Hi I’m a high school junior trying to pick out a college for my future education and I’ve come to a dilemma. I have a 34 ACT and 4.3 GPA and am trying to decide on a school for engineering. I was wondering if it would be a better idea to go to a really good engineering school and be an average student or if I should go to a not as good engineering school and be a “big fish in a small pond”. The example I’m currently looking at is going to Georgia Tech vs Wichita State for Aerospace engineering. And I was wondering if it would be better to pay thousands more for GA Tech and if those thousands would really pay off in the future?Any help would be appreciated!
Georgia tech opens the first door more easily. Your ability and skill as an engineer takes over from there. So the question is where and in what environment will I thrive. Where will I learn the most and develop the most skills. Most likely profs at gtu are more accomplished but not by a wide margin and maybe not at all.
You have to happy and challenged to stay focused and work the hardest. Only you will know that and know yourself.
Why not apply to both (and many others)?
You’re a junior.
Go to Georgia Tech. Aim for a good GPA(at least a 3.5). If you think you might want a PhD, try to get some research experience.
Run the Net Price Calculators at both websites, and talk the money issue over with whoever is helping you pay for your education. Provided both programs are accredited by ABET, there won’t be much difference in the courses. Engineering is pretty tough everywhere, so there also won’t be much difference in your classmates.
Recruiting on campus may be a bit different between programs. Ask the Career Centers about that. New engineers aren’t paid differently because of where they graduated, so don’t study where you will end up with a bunch of debt. You have excellent stats and would qualify for significant merit-based aid at some decent engineering programs, so keep that in mind as well. There is a nice thread on that topic at the top of the Financial Aid Forum.
There are a lot of great colleges you can choose from. AE is a tough field to get your foot in the door, so it’s good to have a backup option just in case, like minoring in computers. Going out of state is almost triple the cost to staying in-state, so that option may simply be out of your price range, unless your parents are willing to cover the tuition costs.
Also, the school you go to doesn’t matter quite as much. A masters degree at Wichita State is worth twice as much as a bachelors degree at GA Tech. For AE, you’ll likely need to get a masters degree either way. My advice, keep dreaming and exploring and keep an open mind. You have plenty of time to settle on a career path.
Based on your ACT and GPA you’re an excellent student. Whether it pays off depends entirely on how well you do. I think the average at Georgia Tech will potentially learn a lot more and have more opportunities, and than be worth more than excellent at Wichita State, but will it be worth it? Not easy to say.
What is more likely to be worth it is to be excellent at Georgia Tech. Why don’t you think that you can be excellent at Georgia Tech? Being excellent probably requires less giftedness and more learning how to study and learn effectively so that you can nail your courses. It requires not overloading, it requires pre-reading lectures so that lectures reinforce rather than introduce concepts. It requires having tried each problem on a problem set before office hours and then going to office hours even if you don’t have specific questions. The folks who go to office hours get As.
Look at a variety of schools this year, and apply to ones that are of interest to you (and that you think your family can afford). Look at University of Alabama at Huntsville for aerospace. They have some automatic merit scholarships. Also consider Purdue. These are in addition to the ones you mentioned. Engineering programs at all ABET accredited schools have a fairly similar curriculum, with limited choices.
While it is good to think about this and finalize your where to apply list, it is early to make a final decision (since you don’t have acceptances in hand yet).
Your stats would get you full tuition and on campus housing at University of Alabama in Huntsville. https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships
UAH kept popping up on resumes of professors my son liked and engineers at companies he aspires to work for. 20 minutes and a $30 application fee will give you a financial, educational and career development option you may find very hard to beat.
FWIW, it’s possible to be a top student at a top college. Don’t limit yourself. Apply to schools you think you’ll like (and can afford and/or get aid at), visit the schools, sit in on classes, ask where recent graduates have gone, then make your decision once you find out acceptances/costs, etc.