I am a bit confused on which university to go to. I have got admission into all three in the school of engineering.
I havent got any financial aid or scholarship as such since i am an international student and my parents are reading to gimme 40k/year.
But however i would also like to help them out a bit and thats why Northeastern and Drexel were on my list cause of co-ops. However i am not sure if Pennstate does offer. And which of the three is better?
I think PSU will be the cheapest and probably low enough that Co-op might not make a difference. I think it should be the cheapest for room and board since Boston and Philadelphia are much more expensive to live in. You’d be living in the middle of “nowhere” though - are you coming from a large city?
Are any of them actually going to be under 40k/year, though? PSU is not, for sure.
@Dolemite I am coming from a large city. But then i wouldn’t mind adjusting to my surroundings cause I have stayed in smaller cities in Africa . @bodangles even i aam unsure about PSU. i know drexel and Northeastern arent
So, these all might be unaffordable? I hope you have safeties.
I believe PSU will be close to 50K especially when you add travel but Drexel will be closer to 70K but it changes from year to year depending on the program you do.
PSU is in State College and it will be a bit of a culture shock. You won’t find much to do except what is a ssociated with the university. You won’t find the food you are use to. In Philly and Boston would probably be preferred but the cost will be more.
All 3 Engineering programs are good choices so cost is probably your biggest issue.
None of these options look affordable for you.
If your parents give you 40K, how will you pay the difference?
Email Engineering at Penn State to ask whether you may do co-ops, or if international engineering students often do paid internships.
If Northeastern and Drexel are roughly the same cost, cross out Drexel. It’s not the same quality as either one and more expensive than it’s worth.
You’ll have plenty to do at all of them - between classes, clubs/activities, and things in town, if you’re bored it’s on you. (The size of the town doesn’t matter - what matters is its make up. State College is smaller than Buffalo but is MUCH more student-friendly and active than Buffalo… because it’s a college town, so most businesses and activities are geared toward college students.)
Northeastern is in Boston
Lol Dolomite. Obviously. That’s not why I mentioned Buffalo.
The example was about population. Just because State College is small, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. The same is true for many college towns - Ithaca, San Luis Obispo, College Station… This is unique situation to the US, where entire towns have been built around universities, whereas in the rest of the world the university’s been integrated into an existing city.
Another way to put it is that how big or small the city is, what matters is it’s make up: does it cater to retirees ? To homemakers with small children ? Is it walkable ?
Op is from another country, where such distinctions may not exist.
In short, OP 's main concern shouldn’t be whether s/he will be bored with nothing to do in any of these locations.
How to pay for the difference between NEU, PSU, or Drexel, and 40k, is an actual concern.
Your smallest out of pocket personally will be Penn State.
Make sure to also check how many semesters do each of the schools take to complete and factor that into your cost equation.
ok I’m not sure how Buffalo is relevant especially to this international student but I’ll just clarify that I have lived in State College and currently Philadelphia.
State College is in the middle of what many call “Pennsultucky”. It’s rural, hilly, farms, etc. Generally speaking it’s conservative and Caucasian. It’s a college town in which everything revolves around the college. On average it gets more snow than Philly. There isn’t much to do that doesn’t involve college activities or the outdoors.
On the other hand Boston and Philadelphia are major US cities with international airports and large and diverse populations. There various African cultures to be found along with restaurants and markets. Major museums, entertainment, etc. Students from not only your college but from many more colleges in the area. Yada, yada, yada…big city.
Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Penn State tacks on a lot of up-charges for certain majors (like engineering). Drexel and Northeastern are five-year programs if you want to do a co-op, too, aren’t they?
@AFrenchie36 was admitted to both Northeastern and psu.
@ may have an opinion since she was admitted to a university in a big city and a university in a college town.
Tagging them so that they can share their criteria.
I think northeastern has two options, One of which lasts five years and another one of which lasts four.
I really think the two real choices here are psu vs. Northeastern, unless Drexel is considerably cheaper than either one (which it didn’t sound like it was).
Focus on Net Price(Sticker Price-Financial Aid).
Drexel’s Average Net Price is around $37K.
Northeastern’s Net Price is around $32K
Penn State’s Net Price for Out-of-State is around $30K-$40K
They all will be similarly priced, but Northeastern will probably be slightly cheaper & is better ranked academically.
I’d say Northeastern
@LucieTheLakie, it’s possible to graduate in 4 years from Northeastern and still do a co-op, though it usually entails summer school. Students who take 5 years squeeze in 2, sometimes 3 semester-long co-ops.
@PP93291 : can you list net price for each option?
Net price = (tuition, fees, room, board) - (scholarships, grants)
Thanks, @katliamom – been wondering about that for a while.
@ASJackson923, Penn State’s OOS net price is more like $45,000. (In state is $34,000!) Nonetheless, the OP needs to compare HIS total net price for each of these schools, not the schools’ net averages.
Not really relevant to the OP, but in case anyone else is considering these schools: Not sure about Northeastern, but Drexel has had a reputation in the past for loading up on the merit money to entice freshmen and then not coming through in later years, leaving students with huge gaps.
International students, like the OP, have other issues to consider, the ability to work here in the US being chief among them IMHO. And travel costs if he wants to go home at all.
@PP93291, did you apply to any safety schools where you’d get guaranteed money for your stats for all four years?
That’s Drexel’s rep? Because that is my top choice.
True. Penn is more like 45K. Penn State is expensive for a public school.
Yes, Drexel is known for being stingy with aid, a bad value (high cost compared to quality), with gaps for students their first year and, once they’re hooked and can’t easily transfer, gapping them more. The exception is students who get a 4-year-guaranteed full-tuition scholarship. In my opinion, only Northeastern and Penn State are good values in OP’s scenario, unless Drexel gave him/her a full tuition scholarship for 4 years.