<p>First of all, sorry for any grammar or spelling errors or confusing statements I may make, as I'm typing this with a concussion. If there is anything I can clarify to make this more readable, just say it and I will try my hardest to explain it more clearly.</p>
<p>I have applied/have been accepted to Alabama(Honors College), Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Baylor, and Minnesota-TC. Though I am not wholly sure what I want to major in, I am strongly leaning towards either Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science. My family is pretty well off financially and has about $80,000 saved for my education, but they said they would give me extra money for college provided as I am attending a school they deem reasonably priced (Anything similar to the CoA for Pitt or PSU, which are in state for me). I have toured all of these schools besides Baylor and Minnesota, and have pretty much narrowed it down to OSU or Alabama. I need help deciding which school would be the best fit for me. </p>
<p>I love almost everything about Alabama, namely the beautiful campus, smaller class sizes (due to Honors College enrollment) and the money it would leave me for grad school, I'm concerned about the value of an Alabama degree outside the deep south and the seeming lack of off campus activities(I am not wholly sure of either of these, I'm basing my assumptions primarily off of brief personally observations and things I read on the internet). I also dislike how difficult it is to get to Tuscaloosa (either a 12 hour drive or having to take connecting flights from Pittsburgh + another hour of driving), and how some kids from my school that I dislike plan on attending. Ohio State seems to have a stronger alumni network, is widely known for its strong engineering programs, seems to have much better off campus activities, and is only about a 3 hour drive from my house. I also have relatives living in the Columbus area, one of whom is attending OSU. However, I did not like the OSU campus as much as I liked Alabama's (Though I still liked it) and feel like I would have more difficulty connecting with my professors and getting letters of recommendation than I would at Alabama due to the larger class sizes. Also, being a Pittsburgh native, I'm not exactly thrilled to continue having to deal with cold winters, especially since Columbus is not in close proximity to any ski resorts. Were I to attend Ohio State, I would also have little-no money left for graduate or med school. </p>
<p>I feel like I could be successful at either of these schools, and can see myself attending either of them. Any input into my predicament would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>At Alabama, I would have to pay for room and Board, books, and travel expenses. I haven’t received scholarship information from Ohio State yet, but am expecting to get the National Buckeye scholarship since I’m well above the requirements, alongside possibly the Provost Scholarship, making the cost of tuition somewhere between $11000 - $14000 + room and board and books. I’m getting a $2500 engineering stipend from Alabama, but I’m guessing that would probably cancel out the cost of travel and little else.</p>
<p>How much are you interested in med school? My son majored in ChemE at Bama and now is in med school.</p>
<p>All of Bama’s Engineering disciplines are ABET accredited and OOS grads do get jobs outside of the state if that’s your concern. that said, some do choose to become employed in the south - because there are JOBS here - even if it’s just to use as a launching pad to elsewhere later on. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but a very high % of Bama eng’g grads were employed after graduation…I think it was 87%…</p>
<p>I’m not sure why you think that there isn’t much to do off-campus. What are your interests? There isn’t snow skiing (lol), but there certainly many outdoor sports and other things to do. </p>
<p>That said, frankly, as an eng’g major, you’re not going to have time for a lot of off-campus activities - especially if you have a med school goal since a top GPA is paramount. There were many football games that my son could only attend half a game because he had to get back to either a project, assignment or studying because he needed to maintain a high GPA for med school.</p>
<p>Bama has a Computer Science/Pre-med track…did you look at that? There is also a ChemE/pre-med track. A significant number of Bama’s ChemE majors are pre-med.</p>
<p>Alabama, TOSU, Pitt and Penn State are all similar kinds of schools. They all fall in the US News top 100; they all have decent academic programs. Choose based on costs and personal preferences. </p>
<p>It sounds like you’re leaning toward Alabama. The travel distance is an inconvenience you can cope with a few times each year. Find some travel companions and make it an adventure. Better that than coping every day with a school you don’t like as well.</p>
<p>There is plenty to do on virtually any large university campus. I think Alabama’s objective advantages (smaller classes, lower cost, etc) outweigh the rather vague advantages you cite for Ohio State (brand value, alumni network).</p>
<p>Pre-med is only important to me if I decide that I’m not interested in engineering. I feel like it would be incredibly difficult to do the pre-med requirements while getting an engineering degree and that it would be significantly less stressful to not have to worry about maintaining a 3.5+ gpa and doing well on the MCAT while primarily taking difficult engineering courses, especially in fields with little pre-med crossover like ME or CS.</p>
<p>Also, please don’t let the bama backers make you think it is as strong academically as OSU. Free tuition is fine and may make it a good choice but not as strong academically</p>
<p>I live near Pittsburgh, so OSU is about a 3 hour drive vs a 2.5 hour drive for PSU, and OSU is both closer to family members and would be less expensive than Penn State. I also did not like the campus as much as I had liked OSU or Bama’s, though I overall like the school significantly more than Pitt.</p>
<p>How would OSU be less expensive than Penn State if you’re a PA resident (even taking into account the combination of Penn State’s extremely high in-state tuition and their lousy financial aid policies) - do you get in-state rates at OSU too?
Although OSU is better academically than UA as a whole, Alabama’s Honors College is better than OSU academically - lots of advantages you wouldn’t have at OSU (class sizes, contact with professors, research/grant opportunities, dorms…) Did you get into OSu’s Honors College too - that would change things. Otherwise, I’d say go with Alabama.
In addition, you’ll have plenty of time to live near where you grew up: you got good financial aid to discover a new part of the country, you should take advantage of that.</p>
<p>According to collegedata, Penn State would be about $32000 a year and Ohio State would be about $27000 after I factor in the National Buckeye scholarship($12000 each year), which I’m expecting to receive (OSU’s website says I am accepted, but I haven’t received a letter yet), and possibly lower depending on if I get any other scholarships. Going to OSU would save my family about $20000 over 4 years, which would either go to graduate school or my sister’s education.</p>
<p>MYOS - I applied to the Scholar’s program at OSU (Decided I would have a better chance of getting into Scholars than Honors due to my lowish GPA and class rank due to a terrible freshman year but strong SAT scores & extracurriculars), but I am still waiting to hear back from them.</p>
<p>^^^Wow. The University of Michigan was the most expensive instate public university for many years. Glad to see it’s not even listed in the top ten.</p>
<p>There are a lot of Pros – Engineering school is growing. All new facilities. Many opportunities for a student to do undergrad research beginning freshmen year. Professors are much more accessible than I expected.</p>
<p>As a PA resident, we would not even consider Penn State. The opportunities were not there for the money. </p>
<p>As parents, we certainly had (still have) concerns about the career recruiting, but the opportunities our son has outweighs the concerns. As a student, if you seek out research opportunities and take advantage of resume help, you will be in good shape to seek employment. Just don’t expect Bama to bring the summer internships to you.</p>
<p>You are fortunate to have a solid college savings which provides freedom of choice. Now you need to decide what opportunities are important to you. The extra money as an Engineering major at Bama on top of the Presidential is nice. The cost of off-campus housing and selection is much better than our PA schools.</p>
<p>I agree with Mom2collegekids – Many off-campus activities. However, the on-campus activities really makes it so that you do not need to look off-campus. My son’s only compliant is the lack of live music.</p>
<p>We are outside of Philly and have not found the distance and need or air travel to be difficult. The airline loyalty programs defray costs.</p>
<p>Can you wait and decide after you know if you got into OSU’s scholar program? WOuld that giveoyou smaller classes and an honors-like experience?</p>
<p>The scholars program would give me a similar experience to that which I would get in Bama’s honors college, though I will not be hearing whether I got in until at least mid January according to OSU’s website. I’m concerned that waiting would lessen my chances of getting whichever dorms I want if I do not get into the Scholar’s program.</p>