Hey!
I was accepted at SDSU, CPP, SJSU, UCD, UCR, and UCI. I want to major in engineering and I was lucky enough to be accepted at all of them except UCI for engineering.
UCI was my top choice but unfortunately I was accepted as undeclared and I crossed it off my list because I am not willing to take the chances of not being able to study what I want.
I crossed off SJSU and CPP too because they did not offer me any financial aid and it’s too expensive for me to attend although CPP was my second choice.
As for UCR I was accepted to the BS + MS program at Chem E and was invited to apply to their honors college but I still do not have the financial package and I’m not sure if I see myself there.
My final choices were UCD and SDSU. Davis offered me enough money to be able to attend and graduate with minimal debt, however if I attend SDSU it’s most likely that I won’t have any debt. I want to commit to SDSU because financially it’s way better, and I would get other perks like having a car (which I wouldn’t if I go anywhere else) and doing internships at the local biotech companies. I was accepted as a Chem E major at Davis and Mech E at SDSU, and I would like to pursue a masters in Biomedical Eng. The answer for me seems pretty obvious but I cannot help but wonder if I am saying limiting myself academically and the pressure of making a “wrong” choice is really hard. Am I making a mistake by saying no to such colleges? I realize that this is probably another discussion of “prestige v money” but I would really appreciate the insight.
Thanks.
These are all fine colleges. San Diego State is a very solid university. If you like it best and it would leave you with no debt, then I think that’s the best of both worlds.
@LBad96 I really like the scenario of the possible life I would have after graduating San Diego State. I guess I really need to stop with the “what ifs”.
Did you qualify for a Cal Grant? If so, you’d get that at San Jose and CPP too.
@mom2collegekids no, I received my financial aid from both schools and they only offered me loans. I thought it was pretty odd because Davis offered me $11k from the University Grant but I know that varies from school to school.
SDSU seems to have plenty of advantages for you. You can always pursue a masters at a UC - in which case which college you went to for undergrad won’t matter as much.
Can you switch to ChemE at SDSU? That will link up more with your future BME plans than MechE.
Exactly. That’s one of the reasons I picked my school, personally. If you think a university will help you get to where you want/need to be, then you can’t go wrong.
You are not making a mistake, it sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into it and made a sound decision!
that’s not necessarily true and something you can discuss with advisers
@insanedreamer unfortunately there is not Chem E at SDSU but I the Mech E program has an emphasis on bioengineering. They also offer a 4+1 program in which I would graduate with a masaters in bioengineering, but I have no idea how SDSU is ranked as a grad school. I will look more into it when the time comes. Thank you for your advice!
@LBad96 @Fishnlines29 Thank you both so much for your advice! It is really nice to have the support, I feel way more confident with my decision. I feel way better with the outcomes of SDSU than any other university, and that’s where I truly should base off instead of the “higher ranked university”.
Your decision looks like a well thought out, great decision!!! Congratulations!!!
@naviance thank you so much!!!