Engineering: Help Choosing between Buffalo and Minnesota

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

<p>Hey CC,</p>

<p>So I've come to a dilemma. I've been accepted to the University at Buffalo and the University of Minnesota for Aerospace Engineering for the Fall 2013 semester. My family should be able to contribute $18k, but it is not guaranteed to me. My parents are divorced and my father has a history of not keeping his promises. I don't really want to go to Buffalo because I feel like all of my work in high school would not be merited, and being forced into a weaker school kinda bothers me. Buffalo also isn't in as good of a location (Compared to Minneapolis/St. Paul) and doesn't have many of the clubs I want to join. I know it really comes down to money but I guess what my question is is if Minnesota is worth taking some debt. Here are some givens:</p>

<ul>
<li>I Plan on attending Graduate School
~Will I be able to get into top graduate schools such as UCLA, USC, UMich etc going to either of these schools and how much more difficult would it be to get in if I went to Buffalo?</li>
</ul>

<p>Here are my offers:</p>

<p>Buffalo (In-State):
Cost of Attendance: 22.5k/yr
Awarded provost scholarship (2.5k/yr)</p>

<p>Minnesota (Out-of-state):
Cost of Attendance: 30k/yr
Awarded Maroon National Scholarship: ~2.7k/yr
Awarded Sig Hagen Scholarship: $.5k for one year</p>

<p>I'm still waiting to see about local scholarships and FIRST scholarships, but its not definite so it's probably better not to include them for these purposes.</p>

<p>Going over the numbers, I would be able to hopefully graduate Buffalo with about 3k debt after 4 years, while Minnesota would leave me at around 30k debt after 4 years.</p>

<p>So what do you guys think? I know Minnesota is an exponentially better Engineering school and I may have more opportunities for internships and research opportunities, but in the end is the city experience, increased opportunities, and slightly better quality of life worth the additional debt?</p>

2

<p>That’s a tough one. I assume you are thinking about $11-12K in housing and meals at UM, at the out of state is just over $18K (for now). You may be able to do a little better than that. UM is an excellent engineering university (almost regardless of subspecialty). I don’t know as much about Buffalo. But, I do have to say, that if it is accredited and you get strong grades, you should be able to get into a strong graduate program. </p>

<p>I would first exhaust all opportunities for scholorships and grants at UM before making a decision. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the advice. I plan on appealing my financial aid package in hopes of attaining additional grants/scholarships/work study opportunities. UM is where I would like to go, considering the environment, opportunities, extensive list of student groups, and quality of life. All of this, combined with chances of getting into a better grad program (Buffalo is accredited, not even in the top 50 ranked though) makes UM possibly worth 5-7k/yr debt. I hope all goes in my favor.</p>