<p>Between the two four year schools, CWRU wins if they cost the same and it has your preferred major while Cal Poly SLO does not.</p>
<p>However, the real choice would be CWRU with $44,000 in debt at graduation versus going to a local CC and transferring as a junior to a four year school. To assess the CC option for comparison:</p>
<p>a. Figure out which local CCs you need to attend to cover the major prerequisites you need (see [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) ).
b. Figure out costs at the CCs, including commuting costs, CC course fees, books, and living expenses (much smaller if you live at home, but you still eat food, use water to wash your clothes, etc.).
c. Figure out the costs of two to two-and-a-half years at a UC or CSU as a transfer student (use the net price calculators on the web sites for estimates).
d. Check whether the CCs in question are overflowing with students and offer enough of your needed courses (many are cutting back due to budget costs, which can delay some students – the situation is apparently much worse at the CCs than at the UCs where it appears to be much less of a problem than what out of staters claim). The UC Transfers forum here may be a place to ask about such things.</p>