Hi! I recently was awarded a full ride to Rutgers (covers everything) and full tuition to UPITT, meaning I would have to pay 10k a year. I plan on majoring in computer science and can not decide on which university I would prefer attending. I live about an hour away from Rutgers and live in Jersey. I am leaning towards Rutgers b/c of the money and b/c I will be part of their new honors college in the fall! Well, I just wanted some help making a decision… Which university would you choose and why?
What a wonderful dilemma, CONGRATULATIONS. Both universities are entirely respectable, both have many similarities, and both will doubtless serve you well (as an undergraduate and throughout a long life) if you do your part. Therefore, I offer a few ideas for your consideration:
- How important is the $40K in potential cost avoidance, considering factors such as family affluence, other siblings to be educated, other family financial requirements, plans for postgraduate school, etc.?
- Which school’s personal “cultural fit” seems more attractive to YOU? To ascertain this critical information, I urge you to spend a couple days on each campus, fundamentally living like an undergraduate (after all, one of these universities will be your home for at least four years).
You can’t go wrong with these alternatives, and that Rutgers “full ride” is tough to beat. On the other hand, if one hated Rutgers for some reason, a $40K outlay for one’s Bachelor’s isn’t at all unattractive.
The expectation is that the new honors college is going to be an amazing, interdisciplinary experience when it opens in Sept. 2015. Unless you really don’t want to stay in-state, I would strongly consider Rutgers.
Do an overnight at both - attend classes (both lecture and discussion/seminar), read the campus paper and see what they discuss and how, eat in the cafeteria, see what students are talking about, meet with professors, see what clubs you’d be interested in and meet with the people managing the clubs…
I would personally do Rutgers. It’s in-state, full ride, and an overall good, respectable program.
Thank you for all the responses, I believe I will be choosing Rutgers you can’t beat university for free with new facilities and an excellent program.
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No, you really can’t.