I’m really torn on this decision. Oklahoma State has offered me $70,000 to go there (I’m going to be paying for most of my college expenses, and I’m from Texas), I got into their Honors program and their Engineering department scholar program (gave me a big scholarship + a big international trip for my junior year), their music program would be a good fit for me since I want to continue playing saxophone, but their Engineering is ranked #90-ish nationally.
On the other hand, I just got into UT Austin Engineering, and I know their Civil Engineering program is #5 in the country which is huge and will give me lots of career opportunities. While its in-state tuition, I’ll be paying roughly $35,000 more for 4 years than OK State. I really like Austin, and both my parents and grandparents went to UT as well. I have to say I’m intimidated by UT Engineering, though-- it seems really intense and I don’t know if I can handle it. I think I would favor OK State’s size over UT’s but it’s not a huge deal compared to some of these other factors.
What do you guys think? I would love any and all advice y’all have and I think an outside perspective would really help me.
Nothing wrong with choosing OSU over UT Austin, if it’s a better fit for you/u. UT Austin has it’s advantages, and I’m sure you would do well there, but OSU has a respectable program.
Keep in mind that the average salary for a Civil Engineer graduate is about the same for both schools.
Good Luck!
The numbers you posted suggest that neither will be affordable if there is no parent contribution.
Oklahoma State is about $37,500 per year for non-residents, or about $20,000 per year after your $17,500 per year scholarship. But you can only borrow $5,500 and earn a few thousand from work each year; additional loans would have to be parent loans or parent-cosigned loans, which are usually a bad idea.
UT Austin is about $25,000 per year for residents, so it is even more unaffordable, unless you get some financial aid or scholarships to bring the cost down.
Oklahoma State has a beautiful campus and a solid program. S graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Civil Engineering and was accepted to every grad school he applied to, including 3 schools ranked in the top 10 (2 of the 3 offered financial support for a master’s degree). He ultimately chose a school ranked 10-20 which offered him a fellowship and research opportunities.
I agree with @ucbalumnus it looks like you can’t afford either option. @Gator88NE is also right that neither one is a bad option as a school. You need to figure out how to afford them.
The question is, how are you going to pay for UT without a scholarship? If you can’t afford it, you can’t go there unless your parents are willing to cover the tuition gap. I think the answer might already be in front of you 
Co-signed loans are normally a very bad idea because high debt can easily sabotage a fledgling new career.
Which area of civil do you plan on specializing in? Structural, for example, really requires a master’s degree.
Maintain a high GPA at OSU and go to a top-ranked college for grad school.
School is only for 4 years of your life. Stillwater or Austin?
What is your answer to the following? Where do you want to live TX or OK? friends from TX or OK? and raise your family in TX or OK?
Good Luck!
@texaggie None of the civil guys in my family live where they went to college … not a lot of jobs in the vicinity of Purdue, for example, so I wouldn’t base my college decision on where I want to raise my family.
Thanks @chercheur, don’t be too serious. It’s was a tongue-in-cheek comment between two neighboring states. Next time you are visiting Texas and Shiner Bock is on me…
Gottcha. Just trying to help the OP.
And my answer would be neither!