Hi, everyone I just finished applying to schools and I really need help weighing my choices and figuring out which college is best for me. So basically just tell me which school you’d choose and why.
Facts you should know:
Schools I’ve been admitted to and cost after aid: Clemson(42k), Rutgers New Brunswick(38k), UT Dallas(6k), Texas Tech(10k), Saint Louis University(8k) University of Tulsa(18k), and Loyola Chicago(20k)
Major: Biomedical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering w/ a minor in Biomed
Most Important(for me): FINANCIAL AID (I have an EFC of 0), Quality of Program, and Location.
Where I live: Houston, TX (but I really want to leave)
Race: African American
Gender: F
Top Choices: Rutgers or Clemson ( If I could afford it)
If anyone has an opinion about a school or advice/ what they would do in my shoes I’m all ears. Thanks in advance for responding.
Have you toured? D did not like UTD at all. She wants a school with spirit and traditional type campus.
Edit I am not an engineer but mom of 11th grader d who plans to major in engineering. We are local to Texas Tech. I am on campus all the time, have met so many helpful students and faculty. However TTU does not have biomedical. I have heard you need a master’s for biomedical. as far as TTU MechE grads, tons end up in Houston in the energy sector. Lots end up in Aerospace/Defense in Colorado, DFW. And Austin in Tech industry.
My own d is leaning (cost is extremely important to us) towards TTU. She will be learning all about research this summer in a special apprenticeship in electrical engineering. I am biased for sure. I don’t think you could go wrong with either UTD or TTU. But you MUST visit as they are very different schools. Best of luck to you!
Slightly confused. Is the cost after aid per year or total? If its yearly I don’t see how you could make this work financially outside of the schools listed above by @Publisher. A school thats not affordable isn’t really a choice.
I agree with @Publisher. Debt is a wealth building killer. Engineering is very egalitarian. Those with high horsepower, drive and strong work ethic, thrive, no matter the school.
You need to dig a little deeper into your awards. Some schools sneak loans in. If that’s the case at any of them, add that number back in to your cost. Also, if any of your award is merit based it can come with a GPA requirement to keep it. Engineering is hard, everywhere. Do the math on what it would look like if you dropped below the threshold.
My gut tells me that Tech is the best combination of facilities, name and price. You’d probably get more hand holding though at SLU if you think you might need it.* Either way, I’d probably choose ME over BME, even if you want to work in BME.
CONGRATULATIONS!
*I don’t mean any disrespect with the hand holding comment. All I know of you is what you shared, race and gender. For all I know, you could be the latest in a long line of family members to attend college. It’s well known though that first gen, especially first gen minority students, can have challenges adapting to collegiate life. They don’t have anyone close to them that they can lean on for support and advice. It’s a different world. I would inquire what services they have for first gen students, if you are one, to maximize your success. Good luck!
@SatanFlower69 Rutgers and Clemson are my favorite schools I applied too. They both are also no where near affordable. I just included them because they were schools I was admitted and was offered aid (granted not much).
My good friends daughter is a freshman at SLU for mech engineering. One factor was cost. Another was she felt really great with the tours she took and felt she could be successful there. Aerospace option is nice as well. Also, she plans on studying abroad and SLU Madrid has engineering so she wont “lose time”. While Catholic, the real focus is in service learning and volunteering and giving back to others versus churchy Bible thumping.
Plausible may not equate to smart. The monthly payment on a $40k loan, assuming 5% and 10 years is $424. It’s double that on an $80k loan, $848. Assuming a starting salary of $60,000 and living in TX (we need a specific state to get an after tax number…I picked TX because you’re from Houston…you can look up any state you want), your monthly take home pay will be $2000. After payment for the $80k loan school, you’ll have $1152 left for rent, food, insurance, car, all your other bills and retirement. Sure, you could make more. Suffice it to say, the most expensive “plausible” school will cost you $424 MORE PER MONTH FOR TEN YEARS. Is it worth it? You probably won’t make more. Your salary will be much more dependent on where you live than where you go to school. Food for thought.
How much can your parents pay per year without borrowing? If the packages already have the federal student loan built in then it seems like even a $6-8k/year net cost could be a stretch for a $0 EFC. Choose a school that you can afford with just the federal student loans. You can get out of TX after college.
@austinmshauri and @eyemgh I guess “plausible” was the wrong word . “Capable” would be better . SLU, Texas Tech, UTD can be achieved WITHOUT taking out any loans. Loyola and Tulsa would need loans but my parents(my mom and dad) can afford about 12,000 out of pocket each year(without effecting their current lifestyle). And allocating that extra 6,000-8,000 would be “more difficult” but not impossible. Taking into account I’m currently and will continue to look for scholarships and income away from loans to pay for my education.
@SatanFlower69 asked if the after-aid costs were per year, or total (over 4 years). I think that detail is going to be key. Also, knowing if loans are a part of the packages would be helpful.
UT Dallas is a great school, and so is Texas Tech. They seem affordable based on the numbers that you’ve provided, and you likely wouldn’t have the added price of plane fare to and from home during breaks and summer vacations (though, Lubbock would be about an 8 to 8.5 hour drive from the Houston area…?). I’m not sure how it’s possible that you have an EFC of 0, if your parents have the ability to comfortably pay (“comfort” being described as your parents not having to take austerity measures to dig out $12k for college) $12k, but given that they do, I’d give serious consideration to choosing in-state tuition, with no loans.
Assuming that the costs you listed are after subtracting grants and scholarships (not loans or work study) from the list prices…
Basically, it looks like your three realistic choices are:
UT Dallas ($6k, need federal direct loan and a very small amount of work earnings)
Saint Louis University ($8k, need federal direct loan and a moderate amount of work earnings)
Texas Tech ($10k, need federal direct loan and a larger amount of work earnings)
Any of the others would require parent loans or parent-cosigned student loans, generally not a good idea (especially since your parents presumably cannot afford to take on more debt since EFC = $0).
Pick the schools above that will give you no loans and if your parents can help as you stated then you would graduate debt free, if I am reading this correctly… Do that!
If you get paid internships in the summer that will help defry some of these costs also. Look to see what schools have paid co-ops also.
Both my kids worked during their school years. This can be helpful also. You have good choices instate. Don’t rack up debt just because… When your friends are paying down their loans and struggling, you will be building wealth and your future. Pick wisely.
Tell us what you liked about Rutgers and Clemson. Then maybe we can find ways to find similar experiences at the other, more affordable schools.
Note - I have never heard anybody say “I wish I had taken on more college debt”. I’ve talked to may people who wish they had less debt… and read about very many more.
If your aid packages are need-based, and your EFC based on income in 2018/2019/2020 is no longer 0, then chances are that your costs will go up. So run the Net Price Calculators at the various websites, and see how ugly the costs are likely to be in future years.
If the aid packages are merit-based, you need to dig into the details. What GPA do you need to maintain to keep the scholarship? What happens if your GPA drops - will you lose the scholarship permanently, or can you recover it if/when you pull your GPA back up?
Not sure of your major, but perusing the fortune 100 ceo list- Texas tech was really well represented statistically. (A year or two ago. I think it was in the top ten)
Okay thanku everyone for your replies! It looks like the consensus is go where you can graduate debt free. Which is either UTD, Texas Tech, and SLU. I never use forums like these so this was a really nice first experience, thanks again for the help
