My daughter thinks she wants to study animation. She is very creative, and good at math. Taking AP computer Science this year. Her art skills are not as developed and frankly I am not sure if that will end up being her passion. As such, we didn’t apply to art schools. She is left with a diverse set of choices.
–Northeastern Computer sci/digital art degree (wonderful progam but very expensive, even though she got a scholarship). Probably the best fit for her, but price would require loans which we would really like to avoid
–Drexel (Visual Arts/Animation major. Honors program). Impressed with Westphal and she got a substantial scholarship that makes it affordable . My concern with Drexel is that it is separate from Computer Science (no crossover classes) and I am afraid it will over-specialize her …or if she wanted to change majors she would be in school much longer. It looks like the list of requirements for major don’t leave much room for electives to try out other pursuits. Of course, coop is appealing too.
– Temple – got honors program and a big scholarship. She applied as a Math/computer major, and we figured she’d take classes in film and art as well. Their programs in LA and abroad are impressive as well. but the lack of animation classes (and those that are their are available to upper level students) is concerning. Price --a big consideration–is right though. Plus, she got two 4K stipends for study abroad or summer study which I think she could use to take some animation classes over the summer at SVA (we are in NY) or some other art school. Temple is most affordable option, and would leave her the option of affording grad school if that’s what she decides.
She is an excellent academic student so she is also ashamed to admit that she would like a school with some level of prestige, which makes her think NE is the best bet. Surprisingly she didn’t get into the Honors program there, which is another strike against it. I think the calliber of students in the honors programs at Drexel and Temple would probably meet her intellectual needs, but not all her classes will be with them.
We are left with a tough decision. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
How much would the total loans be for NEU? I think that while financial situations are important, in this case, managable loans could be worth it. I’m a NEU CS student and the variety of combinations with CS I have seen should give your daughter plenty of flexibility no matter the path she ends up on. In terms of the caliber of students, even Temple Honors has lower SAT scores than NEU’s general population - I couldn’t find stats for Drexel, but I would assume similar ones to Temple. I think that’s another thing to consider when considering loans for NEU.
That said, if the loans are not a manageable amount, you have to eliminate NEU and go from there.
Based on the scholarships, stipends, and being a CS major there, I would recommend Temple over Drexel, despite the co-op program at Drexel. In CS, internships are readily available enough that your daughter should still be able to get experience, and in comparison to NEU Drexel will offer significantly more local options for co-op, and being at Temple will offer somewhat similar companies and opportunities, even if Drexel still has the edge.
Of course, between the two, fit is important - if you haven’t visited both Temple and Drexel, make sure to do that obviously. If one really stands out by fit, go with it. They are close enough that fit should be a significant factor IMO.
Finally, as a note, most CS / Animation students do not do grad school - CS majors usually can get their employers to pay while working, and Animation, like CS, is more about your abilities than your level of degree - the only reason to do grad school for either is for personal reasons or going into academia/research. I would take that into consideration if the horizon of grad school is a worry.
If you have any specific questions on CS or NEU I’d be happy to help! I know Temple / Drexel somewhat but not quite nearly as well unfortunately.
Thanks for your comments and viewppints.
NE would probably require 30-40K of loans.
Drexel, which is roughly the same price as NE, gave her 42K/year vs NEwhich gave us 20k.
Temple (which is lower priced to begin with) gave her full tuition, plus the two 4K stipends.
She got into Honors program at Drexel and Temple, but not at NE (so no priority registration).
It is really such a rough decision with many varying opinions. Some people are saying that NE would pay for itself eventually, while others say graduating with no debt and saving money for other experiences (study abroad, or even for a first apt) is smarter. Agh!
For the record, even NEU honors doesn’t get priority registration - Honors is usually overhyped at most programs - some of the “benefits” at Drexel, for example, are standard for the whole student body at NEU (“free” printing / laundry). The quality of students is higher and probably more academic at some schools, but as mentioned before, even the general student body of NEU is more “academic” statistically than at least Temple
There’s certainly something to be said for graduating debt free, but I think 40K is worth it for the difference between the schools in question.
If you decide it isn’t, I think Temple is more worth it between Drexel / Temple excluding fit.
Thanks for your thoughtful input once again PengsPhils.
Sorry if you’ve already told me this…do you personally know anyone in Digital Arts/CS combined major? Are they happy?I really appreciate your first hand opinions. I finally got a name of someone in the program for my daughter to talk to and she will be contacting her. I think that would also give us more confidence in shelling out the extra money
A very large number of Norhteastern students (prob. 20-30% for CS, even more for business) are international students, who do not need to submit SAT scores. In fact, Northeastern does not consider their SAT scores even if they do submit them. That’s their way of maintaining very high test score averages while at the same time getting enough revenue (even internationals who get aid end up paying more than nationals.)
So while Northeastern’s student body is impressive and has improved significantly in the last few years, I’d argue the numbers they report are not necessarily the whole truth.
@NSH420 have you visited all the schools? My D is not apply to Drexel, but did apply and was admitted to Northeastern and Temple. NEU would cost us about 40k in loans. At Temple she also has the Presidential Scholarship which means no loans because we can cover everything the scholarship does not. She is looking at mechanical engineering with the hope to eventually get a masters in biomedical engineering.
I really want Temple for her and the freedom of not worrying about living on a strict budget during school and for 10 years after! We have also looked to see if “eventually” a NEU degree would be worth more than Temple, but a lot of unknown factors make it hard to determine. I’ve told her that attitude and effort makes a bigger difference than the prestige of the university. I don’t know if she believes me at this point. Like your D, she would really like to go to the most prestigious option and loves the established co-op program.
I don’t know anything about animation except to say my brother has been a video game artist for over 20 years (for the last 5 plus he has worked for an online game called Rift). He was pushing my D to get a computer science degree saying his company and a lot of others would hire her in an instant and she could pretty much “name her price.” He probably has on uncle-rose-colored-glasses, but it does sound like the demand is there.
@palm17 looks like you are in a similar boat!
We have visited all 3. Went to NE 2x. First for a general look-around, and next on accepted students day. We were very impressed, plus my daughter loves Boston. My daughter is a bit of a quirky/artist type, and there were some students like that there, but not as diverse a group as Temple. CS program was very impressive there…but I am not she is committed to CS. Because she is not 100% certain I too am unsure about plopping down so much money. At temple (where she would have the freedom to explore more, and even take an extra year if necessary).
We went to Temple once, after being accepted, and had a day that was personalized for her by the honors program. we were very impressed by the honors program, by the amazing Technology center, and by the vibrant diverse student body. I have a friend who not only has raised kids in Philly but works with college aged students and only has great things to say about Temple. She feels it is a very up-and-coming school and calls it similar to Berkley. We really weren’t concerned about the area around Temple. We are from the NYC area and just think it is important to use good judgement (not walking alone, etc).
We went to Drexel, and are going back next weekend for accepted students day. It has more of the program that daughter is looking for (or thinks she is) but it is in the Media Arts school rather than in the CS school like NE. I am a little concerned about it looking like she has an art degree rather than a CS degree (not that there is anything wrong with art…I just want her to be less pigeonholed).They do coops too. It is less of a campus feel than Temple. Daughter just joined Drexel accepted students facebook group and is happy with the type of kids there (for what that is worth ) We will have to see how the accepted students day goes next week. They are giving her a lot of money so that definitely is part of the decision.
In this economy with kids having trouble getting jobs out of school, and people in such debt, it is a big decision. I wish we were wealthy enough or the economy was strong enough for us just to say “go enjoy college and just take classes that are interesting…don’t worry about the future.”
Thanks for the perspective from your brother!
Good luck to you and your daughter! Where else is she considering?
I don’t know anyone in the combined major, but I know 4-5 animation students, 2-3 of which are doing a CS minor - a Digital Art / CS student will overlap a lot with them class-wise - all of them are very happy with classes on both ends as far as I know!
I’m only a sophomore, but the academics are just the same as any other school when it comes to graduating on time - the only difference is that there are co-ops in between, and some opt for summer sessions to graduate earlier as they wish. Most people I know do the 4-year program and have plenty of time. With AB/IB credit, it’s even easier. All of this works out tuition-wise to the same as a 4-year university.
For what it’s worth, I agree with the others when it comes to prestige not being important - I think the difference comes in the quality of the program and the co-op program, which is the best of its kind with incredible experience and connections for students. I also looked at Drexel and did not apply - I still think narrowing to Temple vs NEU is the best option - the middle ground will offer a higher price without really much difference in program quality compared to Temple.
When you say 30-40K in loans, do you mean on top of the 27K for 4 years of stafford (federal) loans, so, really, 57-67K after 4 years, or all included (ie., 27K in stafford loans + 13K spread over 4 years in Parent PLUS)?
It’s true that right now girls with a CS degree and skills in at least one area, can “name their price” (or expect a highly paid job). And it’s true co-ops help, but CS is enough in demand that it wouldn’t be a problem to find a well-paid internship. BUT making it through a CS degree isn’t easy.
@NSG420 I just realized I didn’t answer your question. Here two favorite were Northeastern and Stevens Institute of Technology & then Temple the clear choice money-wise. Now it’s just a two way race. Once we looked past the college’s published COA, we realized NEU and Stevens did not cost the same. At NEU you can get a smaller meal plan and an economy room to save money. All the room rates are pretty much standard at Stevens and a required all-you-can-eat meal plan. Seriously, over $4k to feed my 100 pound vegan daughter for 8 months? Silly! Plus, the housing goes up at Stevens and but for NEU with economy apartment options and my daughter’s excellent cooking skills, room and board can go down.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is see if it is possible to fine-tune the COA to get the best deal possible. I hope you’ll share the final decision once you know.
@palm715 Interesting info about the meal plan and housing at NEU. I will look into that. We are going to accepted students day at Drexel this weekend and see how that goes. Silly as it may be, she joined Drexel’s accepted students facebook group and has been excited to see students that have the same musical tastes, etc as her. Drexel may be the best middle ground solution. With the scholarships they gave her it is only a bit more expensive than Temple (“a bit” in college cost terms!). It has a major that gives her a lot of animation skills (Visual Effects and Animation), and with the honors program it looks like she could even tweak the major to include components of CS and Math to make it more personalized. I am still a bit concerned about a few aspects of Drexel (the quarter system might be too fast paced for her…and getting a degree from the Art/Design school still scares me a bit rather than going for a straight CS degree) but we will see how we feel after Sunday.
Husband still thinks Temple is the best idea.
@MYOS1634 I’ll be honest–I actually don’t know the difference between all the various loans yet. I’ve had a psychological block against looking into them since I really would prefer to avoid loans altogether. I guess it’s getting to the time when I need to learn about them just to make an educated decision. However, I was talking about 40K in any kind of loan.
This truly does make a big difference. Unless she double majors in CS, or at least minor’s, it’s going to make life a LOT tougher in terms of jobs. You need a solid foundation in programming or an incredible artistic eye to make it in animation. The programming route is the much safer of the two.
