Hey just an update. I visited again GT on Thursday and I really liked it. I met with financial aid, admissions, and two advisors in ME and AE. Everyone was really helpful and answered all my questions. However, I have decided to go to penn state. I talked to mom/grandma about finances some more and it turns out that I may be able to graduate from PSU with under 10k in debt and I’ll try to get into Schreyers through gateway. I would love to attend GT but I can’t turn down the possibility of graduating with little to no debt. Thank you so much for everyone that helped me through this decision.
As a former employee at GT, an individual with a long connection with the school, and a Yellow Jacket in every sense of the word - I will tell you that you made the right decision. PSU is essentially the same as GT in Engineering, and your starting salary will be the same as the average GT graduate. College Debt, and actually any debt for that matter, is a terrible thing, and should be avoided. If you won’t avoid it, then getting into less debt is better than getting into more debt, as you chose to do, but again, any debt is bad and should be avoided.
Had you gone to GT, at least 60% of the Freshman class, as well as majority of the school in general in terms of undergraduate composition would have been attending for an unproportionally lower price than you, and so it is good that you made a wise decision.
Remember, you can always come to GT for grad school, and they are always looking for GRA’s in Engineering/CompSci. PSU will prepare you well.
By the way, what state are you from and what are your state’s engineering schools?
If you haven’t committed to a college yet, I’d recommend you commit to your State engineering school. I can’t tell you how many GT Grad students came to GT from their State engineering schools, and are excelling. Essentially, any ABET accredited program in the USA with a PhD Program is good.