Basically it’s come down to Baylor or OU (Oklahoma). I’ve made a pros and cons list but I still can’t decide. I’m going to major in mechanical engineering.
The reason I’m asking this so close to coming school year is because some recent family issues have come up and if I wanted to go to OU I’d have to wait for the spring since the application deadline has already passed.
I’ve already taken a year off to save up for a car and now it’s time to go back to school. With OU I get: cheaper (I live in OK), closer to home and I know a lot of people going there. I’ve heard nothing but great things about it from all my friends who go there. Two guys I know of personally were national merit finalists and they both choose to study ME at OU. Its not the most widely respected engineering school out there but it’s still accredited though? Is that all that matters anyways?
With Baylor I get: the prestige of a private university, I could start in the fall and I already love everything there. Another thing is that it’s not my dream school but I worked so hard to get in and I don’t know how I’d feel if I just gave that up because it’d be more difficult financially? Then there’s the bad… its $60,000/yr (I’d need to pay about half that in loans which I probably can’t even get because my parents have TERRIBLE credit), it’s farther away and I’d be all by myself.
I just need help deciding here. I know OU is far less expensive and it’d save me in the long run debt wise but would it be wiser to have more debt but a degree from a respected private institution under my belt? Does prestige even matter anymore or is it just the degree? Should I scrounge to get the money to go or take the closer to home/cheaper route?
I’m not the best writer and I know this is all over the place but just some sound advice would be great.
