‘Better Program?’ - ABET accred is ABET accred. Go happily to USC, make the most of everything there. Find a peer group and enjoy your college years while also working hard. I am visiting my college senior (graduating eng in May). The time runs by quickly.
Not worth the debt. It is one thing if one has the money.
@reppinthe803
“I don’t think parent plus loans have a limit on them, but I’d theoretically be able to contribute to the payments right?”
Keep in mind that while federal student loans are basically an entitlement, parent loans are like regular loans. Your parents would have to apply each year. GT (even at 37k) would be the equivalent of your parents financing a brand new car every year for 4 years, on top of any actual car loans, mortgage, etc. That opens up the possibility of them getting denied a couple years into your education. Then what?
Parent Plus loans DO have a limit. They cannot be for in excess of the cost of attendance minus aid received. In other words…take your school cost of attendance. Subtract your aid. Your Plus cannot exceed the remainder.
“That opens up the possibility of them getting denied a couple years into your education.”
For each of us there is a limit on how much we could borrow. I have heard of several cases of students who got part way through university, then found that their parent could no longer get the loans that were needed for the student to continue. They had to drop out with significant debt and no degree. This can be very bad.
OP is in at a very good ABET certified very affordable in-state university. This is a no-brainer. Go in-state, avoid the debt, get a solid engineering degree.
If a big part of you is still yearning for GA Tech, and it’s hard for you to turn that down, and you keep thinking “what if”… remember this: in your young adulthood, you will yearn for many new experiences (some of which you can’t imagine yet, or imagine that you may want them). These could run the gamut…maybe being able to move to an expensive city and affording an apartment in a cool neighborhood, or having an expensive hobby, or traveling the world, or affording graduate school without piling on more debt, or buying a house, or getting married and maybe having children. Think how great it will be to have the freedom to do some of those things without the burden of debt. By your mid-twenties, your memories of college will not feel so important anyway and you will be glad you didn’t tie up your budget for many years to come in order to attend a particular school. You will be employable, young, and free to take on the world.
Alright. So I’m getting the memo: GT at $37k for undergrad makes no since when I have a quality in-state program available for under $10k. But just curious, would any of your opinions change considering the possibility of the 5-year BS/MS program? Would that increase the value of GT?
UA has the same opportunity forBS/MS 5 year.
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Good heavens, no.
And, you’ll soon learn that it’s almost always better to go to a DIFFERENT univ for grad school. That way you’ll be exposed to more professors, other research, etc. Staying at the same school for grad school is usually not recommended.