<p>I'm going to be straightforward, I love Virginia Tech better!! I love the rural country outdoors setting!! The students seem more like my type of people, their athletics are more of what I'm looking for, the atmosphere in my opinion is much better! not to mention best food in the nation!! However, I live in North Carolina, so I could attend NC State for a cheaper price! Possibly $10000 cheaper!! So I talked to my dad about it, and he told me I could go to ANY college I wanted to go to, and that he could handle the costs. but I just think he didn't want to restrict me and he was just saying that. I don't want to go to Virginia Tech if its going to be too expensive to handle, that wouldn't be fair to him. They have equal programs for where I want to go, but I truly am stuck! I don't want to put my dad into debt, he works extremely hard for what he has, but Virginia tech is my ideal school. Any advice please?? Thanks!</p>
<p>Bump 10char</p>
<p>You’re just ending your sophomore year. A lot can change in the next 18+mos. Do your best, stay involved in your ECs, apply in fall of 2014. Make sure you don’t miss any priority application dates to be considered for merit at either school (women in engineering for example). Get your FAFSA in on time. THEN when you have offers of admission from both and a financial package from both you can compare apples to apples.</p>
<p>^ I agree with Blueiguana. Keep all options open. You won’t know the whole financial picture until you are accepted at both schools and know what your options are. The most important thing you can do now is do the best you can in school, and look at several colleges that may interest you.
Also, get to know NCSU better. It is likely going to be a good financial option (as an in state student) and it’s excellent for what you wish to study. It also offers summer engineering programs for high school students if you want to experience being on the campus. Sports are great. For food- college cafeterias offer a lot of choices and many students eventually live off campus and do their own cooking anyway and sports are big. If you lived in Virginia, I’d be telling you to get to love VT for the same reasons. Both schools are so close academically, it makes little sense to pay a lot more for out of state, but you don’t have to decide this now.
Also consider Clemson. It could be a good fit for you.</p>