<p>So these are the four schools I have gotten into for mechanical engineering, and now I have the dreadful choice of trying to pick one. I know they are all well respected schools, but if anyone has good input on which one fits better, that would be helpful. I will add a little background info too:
For UMD I am instate, so cheaper COA, plus I got $4500 scholarship and got into College Park Scholars (this is also the only school that I could visit- coming from maryland, I am not a big fan of College Park, but UMD campus is nice)
For RPI I got a $19000 scholarship, but $40000 is still a lot per year.
For Georgia Tech and Purdue, I didn't get any scholarships, but I really like the respective depts, and locations.
The main conflict is that I really want to leave the state of Maryland for the next for years but cost is holding me back.</p>
<p>Also curious about this bump.</p>
<p>Meh, UMD is pretty good. I would just go there.</p>
<p>Thanks! I decided to go with maryland. Great school for engineering and not expensive, if I am planning to go to grad school.</p>
<p>You made a wise, fiscally sound decision. Post updates next year to share your experiences. Good luck!</p>
<p>Lucky you - there is an IKEA next to UMCP and a subway station to DC…</p>
<p>Georgia Tech is superior to UMD. Also, College Park isn’t a place you want to be in for 4 years.</p>
<p>@XtremePower, while Georgia Tech is unquestionably a great school that has a higher ranking in USNWR, Maryland is an excellent school for engineering also. </p>
<p>In fact, I would argue it’s a better overall college experience at UMD since my friends’ sons have reported major weed-out practices at GT that are very stressful. On the other hand, UMD has lots of programs in place for support for engineering students. Not to mention the fact that UMD has a much more favorable male/female ratio for student population!</p>
<p>While College Park isn’t exactly bucolic in itself, the UMD campus is. The proximity to DC, Baltimore and Annapolis (for those that like to sail) makes the location actually very advantageous. There are so many unique opportunities for internships/co-ops/research with government agencies, and amazing network opportunities as well. </p>
<p>Congrats sarcasmrules! You will really enjoy being a Terp!</p>
<p>Campus is cool. I have been there myself since Maryland isn’t that far from where I live. However, I found the surrounding area pretty similar to Temple University’s(its ghetto). The OP is from Maryland so he/she probably knew that already. </p>
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<p>I am sure an elite public engineering college like GT will provide all that. If cost were the same, GT would be the better choice but UMD is much cheaper in this case so, I guess the decision makes sense…</p>
<p>The surrounding area at UMD isn’t that great but it’s not better at GT. There’s no question that GT is considered very highly for their research. While undergraduates will have the opportunity to do research at both universities I’m not sure that’s as important a consideration as it would be for a grad student.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know the area is not that great, but some places in DC itself are nice. All the schools are great for engineering, cost was just a big factor.</p>
<p>Did you decide?</p>