<p>My son plans to major in mechanical engineering and is having a very difficult time deciding between Gonzaga or Colorado State. He's visited both campus' admitted student events and could see himself at either school. He received generous financial aid from Gonzaga, making the two schools COA very similar. At CSU he qualifies for the WUE tuition; at Gonzaga, they've awarded him a merit scholarship and Gonzaga grant. He has friends and family who live in Spokane, but he isn't sure if that's the right reason to choose Gonzaga over Colorado State. We live in California, so both schools are OOS.</p>
<p>My son isn't normally indecisive, so this struggle has caught him by surprise. He's made a list of pros and cons, and it still wasn't enough to make a decision. </p>
<p>If anyone has input on either school, or can recommend questions that we can ask him to help shed more light on the decision, please respond. (I'm cross-posting in the Engineering section, too.) Because of school commitments he has this week and the quickly approaching May 1 deadline, we've asked him to make a decision in the next 24 hours.</p>
<p>My guess is that the two schools are comparable academically. One consideration that you may not have considered is that winters in Spokane are fairly dreary–and it gets dark really early! Fort Collins, while it does get snow, also gets lots of sun. We live about an hour away from Fort Collins; a friend from here moved to Spokane and found the winters to be awful compared to the Front Range of CO.</p>
<p>CSU is a large state school. Gonzaga is a small, prestigious Jesuit school in the Northwest. Gonzaga is more than just your son’s intended major (though clearly the program is important when selecting a college.) A Jesuit education is something very special and will be with him his entire life, regardless of where his career takes him…in fact, it may help him decide on a career or during a change of careers. </p>
<p>Fort Collins is a lovely place. No question about it. </p>
<p>CSU may be a fine college (I don’t know it.) But think long and hard before turning away a scholarship to a Jesuit college. JMHO.</p>
<p>I’d choose based on size and environment - the two are totally separate in that regard. Do you want the excitement of football games and fraternities or the intimacy of a small school and profs who know and love you? Do people typically graduate in four years from both schools in the MechE program? Which school would be easier to change majors in if you decide you don’t like MechE? Are both schools more supportive in the early years or is one or the other more of a weed-out program?</p>
<p>I got my undergrad from CSU (Computer Science) and it served me well, though I wish I had gone to a smaller school. I got my Master’s from a Jesuit school and wasn’t terribly impressed with the educational quality, although I’ve heard comments like ghostbuster’s before so maybe I just got unlucky. (Hmmm… reading over that last paragraph, maybe I’m just a whiner! :eek: )</p>
<p>CSU has lovely weather and you can’t beat the fun of saying Gonzaga.</p>
<p>If it were me I’d probably be more enthusiastic about Gonzaga because it’s smaller.</p>
<p>Gonzaga is small, but not that small. The schools goes crazy for NCAA basketball, so there is clearly a “school spirit” there.</p>
<p>I’m not all that familiar with the ME programs, but when we went on the tour, I was impressed with the engineering facilities in general. It also seemed to be very hands-on. There were a bunch of students working on their cement canoo for a contest.</p>
<p>I agree, a Jesuit education is very unique. I think this is very much a matter of personal fit.</p>
<p>I would go for Gonzaga and as a Saint Mary’s mom that is saying a-lot! Seriously the intimacy of the environment, the Jesuit education, the greater likelihood of on-time graduation and the chance to watch the SMC Gaels come up there to play in person would be the deciding factors if he were my kid.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to share your input. My son thought he would prefer the smaller campus benefits of Gonzaga, but ended up deciding to attend Colorado State because he liked the larger campus and opportunities for involvement. I think another factor that played into his decision is that the financial aid package from Gonzaga didn’t arrive until April. By that time, he had pretty much made up his mind in favor of Colorado State. Even though Gonzaga had so much to offer, he already felt at home in Colorado.</p>
Seriously the intimacy of the environment, the Jesuit education, the greater likelihood of on-time graduation and the chance to watch the SMC Gaels come up there to play in person would be the deciding factors if he were my kid.</p>