I am going into civil engineering, but am not sure about it and might switch to maybe Mech.E or BME. I am having a hard time deciding between these three schools because I want a good college, but I don’t want to be drowning in debt, and of course I don’t want to regret my decision later.
OSU: Visited, loved the atmosphere, got 4-year full tuition scholarship (est. total cost $15.7k yearly). Not too far from home. Would love to go here, but the whole engineering pre-major program adding another year to your degree is scaring me. I’m wondering if paid internships/additional scholarships I may get along the way & ultimate return on investment could help out enough to make OSU a viable option.
UC: Have not visited, don’t know if I’ll be able to before May 1. Got 4-year full tuition scholarship (ETC $7k yearly), and I feel like I am getting a great deal financially here, especially since I’ve heard only good things about UC engineering. But I’ve also heard that crime and safety are significant issues on campus, which scares me. It is also nearly 4 hours from home.
CSU: Visited; seemed alright, but I would be commuting there so atmosphere is not as big a deal. ETC $8k yearly. No biomedical eng. Not sure how good the engineering programs are here.
IN SHORT-- Would it be stupid to go with my gut and choose OSU over UC even though the cost will be significantly higher? Is safety at UC a reasonable concern? Does CSU even compare with the other two? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Decision deadline is Tuesday and this is all making me quite stressed.
There’s ways to make OSU work. Are your parents able to help with books and living expenses? The most you can take out in student loans is $27k anyway. A tuition scholarship is huge. If you work part-time to help pay for room/board and food, then you can greatly minimize the debt. If you come out of OSU with 27k or less in debt, then it would be completely worth it. It’s the same story with UC. CSU allows you to live at home and go to school, which would allow you to basically graduate debt free. The downside is that your major choices are more limited.
If you cannot make the numbers work for OSU then UC looks like a fantastic option! Looks like CSU is more expensive than UC plus a commuter situation for you…I would rule that out.
UC has a great co-op program. Students I know that attend seem to enjoy it. If you liked the feel of North Campus where the engineering buildings are clustered at OSU, then you will probably like the vibe at UC, too.
Engineering is tough, a lot of group projects and it’s important to be able to have flexibility in your schedule so if a problem takes a few hours instead of a few minutes or your group needs to meet you can. We discouraged our kids from having a job on campus especially freshman year. If you have an affordable option that you can pay for school without having to work while you are in school that is a huge advantage for your gpa.
@coolguy40 Thank you so much for the advice. I think I will just stick with Cincinnati. I am really glad for a full tuition OSU scholarship but the final cost is still just too much, it seems.
@naviance Thank you for the advice, this makes me feel less unsure about UC hah.
@BuckeyeMWDSG Thank you for your advice. You bring up a good point with needed flexibility in your schedule; I had never thought about that before. I did a virtual tour on UC’s website and it actually looks really nice.
