How would you rate mechanical programs at these schools?

@SupaDupaFly5 I am an engineering major at UM, though not ME. It’s a great place, courses are very rigorous. I would say the ME major is competitive [in terms of being able to achieve a good grade in your major courses], but not as competitive as an EECS major.

I don’t know about that being too much planning, especially if NASA is a goal. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. At the very least it’s a direction.

The Air Force at least was pretty serious about supporting graduate school, and I suspect the other branches are too. AFIT is the USAF’s own grad school, for example.

If you learn the material, can perform on the job, and get decent GRE results, I’d be pretty surprised if anyone really cared whether you went to Penn State in Behrend (Erie). At $3k a year difference, you’ll get to make that call.

@50N40W I thought about doing ROTC but since I am at a community college they don’t offer that here and I would be transferring after 2 years as a junior and ROTC requires a least 3 years starting sophomore year. So that option is out. unless you heard people being able to ROTC for 2 years

@VMT Penn State is an option but I rather not go there

@boneh3ad I wasn’t really expecting them to pay for my undergraduate expenses but that would great if they did after joining

@swampdraggin My grades aren’t near perfect I only had one semester and I pulled a 3.70 that was with having 6 classes however my overall gpa 3.66 (dual enrollment in HS) I am hoping to next semester to better since I am taking less classes albeit the classes are bit harder physics, calc II, computer science I etc.

I believe I’ll be fine to get a higher gpa come spring semester

I will won’t be bringing any AP credit with me and only some of the schools I mention required ACT or SATs scores

Initially I apply to Colorado State University random I know but I got in decided not to for couple reasons mostly financial and I realize I could do better in choice of school so I decided to go CC near me

Other schools were Penn State branch campus I got in I don’t know why I apply I was not really planning to attend

The last school I apply to was Acardia University (3+2 program) I realized that also would be huge ridiculous mistake to do 3+2 program

So here I am at CC making the best grades I can so I can transfer to any school of choice

I am planning ahead so I have clear goal and I know I am working hard for

@50N40W thank you if it really comes down to it financially and I have to go Penn State then I would probably go

@umcoe16 I see are you an EECS major?

@SupaDupaFly5, everybody thinks their major is harder than the other guy’s. You should take everything you read on CC with a grain of salt, ESPECIALLY the advice doled out by someone who has a semester or two under their belt, heck, we get high schoolers talking like sages. I’m sure I’ll leave someone out, but @boneh3ad, @HPuck35, @xraymancs, @cosmicfish, @fractalmstr, @colorado_mom, @texaslonghorn, @ClassicRockerDad, @ucbalumnus and several more I’m spacing on are engineers (xray is a physics PhD), many with graduate degrees, some many years removed from college. They give great advice based on LIVED experience. Be wary of those who chime right in with clear cut, dogmatic advice. Every person’s situation is different. Good luck.

Now, being a transfer student wrinkles things. First, have you calculated your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)? Do you know what a Common Data Set (CDS) is? These are both powerful tools along with school profiles at College Board’s Big Future, to help you figure out if 1) you’re competitive and 2) if you can afford it.

Merit aid may not be as promising and will be low to non-existent at schools that have competitive admission. It’s a way they can buy higher average student profiles and thus boost their USNWR rankings (my son had multiple tuition free options and $80-100k at several privates). This, in general, doesn’t apply to transfers. They have nothing to sell, so to speak.

Look at your ability to pay (you can calculate costs at each school once you know your EFC) and scratch off schools that are way out of reach, even with reasonable loans (generally felt on this thread to be one year’s salary over 4 years, assuming $60k salary, that’s $60k TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS, not per year, you have to put that into context of how much debt you may or may not already have). Unless you have a zero EFC, Cornell should likely come off the list. The, along with all other Ivy League schools, Stanford and Tufts, offer no merit based aid.

Lots to think about. Good luck!

@SupaDupaFly5, no Lehigh? To fratboy, cliquish, anti-LGBT? Or other?

@eyemgh to answer your question about Lehigh honestly its place I don’t see I would enjoy it seems like its too cliquish and not place I would probably fit in I am basing this off studentreviews also honestly the surrounding city Bethlehem is not really a place I would consider “exciting”

If my mom happens to get a better job in the coming years then EFC could change however at the moment it is low like between the ranges of 0-3000

at the moment I am not paying anything for my CC got a scholarship so I am not in debt and the next two years I will be getting my schooling for free if I keep my GPA up to maintain my scholarship

I have some privates for the very fact I would qualify for need based aid

I forgot about the CDS I definitely looking into that for my listed schools

When you said $60k is that including parent plus loans and federal student loans or just private loans

All debts serviced by YOU personally. Less is better, but on an engineer’s salary it’s generally felt that over the term of the loan, that 50-60k is doable without major life compromises.

If your EFC is 0-3000, I wouldn’t take out debt in her name. It’s going to be hard for her to repay.

Between Big Future and CDS, you can see what percentage of need schools tend to meet. It’s a bit misleading because “meeting need” includes some loans and work study, so it isn’t “free” money. With that EFC though, you should be in reasonable shape.

@eyemgh yeah that’s true and she has her own loans she has to pay back still

Hopefully it won’t come to that amount

Thanks again for all the help

To put it in perspective, by the time you do interest, 60k in debt is a lot like buying a new BMW then driving it into a lake. Then doing it again in 2 years.

You need to look more seriously at options for transfer students, OOS publics will not meet financial aid probably won’t even try, some of the private schools like URochester, maybe … Cornell if you are a rock star …

There are no engineering gods, unless a school has an advertised transfer scholarship for OOS … I doubt you would get one or even get close to your financial need numbers.

Are you interested in aerospace engineering ? If so, the number of programs is not large …

Also, haven’t met many ex-military people at NASA, it is by no means a typical path anymore (more ex-military in the 60s and maybe 70s). Sure you could join the military and then get preference at some point for GS jobs … but it would seem a lot easier to finish up a BS at any accredited school, apply for job in general aerospace industry and if … and I do mean if … NASA starts a growth phase, apply to any and all postings on USAJOBS. But it is much more likely you will work for Boeing or small company or even as a support contractor at a NASA center for many years.

PhD programs are funded … so if you get really high grades at your CC … .transfer to say Penn State or any other school with ABET accredited engineering and do really well, you may be able to find funding without a long stint in the military. I am not familiar with the path to getting graduate school paid by military service … but you better make sure you are completely informed.

Can you transfer to a school with ROTC for sophomore year and let them pay your tuition ?

May I ask why not? If you are a PA resident it offers pretty good opportunities and education for a relatively reasonable price! I certainly understand wanting to get out of PA, but your undergraduate years are one of the times when staying IN state can really pay off!

I am not an ME, so my experience with ME programs is a bit scattered. I didn’t see any on that list that raised any red flags, if that helps. There are a few engineering powerhouses on there that I recognize mostly for their EE programs, but even the “lesser” ones seem to do pretty well.

If you are planning on going into the Navy, you should also be looking at NROTC programs if you haven’t already - there are 2-year programs that still commission you on graduation. Just bear in mind that service as an engineering officer is nothing like doing research or working in industry! I don’t think military service will help substantially with employment unless you go to work for a defense contractor, and even then the advantage will be slight - NASA likely won’t care that much one way or the other! Regardless, I would just focus on the next 5 years or so, because it is really hard to effectively plan any further ahead.

I’ll throw out that if you are an engineer and get a commission in the navy, (especially if YOU GO ROTC) you’d better be prepared to see the inside of a submarine. It’s a very likely outcome.

Submarine duty is all volunteer, they can encourage you but they can’t force you.

With an EFC that low, I think you should consider in-state options like Pitt or Penn State or private schools. Michigan and Purdue are great schools for engineering, but I don’t see how they are affordable to you.

You would get a very good education at Penn State and would be well-prepared for grad school if you have very good grades and take advantage of research opportunities available to you. The weather is terrible in the winter, not a lot of sunshine. It was my state school so I did not have a warm weather option (though winter at Penn State felt especially gloomy). The biggest issue with Penn State today is you have to apply to the major, and in order to control class size, enrollment is limited in the more popular majors. I assume ME is one of those. Entry is strictly based on GPA. They do have an Aerospace major and other related majors. At any large state school, you will have a wide array of courses available to you. You would be served well by Pitt, too.

Also, if a graduate degree is in your future, this should be paid for through a stipend, or working for a company that will pay for it.

You should go into the military if you want to be in the military. This is not the only path to NASA. I don’t even think it’s a common path. I believe a graduate degree would help. As someone mentioned upstream, a lot depends on whether NASA is in a hiring mode when you are looking for a job.

As an aside, Drexel is expensive and I don’t know anyone who has had full need met. It’s a very good school known for their co-op program.

“After college I am hoping go into Navy doing something with engineering and hopefully work for company doing aerospace related research then somehow end up at NASA”

I have a neighbor who received his EE degree from USC, was NRTOC and did his Navy time as a Surface Warfare Officer, and has been with NASA since he got out. So here’s one data point for you.

If you want a school with strong connections with NASA and its supporting contractor industries, I would suggest you look at University of Alabama at Huntsville. The school is a mile from Redstone Arsenal, where NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is located. The government and contractors hire UAH students for internships and offer jobs for graduates.