<p>Hello, I am a transfer at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida right now. I am in my second year and will be transferring Fall of 2015.</p>
<p>I am stuck about where to transfer, though. I have a 4.0 college GPA, in the honor society, 30 ACT, so I am 100% sure I will get into UF/UCF, and think I have a pretty decent chance of GT, but each place has its pros and cons for me. Any advice would be much appreciated</p>
<p>(It is okay to be biased lol)</p>
<p>GT pros: Best school out of the three by far.
GT cons: I really don't like Atlanta, I'd be away from friends/family/significant other, don't want to be in debt from loans</p>
<p>UF pros: Not sure if better than UCF for engineering anymore (UCF is moving up fast), but overall has more prestige, I like the area the best, more recruiting from big companies than at UCF, won't be in debt
UF cons: Don't know if I'll like the huge "gator lifestyle" that surrounds the city, no good companies for interships</p>
<p>UCF pros: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA internships all possible in Orlando (I want to work at one of those three too so this is a big pro for me), I wouldn't have the hassle of having to move/find another apartment that will accept my dog breed (Husky), won't be in debt
UCF cons: Not really that recognized nationally (academics-wise), I feel like a UCF degree is just "eh"</p>
<p>From this information, what do you think I should do?</p>
<p>Well, lets see…</p>
<p>GT vs. UF (and UCF)
GT OOS tuition is $29K, while UF is $6+K, that’s $23K a year (for at least 2 years), or $46K. It’s up to you to determine if it’s “worth it”. Both schools offer a combined Bachelors and Masters Degree (4/1 Program). These allow you to earn both degrees in 5 years. If you’re looking at this option, that’s another year of $23+K of cost if you go to GT. All three schools offer the option of getting a dual degree ME/AE, which takes about 5 years. If you’re currently getting Bright Futures, you would lose it if you went to Tech. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/semester/honors/index”>http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/semester/honors/index</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mae.ufl.edu/undergraduate/Undergrad_DegreePrograms.aspx”>http://www.mae.ufl.edu/undergraduate/Undergrad_DegreePrograms.aspx</a></p>
<p>UF vs. UCF (UF pros)
UF still has the far stronger engineering college based on faculty and facilities (and students). </p>
<p>Being in Orlando is a plus when pursuing local internships, but UF students can also apply to those same internships. In fact, Internships are fairly hard to get, so you’re also likely be applying to ones outside Florida (what AE wouldn’t want to go work at the “Skunk Works”). :)</p>
<p>If all things where equal, I would go with UF over UCF (based on the greater amount of resources available to a student), but you may have other reasons for selecting UCF. I know many select UCF it based on the scholarships (thought as a transfer student I don’t know if any would be available).</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much for all of the information!!</p>
<p>Yeah, I have the top bright futures scholarship right now, so going out of state would definitely put me in debt (Right now at Valencia I actually get a couple thousand dollars back in refunds every semester from bright futures/pell grant/school scholarships!!)</p>
<p>The thing about UF, though, is while I can still get those Orlando internships, I would be living in Gainesville and have nowhere to stay in Orlando over the summer, and thats too far of a drive for my 15mpg car every day + leaving my dog alone all day.</p>
<p>If I were to stay in Orlando and go to UCF, I could actually intern year-round and not have to worry about traveling for a summer internship.</p>
<p>But then again…I could always just do research at UF or intern for a smaller company in Gainesville which would solve the distance issue. But then again, I ‘really’ like Boeing/Lockheed/NASA sort of stuff…</p>
<p>I’m so torn!</p>
<p>I guess it narrows down to </p>
<p>UF: wont have as good of internships, but better school can still get my great jobs
UCF: not as good of a school, but has good internships which can get me great jobs</p>
<p>I wouldn’t put it as “won’t have as good of internships”, but less convenient. Almost all UF engineering majors do internships out of town, it’s very common with the company picking up the cost of housing, etc. </p>
<p>UF has the largest career fair in the south and it’s one major source of internships/jobs.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.crc.ufl.edu/students/studentCareerShowcase.html”>http://www.crc.ufl.edu/students/studentCareerShowcase.html</a></p>
<p>With that being said, you can get an internship at either school, it’s up to you to do the work and land the internship/job! </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>EDIT: I should add that landing any internships is hard. Your chances may be better at UF, but it’s really based on your skills (technical and “interview”). If you have the skills, you can get an internship by attending either school. While Orlando does have more local recruiters, UF will have more national recruiters (though Orlando isn’t “bad” in that area either, it’s good to be in a major hub!). Do the work, attend the job fairs, and apply to as many positions as you can. Take advantage of the resources at both UF and UCF for resume building, mock interviews, etc.</p>
<p>If I were to attend UF and got an internship in Orlando, would the company house me at a specific place that they house everyone at, or will they just give me money to cover housing, because in that case I can just sublet a place that would allow dogs.</p>
<p>It varies by company, but for some (many?) engineering internships they would pay you a housing stipend, or sometimes it’s corporate housing.</p>
<p>You can use Google and find several examples.</p>
<p>If I could add my $.02. I encourage you to think outside the box when looking at these internships. It may be inconvenient to travel for them, but I think it opens you up to a lot more new experiences, contacts and opportunities. I’ve recruited at the UCF job fair. They do a nice job of preparing students. But the line at the LM table was long. They seem to take alot of interns, but does it really standout? The vast majority of kids I talked to had spent time there, so what makes them different? My son just started UF and I’m encouraging him to look far and wide when researching these.
One more thing, one main reason my son picked UF was it’s highly rated career resource center.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>^^^ The career resource center was also a key reason my daughter picked UF.</p>
<p>Thank you again for all the advice! I think I’ve decided on UF :-)</p>