school did not put as much effort in helping students find internships as they did at other schools. While researching Alabama, we also learned of a program they have where you can get BS engineering + MBA in only 5 years.

“mom2collegekids” is the resident expert on Alabama and I think her boys were engineering majors. So you might want to research her posts and maybe send her a message if you have additional questions.

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@momofsmartdancer great response! Thanks :slight_smile:

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Is the higher cost of OSU affordable for you?

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@Chardo it’s hard to know what “afforable” is these days. But I’d definitely have some debt. Nothing that I’d be stuck paying off my whole life or anything like that