<p>I'm a junior in high school and have started to look at some colleges for engineering. I recently visited Missouri S&T and Mizzou. I am interested in Biological, Chemical, and Computer Engineering. My problem is as follows: I absolutely love Mizzou, and they have a good engineering program. S&T has a great engineering program, but i dont like the school very much. I would be in debt after attending both. Mizzou probably 50k+ and S&T 40k+. There is a cheaper option too. SIUE, a regional college near me, would be free to attend, but they only have computer engineering, and i worry that i would be unhappy there and be wondering how awesome Mizzou would have been. And, if i didnt like computer, i would be screwed. Any suggestions? I still have almost a year to think about it, but it troubles me so i would like CC's opinion.</p>
<p>We’re in the exact same situation now. You have to weigh pros and cons. You could always go to the regional school. Keep up good grades and if you change your mind try to transfer. But I have no idea how hard is it to transfer and costs difference.</p>
<p>I’m planning on taking 2 online courses this summer, two next school year, and two after senior year. With Six courses, all from local CC (transfer credits checked), I could save 18 Credit Hours and 12000!!!</p>
<p>Bumpppppppppp</p>
<p>I don’t know if I would call Mizzou a “good” engineering program. If you want to stay regional then I suppose that’s fine, but it’s at best the third best engineering program in the state after Missouri S&T and Wash U. I can understand why you wouldn’t be a fan of Rolla though.</p>
<p>Ultimately, if you want to stay regional, Mizzou will be just fine for many jobs. Missouri S&T is still pretty regional as well though. Otherwise, I don’t know what your grades are like, but you might also think about UIUC if you can get in. I don’t know which side of the river you live on (I presume MO?) but it is no farther away than Mizzou and has a much wider engineering recruiting footprint than do the other options.</p>
<p>I’m in Illinois. 3.9 GPA 30 ACT. Would have considered UI but heard about some 35’s that couldn’t even get in (engineering). I’ve also heard that they really prefer internationals for engineering.</p>
<p>You should never make important decisions based on hearsay. UIUC is one of the top engineering schools in the world, you are in-state, and your stats are in the ballpark of those who get in. The worst possible thing that could happen is that you don’t get in, but you are just barely missing the middle 50% of the admitted class on ACT (31 to 34) and your GPA is good, so there is no reason not to try it without a really good reason. As Wayne Gretzky said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. If you are truly interested in engineering, you really ought to apply there unless you have some underlying personal reason not to do so.</p>
<p>As for international students, whoever told you that didn’t know what they were talking about. First of all, it is a state school, so they have a duty to the taxpayers to actually educate a reasonable number of in-state students and not just international students. Second, roughly 1 in 4 students in engineering is international, so it isn’t even the majority or close to the majority, though it is quite high. Last, that high number of internationals is actually a boon for the educational environment. I definitely benefited substantially from being around a bunch of different people from different cultures as an undergraduate. You ought to look at that as a positive thing, or at least neutral.</p>
<p>At any rate, I see no reason not to at least apply and see what happens. It isn’t like you had a 26 on your ACT and essentially have no shot. At any rate, the #1 takeaway from this post should be not to base decisions based on things you hear without actually looking into it. You are bound to miss out on plenty of experiences if you do that regardless of which school you attend.</p>
<p>I, too, grew up in the Metro East. I have nothing against SIUE and they have been working to better their reputation for several years now and by all accounts doing a decent job of it, but I would strongly suggest getting at least a little bit outside of your existing geographic area for college. It sure helps you get exposed to a wider array of people, which is usually nice, even if you end up coming back after school.</p>
<p>No need to decide anything now. Apply to all of the schools under consideration, and then make your decision when you know where you were accepted, what your financial aid packages are, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! I got my ACT results back this week and I got a 33! So that probably increases my chances a bit. I will look into it more and might visit too. I usually go every year for their engineering open house and it is pretty cool.</p>
<p>Is there a specific reason why Southern Illinois University-Carbondale isn’t on your list? Granted, U of I is the one of the very best engineering universities, but what has kept you from considering the Computer Engineering at SIU Carbondale? You said that you wish to stay in the Midwest for your professional career.</p>
<p>If cost is a big concern, perhaps one of the schools with <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-18.html#post15895768</a> may be worth considering for a safety. Unfortunately, UIUC is not all that good with financial aid, even for in-state students – check the net price calculator.</p>
<p>^ Alabama has a good engineering program, and with a 33 ACT you are eligible for a good scholarship, assuming your GPA is 3.5 or higher.</p>
<p>Illinois is also a good choice with a 33 ACT.</p>
<p>Regarding Carbondale, I haven’t been there personally but several of my friends have and they all hated it. I know someone who went there for a year and transferred because they hated it so much. I think I probably have better options. Also, I don’t know where you got that idea, but I hate the Midwest. I would love to go out east for college but my mom doesn’t want me to go farther than 4-5 hours. Sucks I know. </p>
<p>I checked uiuc calculator and it gave me around 25k a year net. A little pricy for me. I’m really looking for under 15k at least.</p>
<p>^^ Yes, you would automatically get full tuition plus additional $2500 engineering scholarship per year from Alabama. Total COA would be about 11K. Enormous new engineering complex, great campus and school spirit, lots of students from Illinois and the midwest.</p>