So I’ve been accepted to all three for General Engineering. As a person I’m rather shy and introverted when it comes to meeting new people but I don’t want to be completely isolated. I am a big video game person. Also, I am gay - not flaming or anything - but I don’t want that to be a problem.
Drexel (ranked #55 for engineering): $13.1k per semester before loans
RIT (ranked #59 for engineering): $11.9k per semester before loans
Buffalo (ranked #67 for engineering): $8.4k per semester before loans
Going to accepted students day for buffalo and rit this weekend but unfortunately wont be able to for drexel. Can you guys help me narrow my stuff down or give me some insight on these schools?
Forgot to add that I’m from NY and would prefer a mid sized campus
RIT sounds like it may be the best fit. A nerdy student body that values the arts and game design. Medium size, LGBT friendly as far as I’m aware, and if you’re male also probably not a bad dating pool with the high male gender ratio. Not a bad price and a great engineering program with one of the top co-op programs in the US.
Congrats on all three options! As a general note, I would forget rankings here given how similar they all are in that department. Focus on fit and cost, though again these are all similar cost.
All great choices. I think fit, again is the deal breaker if the money differences are not pressing. It really isn’t going to make much of a difference in those rankings Pay is going to be pretty standard for engineers regardless, so keeping those loans down might be a good idea.
I’m not familiar with the co-op programs that Drexel is well known for and it appears RIT. Look into what a difference that can make in cost, length of time in school, and opportunities after college.
As far as being gay I think Drexel since it is located in Philadelphia would be a better fit socially. You have a much larger gay population with students close by at Temple, Penn, etc.
As far as those co-op programs go, most do 2-3 co-ops at each and they often are 5-year programs as a result. Co-op’s at both are 6 months long. Pay during co-op should cover room and board and there is no tuition charged, so cost is the same as for all options beyond the pricetags listed.
Co-ops at RIT and Drexel are similar and I looked at both schools however, RIT won out based on location and how the co-op program seems more successful and better integrated into their engineering program. Video games - RIT all the way! Great game design program is top notch and maybe you can take some of those classes as electives? Drexel is right in the midst of everything if you want easy access to a bigger social scene.
Ah so torn! Did the accepted students day for RIT yesterday and just finished Buffalos.
RIT had solid speeches, and did a good job explaining their co-op process and such. However, they only showed us 1 classroom for 2 mins, and no tour of anything else. Additionally, we had little to no actual student interactions during our academic tours and such. Felt much less personal and further away from what the actual college was like. Residence tour gave off a cringe meme/troller vibe, but the rooms themselves were nice.
Buffalo’s opening and general academic speeches really bothered me. They were very lengthy, and generic. The speakers were reading word for word off scripts - not even looking up off the scripts. Some of the people who sat near me came off as very snobby, stuck up, and vile as well. However, afterwords we really got to interact with students of our majors. They took us on a 2 hour tour of the different labs and facilities, and we got to meet with professors who used equipment in front of us and did demonstrations. Additionally, the students came off as very friendly and down to earth. People I could see myself working with during class.
my S19 looked at Drexel and RIT and hated Drexel being a city school, as he wanted a campus. We were at the RIT accepted students yesterday, and at least in GDD they had students to talk to during lunch. Also if you wanted a tour of the labs/academic spaces, they offered it. Strange that the Engineering did not.
@sdl0625 Our student tour guide was like “I didn’t know I’d be doing this until two days ago. RIT sent out a mass email saying that they were looking for more student tour guides so I just hopped in last minute. I’ll try and take you to places I have access to”
He took us to one place 
RIT has made big investments in computer science in particular, but engineering is also strong. The RIT campus is a little outside Rochester,can you bring a car so you can get to the hiking, waterfalls and Finger Lakes that the region is famous for?
Drexel, you don’t need a car.
RIT has a strong relationship with the National Security Agency in Maryland, for jobs. They hire engineers.
You might not have had the best tour guide, but the students I know who are similar to you in what they like and are looking for have loved RIT - and easily gotten jobs afterward. I wouldn’t let a last minute tour guide spoil the whole place for you.
Students are quite divided about Drexel. It’s a “very” city campus, so if you don’t mind that, perhaps it’s worth considering. If you don’t like that, you won’t care for the school.
Since RIT is less expensive for you, personally, I think it’s worth crossing off Drexel. Whether you still want to consider Buffalo or not depends upon whether you think you’ll like the co-op system (at RIT) or not and how much the difference in cost matters.
Your EFC is $2,000 and your net cost at RIT is ~$24k. With divorced parents, a twin heading to CU Boulder, a parent who’s been out of work for a year and another who earns $30k, how are you planning to pay for these schools?
Unless your twin got a full ride you should both take a serious look at the NYS Excelsior Grant. If you had the Excelsior Grant, the federal Pell Grant, the federal student loan, and $3k from summer work earnings you’d be really close to covering the costs of a SUNY.
@austinmshauri I do have a college savings account that my parents made for me while they were economically stable. It’ll cover my first year, which will allow me time to save up money from working and also give me the opportunity to work hard, get a high gpa my first year, and then apply for better scholarships.
NYS already gave me the pell grant and are allowing me to take out 5k in loans. And yeah, suny buff is really tempting in terms of price alone. Regarding the excelsior grant, do you know if there’s any way to check to see if I can get that, before I commit to a SUNY.
What scholarships are you going to get to cover $75,000? Is that what your twin is hoping to do? That’s not a viable option. Even if such scholarships existed, you’d have to win one. Many colleges reduce their grants by the amount of outside grants, so you wouldn’t be any better off. You and your twin should go to schools you know you can afford for all 4 years. It sounds like those are SUNYs. If your twin wasn’t accepted to one they can take a gap year and apply to some. There may even be openings after May 1st for this fall.
I didn’t see this one earlier when there was another thread that the excelsior was mentioned in. Depending on how much you got for Pell or Tap, you might not get any (or only very little) from excelsior anyway. You should check with UB’s financial aid department and/ or the HESC directly with questions.
Another thing to consider though is that you could save money at UB by getting an apartment off campus. Not necessarily the first year, if you can swing the cost for on campus, but is is something you could do for future years if money is tight. People there do say you can save a lot that way. RIT isn’t really as convenient for living in affordable off campus apartments, from what I’ve read.
@sybbie719, Is there a deadline for applying for the Excelsior?
@LittleLiam, NYS doesn’t give you Pell or let you take the student loan. Those are federal programs. You fill out the FAFSA to apply for them. NYS has their own aid applications. Go to HESC.ny.gov to get info. on NYS grants.
How much did you receive in Pell and TAP? This will determine if you are eligible for excelsior
If UB gave a tuition only scholarship, that would also detract from the excelsior amount. They have been giving Pride Of NY and Provost. One is tuition only but I don’t remember which.
OP, the excelsior can only be applied to the tuition piece of the COA, so any scholarships given for tuition only would mean less excelsior. If you were to get any outside scholarships that are designated to be for tuition (I think most aren’t doing that anymore, but double check any you get) then those would also replace excelsior amounts.
We know someone, as an example, who got a smaller amount. I think around $3k? This was because they had other tuition only aids/awards that already covered the rest of the amount that the excelsior would otherwise have covered.