I live in Southeastern PA and have been admitted to 10/13 schools. I plan on majoring in Computer Science, and though I was offered admission to some fairly selective schools with strong CS programs (Drexel, RPI, WPI, and Lafayette College) they are all offered little to no aid, so they are all out of the question in terms of affordability. With this in mind, I have narrowed down my choices to just two schools.
La Salle University ($8,000/yr)
Penn State Main Campus ($26,000/yr)
From what I have heard, Penn State has a decent CS program, as it is ranked in the middle tier. For La Salle, I would be working toward a double major in CS and Mathematics in order to fulfill a 10k/yr scholarship from the National Science Foundation. Though La Salle is not highly ranked in regard to CS, there have apparently been some very successful alumni with this double major. I am concerned, however, that employers would see this dual degree and think that I am indecisive about my area of study and would call to question the validity of my degree compared to one from a large state school like Penn State.
To sum it up, does anyone think that Penn State’s higher ranking is worth the extra cost and debt, and do you think that a double major in CS and Math would work to my advantage, or would it make me seem distracted and indecisive?
Thank you for any input 