It's crunch time.....need opinions

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>So my D has the following choice to make for ME udergraduate. In order of preference :</p>

<p>OOS : Georgia Tech 38K/yr
OOS : U Washington 38k/yr
OOS : Virginia Tech 32K/yr
OOS : Maryland 32K/yr
OOS : UIUC 45K/yr
In state : NC State 20K/year</p>

<p>We can swing most OOS with minimal student loans and severe belt tightening. Of course college choice ultimately comes down to individual fit. The real question is are the OOS schools (particularlly GT) worth the extra $ up front? From a purely practical standpoint are the top engineering schools listed a reasonable investment compared to NC State?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for the input</p>

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<p>If it’s purely based on reputation and investment, I would drop UIUC as it is academically equivalent to GT at a higher price. I would then drop Washington as it is lower ranked than GT at the same price. UMD/VT is a push academically. I would give a slight advantage to UMD - but that’s just personal opinion based on graduates I’ve seen.</p>

<p>So your options are really: GT @ $38k, UMD/VT @ $32k, NCSU @ $20k. Whether or not the higher priced options are worth the cost will come down to many factors. How stretched are you financially? Do you project daughter as a top, average, or below average student at these schools? What is her end goal (academia or industry)? Does she have a career path in mind (banking, consulting, R&D, etc) or is that still up in the air?</p>

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<p>Thank Banjo for the response.</p>

<p>I agree with your assessment based purely on cost and undergrad engineering rankings. Not being in the field I was hoping to get some real world perspective from engineers and engineering students here about the realtive strengths of the programs mentioned. As for the questions about career path etc. these are still up in the air at this early stage. For arguments sake lets say she wants to go into industry out of undergrad and is an above average student.</p>

<p>Ultimately it will be her decision but, like many other families, we are weighing reputation/resources/cost/fit and I view the experience I see here as another piece of data.</p>

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<p>What is your D? Daughter? I think I’d go insane if my parents micromanaged like you. Take it easy and let your kid do the research. And what is 32k and 35k? Is that tuition? Do Americans really have to pay that much for school to get a good job? I thought 8k was a lot.</p>

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<p>It depends on how good the department is for undergrads. Narrow down to 3-4 schools and visit those schools. Now matter how they are ranked, graduate degrees in engineering will pay more in the job market, but more importantly will reduce the probability of layoffs.</p>

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<p>Yes, “D” often refers to daughter, and “32K” often refers to $32,000. It is understandable that a parent who is contributing to the cost of the daughter’s university education be concerned with value for the money (well, the student should also, especially if any student loans are involved). Of course, cost comparisons are individualized due to varying levels of financial aid offers; net cost after non-loan financial aid may vary considerably from one student to the next at the same school.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, I don’t have any earth-shattering advice. GT has a much better reputation in industry than the others, VT/UMD have a better reputation than NCSU. </p>

<p>If it was my daughter and my money, personally I’d throw out NCSU unless money was a major concern. It has a pretty poor reputation from my experience. Others might disagree, but I don’t put much stock with “NC State” on the resume. Now if she was considering grad school, an NC State BS with a higher ranked MS wouldn’t be bad at all.</p>

<p>Looking at the other schools, if her goal is a standard process / plant engineering position, making $60,000 / year with relative job security, you won’t find much difference at UMD/VT/GT. Those types of jobs are available at all three schools and an above average student won’t have a problem finding employment.</p>

<p>What separates GT from UMD/VT are the high end positions. For example, if your daughter is interested in MBB Consulting ($80,000 salary + ticket to Harvard Business in two years), she simply won’t be hired from UMD or VT as the big three do not go to those schools. On the other hand, she would have a chance from GT. The same goes for investment banking and for some of the elite R&D engineering positions. GT also has a good stream into startup companies with one of the largest incubator programs in the country.</p>

<p>The other thing to consider is that GT’s career services are ahead of the other schools (VT second, UMD third, NCSU far fourth). If she wanted to co-op, she would very easily find a position at GT and earn $20-$30 per hour. If she interned for four semesters, that’s about $45,000 after taxes.</p>

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<p>[url=<a href=“http://chzupnextinsports.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2010/08/funny-sports-pictures-o-rly.jpg].....[/url”>http://chzupnextinsports.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2010/08/funny-sports-pictures-o-rly.jpg]…[/url</a>] I meant is the 32k the cost of tuition?</p>

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<p>I think it’s total cost of attendance as GT’s tuition is is $25K and not $38K.</p>

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<p>As a Seattle area resident and an engineer, I would not pay OOS for undergrad engineering school at UW. It is not nearly as well respected as GT and VT. Personally, as someone who spent two loooong years in Urbana as a kid, I would vote against that based mostly on the wind blowing through my coat all winter. My (female) cousin went to VT and loved it.</p>

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<p>Thank you Banjo and Magnetron for taking the time to view and post here. There are many similar threads here so there was an attempt to be specific with cost of attendance (a term used here in the US to estimate total cost).</p>

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<p>Maryland ME is not worth the money (current Maryland EE major)… go to NC State. Do really well, and then apply to a Ph.D program at a top tier school.</p>

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<p>^why do you say that UMD ME is not worth it? or do you mean OOS tuition in general is not worth it?</p>

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<p>the majors that really stand out at Maryland are physics, computer science, EE, CE, and aerospace engineering. These majors stand out because they have a high faculty to student ratio (Thus opportunities for research, internship, etc.) and good recruiting by companies. Many companies that recruit here (Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grunman, CIA, etc) are looking for software engineers. When I approach recruiters, they usually don’t care if I’m an EE major when they’re looking for people to do software work. A major like ME is ok at Maryland, but I really don’t see how an education at NC State would be different.</p>

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<p>Your daughter has probably already made a decision. Nonetheless, here is my advice.</p>

<p>First off, congratulations because all of those schools are good engineering schools! However, some are better than others…</p>

<p>In case you are wondering, I am a alumnus of VT (BS CS) going to GT for MS CS. I am originally from Raleigh (lived here for 18 years), thus I went to school out of state.</p>

<p>ME Reputation:</p>

<p>Reputation alone, GT and UIUC are the two best universities for ME (GT gets the advantage). However, VT has a very good (top 15) undergrad ME program (just not as good as GT or UIUC). UMD is good (around 20), but not as good as the three schools previously mentioned. UWA is around 30. And NC State is relatively far behind, although still in the top 40 for ME.</p>

<p>Environment/Experience:
Does your daughter want to live in a college town or a city? </p>

<p>VT’s campus is gorgeous, weather permitting, and the entire town of Blacksburg is very safe. Since it is a college town, you won’t have to worry about traffic. In addition, there is a lot of school spirit and most people here are friendly and down to earth. And football games are always exciting! However, on the downside, there isn’t a whole lot to do here, nor is there an interesting city nearby. Therefore, most students are involved in clubs, intramural sports, and take advantage of the hiking trails and other mountain activities. Unfortunately, these outdoor activities only last for about 4 months out of the entire 8 month school year because of Blacksburg’s cold/windy/wet winters. Also, VT is relatively close to home, about 3 hours 30 minutes from Raleigh, NC (are you from the Raleigh area?). Also, FYI, VT is 57% male, 43% female.</p>

<p>UMD: In my opinion, college park area isn’t very nice. But perhaps someone who went to UMD should give their point of view. The campus, however, is pretty nice. Like Atlanta, which I will talk about next, DC has some bad neighborhoods, so your daughter should be aware of her surroundings. UMD is 53% male, 47% female.</p>

<p>GT’s campus is pretty nice for being right in heart of Atlanta. Since you are in a large city, there will be plenty to do. In addition, the weather is pretty much always warm and not a whole lot different from Raleigh weather. However, some parts of Atlanta can be pretty rough, particularly downtown (south of GT’s campus). If you are on GT’s campus or anywhere north of GT, for the most part, you will be safe. Buckhead, Vinings, and parts near Emory’s campus are all safe neighborhoods. However, since your child is female, she should still be careful when traveling at night. But let me reiterate, the campus is safe. Overall, I would rather go to GT than UMD, although safety can be an issue for both. Just be aware of your surroundings (e.g. don’t go into bad neighborhoods) and travel in groups at night. GT is 70% male, 30% female.</p>

<p>UWA: Seattle is a nice city, and you’ll have plenty to do there. It gets pretty cold and rains a lot. The UWA campus is nice (e.g. mountains are visible from the campus). But much like VT, you won’t always have the nice weather needed to enjoy the outdoors. Besides, VT is one of the nicest campuses I have ever visited. UWA is 48% male, 52% female.</p>

<p>NC State: I am not particularly fond of NC State’s campus. Chapel Hill’s (UNC) campus is MUCH nicer in my opinion. However, you’ll have warm weather and a city. Not to mention, Raleigh is a safe city. So you have less to worry about compared to Atlanta (GT) or College Park/DC (UMD). For the most part, the areas surrounding Raleigh are also very nice and safe. This is probably one of the best places to live in the country (my opinion). The students at NC State, from my experience, are pretty friendly. Another plus will be that your daughter is ‘somewhat’ close to home (I’m not sure where in NC you are from). NCSU is 56% male, 44% female.</p>

<p>UIUC has a nice campus. But it will be in the middle of nowhere and even colder than Blacksburg (VT). I don’t know a whole lot about this school, perhaps someone from UIUC can give some info. I don’t know about its safety. UIUC is 54% male, 46% female.</p>

<p>My advice:</p>

<p>Based on both their ME reputation and experience/environment, I would suggest that your daughter go to either VT, GT or UIUC. This, of course, is assuming that you are okay with paying out of state tuition.</p>

<p>If you want to go to one of the elite engineering schools in the country (and the world), and a school that is strong in ME, you should go to GT. In addition, GT is pretty much top 10 (usually top 5) in every area of engineering. Therefore, if your daughter were to change her mind and switch majors in her first year, she will still be receiving a great education. The weather is warmer and there will be a lot to do in Atlanta. However, there are three downsides; safety, traffic, and GT’s 4-year graduation rate. GT has a reputation for being one of the most, if not the most, demanding schools in the country. As a result, GT only graduates about 30% of its students in 4 years. Therefore, it is possible that you will be paying out-of-state for longer than you expect.</p>

<p>UIUC is another great choice. However, the weather will be much colder than Raleigh. I don’t know a whole lot more though.</p>

<p>My four years at VT for undergrad was an amazing experience. The only downside is that it can get very cold and windy in Blacksburg (it snows here too). However, if the weather is nice, this is a beautiful campus. In addition, the students here are very friendly and the school spirit is second to none. Although GT’s engineering is considered much better in ME than VT, VT still is in the top 15. Therefore, your daughter will be getting a top notch education, but you must understand that GT is considered one of the elite engineering schools. Safety won’t be an issue in Blacksburg though. VT is probably the safest school out of all of the schools you are choosing from.</p>

<p>Remember, four years is a big commitment. Your daughter should choose some place where she will be happy; It is hard to do well in school if you’re miserable. I hope you find my opinions and experiences useful. Good luck and congratulations!</p>

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<p>That’s a little misleading. Georgia Tech graduates 70% of freshman that enroll, which is right at average for engineering schools. 35% of the freshman that enroll graduate in 4 years (so half of all total graduates). Almost all of the rest of the graduates finish in 5 years.</p>

<p>However, keep in mind that GT’s Co-Op program (which is very popular on campus) was until this year a required 5 year program. However, since you worked half of the time, you only paid for 4 years. As of this year, that program can be completed in 4 years. That should greatly increase the number of students graduating in 4 years.</p>

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<p>LOL UIUC is 45K OOS? Wow I know the state is strapped for cash but Jesus. No wonder they can’t attract out of state students. It’s already hard enough getting them to come to that cornfield, but at that price it’s probably impossible.</p>

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<p>Good point.</p>