<p>I was recently admitted into the Ohio State undergraduate business program (intended major in Information Systems) with a total of $14,000 in merit scholarships (making the cost of attendance around $22,000, I'm out of state). I was also admitted into my top choice, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor's undergraduate engineering program (currently ranked 7th in the country) and although I have not found out about scholarships, I do not believe that I will receive a scholarship at UMichigan as an out of stater. Therefore, I would have to pay $53,000 a year to go to University of Michigan. My family will not qualify for aid at Michigan; however, we will most likely qualify for aid at Ohio State because my parents are divorced and OSU takes into consideration only my primary care-takers salary. </p>
<p>Although Michigan is my top choice, is the degree from their engineering school truly worth the extra $124,000 over the four year period?</p>
<p>Why are you not going to OSU for engineering? I wouldn’t pay $124.000.00 dollars more to attend almost any school over tOSU. Too much money if one has to take out loans.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. And I was initially planning on going to OSU for engineering however I decided that I liked the Information Systems program in the Business School a lot more. Just a personal decision. </p>
<p>if you are smart enough to get into umich engineering… you probs have a good shot at ross the next yr if you want business. ross is ranked 2nd… </p>
<p>Unless your parents have $150,000 laying around in a bank account for your education, no school is worth $124,000 more, especially if it means you’ll make your parents go into debt for it.
However, you should and get into OSu’s Honors college and rethink that decision about Information Systems if you can get into Michigan Engineering. Some current engineers will likely step in but I believe salaries aren’t that great compared to engineering, CS, etc.
Where else have you applied? Is there another choice?</p>
<p>Speaking as a parent, both are excellent schools, with strong engineering and business schools. Yes, UM is more highly rated, but unless you are in a specific area of academia or going to grad school, it probably won’t make a difference after you get your first job. The additional $124,000 to go to UM is not worth it. As your parent, I would not put my financial future possibly in jeopardy for that kind of money. Period. If you were to assume it, your huge student debt after college could interfere with your ability to buy a house, take a lower paying but more meaningful job, get a decent apartment, travel, go to grad school… because the monthly payments can be as much as a mortgage payment. My daughter’s best friend is faced with that now, and it is not pretty.</p>