My dream job would be to work in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. I have been accepted into Purdue and The University of Cincinnati for Aerospace Engineering. I would love to go to Purdue but I live in Ohio so by the time I get my degree, I would be about 70k in debt. If I went to Cincinnati, I would have no debt.
Is a Purdue degree worth the out of state tuition?
Thanks!
I would always go for the no-debt option. Debt is slavery.
My kid is considering offers right now, but he knows that the money talks. Go and be a rock star in your major - wherever you go - and you will make your own opportunities.
@benhb: First, congratulations on both your acceptances.
I concur with @TranquilMind, and suggest that you avoid the debt. Do well in the academics in your major, work hard in your internships and/or co-ops, and you should be fine by the time that you graduate.
I don’t know that a degree from Purdue – or anywhere – is a guarantee of employment at JPL.
great schools… congratulations!!.. its what you do in school that matters not as much WHAT school esp with out of state schools. . go with cinti because that much in debt will make you compromise on jobs later on…
AE can be a difficult field to get into, so it might be good to minor in CS and get good at a programming language like C#, Java, or SQL just in case. Less debt is always better. Just make sure you have very good grades.
Just my 2 cents. I think Purdue is a fantastic school but I would be hard pressed to say that it is worth more than UCincinnati for Aerospace Engineering. I believe you are accepted directly into your degree at UC while at Purdue you are accepted into their FYE program. It’s an excellent program but if for some reason you struggle in some courses you may not make into your desired major. UC has a mandatory coop program. It’s a great program and will allow you to make money while gaining work experience. Because it’s mandatory the classes are geared for the program and are on the whole available each semester. Purdue also has a very active Professional Practices Office which encourages cooping and internships. However, since they are not set up for coops you must be very proactive in making sure you are able to get the courses you need when you need them. The engineering curriculum tends to be very sequential and at Purdue are more geared toward those seeking a four year degree.
My D was a Chem E at Purdue, did a 5 term coop and had a great experience. The thing is she cooped with students from UC and they had the same opportunities she did. Purdue “might” offer a somewhat bigger national presence but after your first job that will likely be irrelevant. Good luck in your decision.
Debt is not slavery; debt is indentured servitude.
There are opportunities to work at JPL during your undergraduate summers no matter where you attend. Here are some links:
SURF program though Caltech. Look for JPL opportunities that say they are open to both Caltech and non-Caltech students: http://announcements.surf.caltech.edu/index.cfm?event=ShowAOPublicList&inFrame=&type=SURF&formType=AO_CIT
JPL Summer Intern program: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/intern/apply/summer-internship-program/ (This one is probably easier to get into as a non-Caltech student, since the Caltech students apply for SURFs.)
Both are 10 weeks and paid. The scheduling might be a little tricky, since Caltech is quarter-based (so the academic year ends late and starts late), but you can probably make it work.
Were you admitted for co-op at UCincinnati? If so, it’d really a no brainer.