<p>Hi,
Right now I am trying to decide which college to go to and I am stuck with only 2 weeks left do decide. Can anybody here help me? Here are my top choices right now</p>
<p>University of Minnesota-Full Ride
University of Michigan- 55K per year
University of Illinois - 36K per year
Cornell - 59K per year</p>
<p>I want to become an electrical engineer.
My top choice as of now is University of Michigan Ann Arbor but I would come out of school with $220,000 in debt!
My second choice would probably be Illionois, but that would still leave me with $144,000 in debt.
My parents, and anyone else I have asked, have said to go to the University of Minnesota because I have a full ride, but I really don't want to go there. I know its a good school, but it's 20 min from my house, I have already been down there a hundred times for science Olympiad and research, and everyone from my high school is going there. I want college to be a new experience where I get to go far away from home and meet new people and get to live in a new place. I wanted to go to MIT(on the waitlist...so maybe?) because I love the atmosphere of clever, creative, humorous students all doing what they love and having fun with it. I just don't think I will find that at the University of Minnesota. Am I wrong? Will I find that at any of the other schools that I have applied to. I fell like I might at Michigan, or at least a little more than at Minnesota. </p>
<p>Is is really worthy paying all of the extra money to go to one of the other schools?
1. Will I get into a better grad school (MIT/Stanford level) with a EE major from Michigan instead of Minnesota?
2. Will I get a better job if I go to Michigan instead of Minnesota?
3. What should I be considering most when making this decision?
4. How much will grad school cost me. What is a fellowship?</p>
<p>I applied to the University of Minnesota as a last resort backup. I thought that Illinois and Michigan were great safety schools but I didn't realize that I would have to think about cost. Until this week, I never even thought about going to University of Minnesota, but now it looks as if I will be forced to. I'd almost rather not go to college than go to the U of M (not seriously, of course I would go, but I just REALLY don't want to go to the U of M). Am I over exaggerating? I welcome any advice! PLEASE!</p>
<p>Go to Minnesota for free! It is NOT worth it to pay that much for ANY SCHOOL in engineering when you have a very good university like Minnesota as your flagship.</p>
<p>First off, you can’t borrow that much money in the first place. Without a co-signer, you are limited to the Stafford loan maximums which add up to a grand total of $27,000 after all four years. The only place on your list that is affordable is Minnesota.</p>
<p>Go to Minnesota, do well, go somewhere more interesting for grad school.</p>
<p>Minnesota all the way. The university has 27,000 undergrads. I am sure you will meet plenty of new people there. Michigan and Cornell are not $220,000-$240,000 better than Minnesota.</p>
<p>Parent of senior here, agreeing that full ride to MN Twin Cities is the clear choice, especially for someone looking to grad school. My son looked at MN, Illinois and Michigan, though he is a humanities not STEM kind of kid. MN looks to be a fabulous research university, with tons going on. Even though many of your high school classmates may be going to MN as well, it is a school of what, 28-30K undergrads? You may see some familiar faces across a hallway, but you will not be surrounded by high school classmates in your classes, your dorm, your dining hall. Look for Honors and learning community dorms to find students with similar academic interests, join organizations that will allow you to explore your interests and make new ones. </p>
<p>Eons ago, I was accepted to my first choice school but could not afford to go. I went to a fine LAC 15 minutes from my home and high school. Looking back, there were no disadvantages and some small advantages. Although I was close to home, it was a world apart. I did not go home until Thanksgiving break, same as all the other students – though they were struggling with plane reservations and travel inconveniences, I hopped on the train and was home. As many parents here will say, “bloom where you are planted.”</p>
<p>You are not alone in balancing these concerns – in my son’s class, there are many top students choosing to stay instate because it is financially the best option, despite being admitted to places like Northwestern etc. </p>
<p>Congratulations on the merit scholarship to MN, and good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>I agree with Waverly. It is very surprising that the OP faces $220,000 debt with Michigan and yet receives zero FA from Cornell. In order to graduate with $220,000 debt from Michigan, the OP’s parents would have to contribut nothing. If that’s due to low income/lack of assets, Cornell should meet 100% of demonstrated need.</p>
<p>“Is is really worthy paying all of the extra money to go to one of the other schools?”</p>
<p>Paying, maybe. Borrowing, no. If your parents will not pay for the other schools, MN is your only option. Luckily, it is a terrific one.</p>
<p>I am more than sympathetic to wanting to leave home for college. But I can almost guarantee that you’ll be surprised by how much moving into a dorm and starting college will feel like starting over, even if you are 20 minutes from home. Find out where your HS friends are living, and live somewhere else. Since you got a full ride, were you invited to be in the honors college? Will the people you know be in honors housing? Are they going to be in the EE program too?</p>
<p>You won’t necessarily get a better job coming out of Michigan, or even MIT, compared to MN.</p>
<p>If the entire costs of the other schools will become debt, go to Minnesota on the full ride. You are unlikely to be able to borrow that much anyway. Minnesota is a perfectly good school and won’t keep you from pursuing your post-bachelor’s goals.</p>
<p>Basically, your situation indicates that your parents have high enough income to have a high expected family contribution for financial aid purposes, but are unable or unwilling to pay anything at all.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the help. The reason I’m not getting much aid is because my parents have good jobs now with a higher income, but my dad had started his own business right before the recession and after approx 7, it failed. While he was trying to grow his business, we didn’t have much of an income so there is no money saved up for college, and so I am on my own for paying for it.</p>
<p>Another enthusiastic vote for Minnesota. These are all excellent programs; with the cost difference into six figures (cumulatively) this is a really easy call. Congratulations on the great admits, and on the full ride.</p>
<p>The only major jobs that might be open coming from Cornell and maybe UM but not so much Uminn would be Ibanking and high-end consulting. For actual engineering jobs they are pretty equal. Engineering is far less name driven.</p>
<p>I’m curious how the OP thought he was going to pay or his education in the first place, especially because the application to Minnesota was a (lucky) after thought. It’s obvious the other schools were going to be too expensive.</p>
<p>It’s possible that he was hoping for merit aid, thought that his parents’ financial situation would qualify for need-based aid, or that his parents were not up-front with him about what they were willing/able to pay.</p>
<p>Luckily, he has a great option on the table anyway.</p>
<p>Yes, that was very lucky for the OP to have applied to Minnesota as an afterthought and gotten the full ride. Otherwise, the OP would be posting here about the disappointment of having to turn down Cornell/Michigan/Illinois and go to community college because Cornell/Michigan/Illinois is far too expensive.</p>