DS has acceptances to Montana State, Washington State, and Colorado State for civil engineering. (Also to CO School of Mines, but it’s about $10K more than the others, so probably out, and he’s nixed UWyoming). He’s still waiting to hear from Cal Poly SLO, which is his first choice.
Cost is about the same for these three. I was curious if there are any reasons why he should pick one over the others in terms of job placement/curriculum/etc. Is it just a matter of which place he likes the best? Is there any different in employment outcomes between the three?
I’m pretty down on the state of California as a place to live as a young adult, so I wouldn’t mind seeing him go elsewhere even if he gets in to SLO, but I don’t want to project my biases onto him.
What do I have against CA? Oh, where do I start. Drought, insane cost of living, crowds, traffic, housing. I think it’s a lot of headwinds to go against as a young person just starting out.
I don’t have a problem with SLO, I was thinking more of where to live after college.
There are some downright awful parts of CA. SLO isn’t one of them. My son is a senior ME at Cal Poly from out of state. It is a very pleasant community and the school has a lot to offer.
Recruiting does tend to be regional, but Cal Poly has a pretty wide recruiting draw and any student who goes to any school can land a job in another region. It just takes more effort. He won’t be stuck in CA if he doesn’t want to be, but you should be prepared that he might want to be, even if well aware of your valid concerns.
I can’t say CP is better for him than the rest, because I don’t know what intangibles he values. It is a good price from out of state, but almost no brainer territory of in state.
CSU has an great campus and Ft. Collins is a nice little town. Its actually a lot like SLO without the beach. Its much farther from skiing than one might guess, if that’s a concern.
MSU would be by far the best option if your son is a skier, but probably the least widely recognized school. It’s also in a nice little town, but far more isolated.
He’d better have a strong appreciation for cold and snow if either Pullman or Bozeman are going to receive any consideration.
Mines has a reputation as a grind and probably isn’t worth the cost differential over the rest.
The bottom line is really this, we want to help our kids pick the “best,” but all engineering options are pretty good. His success will be FAR more dependant on what he does with his opportunity than which school he chooses. Students from schools far more podunky than any on his list land Fulbrights and prestigious NASA fellowships every year. I’d visit all of them if you can afford it and have him decide based on his gut.
I live in California, so I’m well aware of the state’s issues. I’m hoping to get out at some point, lol.
The big drawback to Bozeman is travel there. Easy to hop a Southwest flight to Spokane or Denver, not so easy to get to Bozeman.
Even though he’s a Californian, I think he’ll be OK with the cold and snow. He really hates hot weather, even what passes for hot weather here in the Bay Area.
We are going to visit WSU and CSU in Mar/April. He was invited to apply for a full-tuition scholarship to CSU, so if he gets that it’s obviously a no-brainer.
Honestly I’m hoping the SLO decisions come out soon so we know whether he’s in or not. Will make some decisions easier (WSU and MSU will probably drop off the list, and CSU will stay until he finds out about the scholly).