<p>Like many people, I'm trying to make a college decision pretty quick and I've narrowed it down to two options. On the one hand, I really like Notre Dame. The people, the dorms, the campus, and the academics are all great. BUT it's going to cost me a lot of money to go there (130k+). I'm also going to major in engineering by the way.</p>
<p>My other option is my state school, which is the University of Kansas (KU). While the environment there is much different, I like it about the same as ND. Plus, it's basically going to cost me nothing to go there. I'm admitted to the honors program and this special engineering program which has only about 15 people a year, so I will have some special opportunities for academics and leadership.</p>
<p>I know that neither school is particularly known for their engineering program, which makes me skeptical to spend the money at ND. I also plan to go to graduate school anyway. My main question is simply how much is the ND degree REALLY going to help you? Will ND land me a amazing job and easily pay for itself in the future? Or should I pick the free state school and go to a ND caliber school for grad school?</p>
<p>If you are truly interested in engineering and think you can stick it out (so many intents transfer after a semester or two no matter which school you attend), you might try posting this in the College Majors/Engineering Majors forum. You will get some responses from seasoned engineers. However, I would not base any decision on posts on this forum. Consider the pros and cons for each school–it almost sounds like you have already made a decision! This is, after all, your decision and a very personal one.</p>
<p>with the price difference being $130K between the lower cost KU and ND, no, it is not worth paying that extra money. Just do well at KU, do some research with some professors (especially any profs that go their PhD from top engineering schools like MIT, so you can get good recommendations) and you WILL get a full ride engineering PhD to a top school.</p>
<p>I was with a co-worker who graduated from a state flagship with a 3.9 and got a fully funded PhD from MIT. I worked with another research manager who had a chemistry degree from a 2nd -tier pubilc university, but then got his full ride PhD from Cornell.</p>
<p>I have an engineering degree from ND and help hire engineers at my company. When interviewing young engineers, we look at the “whole person” , especially presence and if they had co-op experience or research work. Yes, the school matters some and ND is a great school but not worth the extra $130K.</p>
<p>As I’ve said before, ND’s big academic weakness is its engineering program (comparatively vs. other strong academic programs). Plus, you’ve expressed that like both about the same, which I take to mean that if you were just going on feel or fit you would pretty much have to flip a coin. When you throw in the fact that your specific engineering program will convey “some special opportunities for academics and leadership” plus the very substantial difference in debt, I would be hard pressed to argue against KU. </p>
<p>Not to mention the fact that you plan on getting a higher terminal degree diminishes any argument you might make on prestige or portability grounds. If you were only doing a bachelor’s, ND would be better. But as long as you do well and get into a great grad school, it will compensate for even that disparity in prestige.</p>
<p>It’s also a matter of where you think you will best succeed. I also am paying about $120k more to go to Notre Dame (with $0 aid), and I am a pre-medical student, the epitome of where undergraduate institution makes no difference afterwards. However, I absolutely love ND and I probably would not have performed as well had I gone to the public schools + honors programs I considered.
It could also be argued that 130k is a reasonable price to pay for the lifetime alumni network and career placement that comes with that… so it does kind of pay for itself in that sense. I am a much bigger proponent of going to where you think you’ll be happy, since if so, you will succeed and 130k won’t seem like much.</p>
<p>Hey man. KU was my in-state option as well, though I pretty much had no intention of going there unless I did not get admitted anywhere else. I also would have gone to KU for free and I had special treatment as well with the honors program and special advising. </p>
<p>For me it came down to fit and the overall feel of Notre Dame. Yes, I probably could have landed the same job coming out of ND as at KU. I will say that I feel that it is infinitely easier for me to get that same job at ND. Recruiters really take notice of ND students…just the rigor of the work and the overall quality of the students here (ethics, hard working, etc.). Also, I know you say that both are the same in your mind, but keep in mind the widely different social atmosphere at KU. It is a large state school versus a mid-sized Catholic institution. </p>
<p>If you want to PM me go ahead. Always willing to help out a fellow Kansan.</p>
<p>If you’re measuring the worth in dollars…and don’t get why that’s not how you would measure what you’ll get from Notre Dame after you graduate, you should go to KU.</p>
<p>You can analyze the hell out of this, run the numbers all you want, compare expected earnings against up front costs and student loans…and, sure, those are all relevant factors…but if you don’t see how being a Notre Dame grad is amazing because of what you experienced as well as amazing for the lifelong community you’ll be a part of afterwards, there’s a good chance all of that will be wasted on you. It would be great if you could appreciate that now and choose ND…and I hope you can somehow “get” it before you make your decision…but, if you don’t feel the magic when all’s said and done, KU all the way.</p>