I am planning to major in computer science and have already applied and am planning to apply to SUNYs (UB, SBU, Bing) and private colleges (RIT, Cornell). My EFC is 65k (even though my parents can only realistically pay 20k), so I doubt I would get enough financial aid to make private colleges as cheap as SUNYs (which I would qualify for free tuition). Would it be worth the extra money to go to private colleges for computer science over SUNYs?
I don’t know the answer to that, but have you looked at Clarkson? I have heard they give great merit aid, and they are very good with job placement.
RPI also has good merit scholarships but unlikely to find anything that will come close to full tuition. I would have happily sent my daughters to binghamton for engineering if there weren’t other issues with fit. So for us there were intangibles that made it worth it but I wouldn’t have supported it for a major with low prospects of an income that can support the debt.
I’m applying to the same schools
I am a huge proponent of SUNY schools. With 64 to choose from, there is a school for everyone. If your family could afford a private college without incurring a large amount of debt, that would be fine, but I don’t see the point in getting a huge debt for an UG education. By way of disclosure, I told all of my children that I would pay for a SUNY education and anything more expensive would be on them. My kids all attended SUNY schools. I am a CUNY grad and my H started at CUNY and then transferred to Stony Brook.
For CS, Stony Brook is excellent. My S17 has several friends there and they don’t come home on weekends. I have been told that the school is slowly losing some of its suitcase reputation, partly because of an increase in OOS students. One of his friends is studying CS and is really enjoying school.
I have a friend with one son at RPI and another at a SUNY. Both are very happy at their schools.
The 2 kids I know who started at Clarkson, both for CS, both with massive scholarships, wound up leaving the school. One went to work and never graduated. He apparently makes a good living. The other one has bounced to several different schools, but should be graduating, about 2 years late. Both hated the town and the smallness of the school.One started partying and the other became very depressed. They attended the same suburban NY HS.
I think that you and your parents should make a decision that takes into consideration the long term ramifications of college debt. My parents could not pay anything for my education and I wound up with the equivalent of about $100K in debt in today’s money (I attended law school after UG). The debt severely limited my early adulthood, although, in my case, it was unavoidable if I was going to be a lawyer. I finally finished paying it at age 33. By contrast, my D graduated with a masters in special ed (which I covered) and no debt. She is 27, lives in Manhattan and travels regularly because she is not paying student loans. She constantly tells me how thankful she is that she listened to my advice because she has so many friends who can barely afford a slice of pizza and who have to live at home because of student loans.
If you can get into RPI, for instance, at or about the cost of a SUNY, go for it. I will say that my friend with children at both RPI and a SUNY says that the dorms and the food are way better at the SUNY school.
Good luck in your decision making process.
@techmom99: I can agree that Potsdam, New York is an undesirable location. That being said, I do know many grads who love the school & make the long trek back for reunions. But, as a place to spend four years, I cannot recommend it.