<p>Ugh......college decisions are hard. I'm trying to choose between UIUC (~34k, yeah they gave me absolutely no aid even though I'm an in-stater), Georgia Tech (~37k with some merit money), Carnegie Mellon (~37k including work study, scholarship, and grant), and Cornell (~45-47k, don't remember exact number, but with really crappy grant). :/</p>
<p>Help, anyone?</p>
<p>Major: ECE (electrical/computer engineering), with possible minor or double major in Mathematics</p>
<p>Also, I want some opinions on choosing based on the schools' Putnam and quizbowl teams, as well as the average salaries of people who graduate with ECE/math majors from these schools.</p>
<p>bump…anyone???</p>
<p>Also, update: I’ve decided that Cornell is too expensive. So now I’m down to deciding among 3: UIUC, CMU, and GA Tech.</p>
<p>My son had to decide between several schools including Georgia Tech and Cornell. Ultimately he chose Cornell after visiting and sitting in on an engineering info session. He knew it was the right school for him. Have you visited these colleges? That might go a long way in helping you decide. He didn’t get any money from Cornell, which was tough. Is money a big issue in the decision?</p>
<p>ECE @ CMU is very strong, in the same league as their CS program. All 3 of your choices cost the same…why not take the private (and smaller) school where you’d probably get the most personal attention? Plus, it’s a chance to get out of your home state. </p>
<p>CMU has an Integrated BS/MS program for ECE. If you have a 3.0 junior year, you can get a masters in just one more full year. 51 out of 117 ECE’s last year took that route.</p>
<p>A CMU team took second place in the Putnam last month. Since the team is three freshman math students, I’d assume they’ll be back a few more years.</p>
<p>Salaries for CMU ECE—last year median $71,804. You can find stats @ CMU Career Center.</p>