<p>As you probably know, these are two totally different schools which offer totally different experiences. Have you visited both? If so, you probably know that they each have a distinctly different feel. Does one campus environment feel like a remarkably better fit than the other? If so, and if money is not a factor, pick that one.</p>
<p>The remainder of this advice is based on the presumed fact that either school will be an equally good fit for you.</p>
<p>My son was also accepted to both schools. He chose A&M over Wash U. He liked A&M a whole lot from the start, but he was ultimately pushed over the edge by A&M’s amazing 4-year scholarships and the extremely impressive donor he met along the way. Wash U’s enormous merit grant would likely have been reduced in his junior and senior year when his brother graduated from college, as it did have a need-based element. So A&M was a better bet in terms of Cost of Attendance.</p>
<p>That’s not to say his was a completely mercenary decision – A&M really did seem to fit him well from the start; he felt from the start that A&M had a significantly better engineering program than Wash U (though Wash U had earned it’s “better overall” reputation in many other ways); he decided along the way that A&M engineers probably had significantly better hiring opportunities than Wash U engineers (A&M has one of the best known engineering hiring pools in the world); and he’s currently very happy at A&M! But it was money that ultimately pushed him over the edge for A&M. If his Cost of Attendance after scholarships and grants was significantly lower at Wash U than it was at A&M, that’s likely where he would be.</p>
<p>And so, my first piece of advice is to pick the school that gives you and your family the lowest Cost of Attendance after scholarships and grants. Both are great schools for engineering. So, in my book, the lowest priced school is the best bet. (Take the sticker price for tuition, fees, room, and board, and subtract scholarships and grants – ie, subtract just the “free” money. Multiply by 4 for the 4 years you’ll be there. The result is your CoA.)</p>
<p>If your CoA is roughly the same for both schools, then it’s not important to choose the lowest priced one – use different criteria to choose. Otherwise, since you’re going to be an engineering major, and since engineering is very strong at A&M, I would stick to a simple cost analysis to make your decision – AS LONG AS you feel like you’re a good fit at both schools.</p>
<p>(Given the fact that Wash U is such an amazing school in so many ways, if you weren’t majoring in engineering or one of A&M’s other strong suits, I would probably recommend that you weigh each university’s reputation and educational opportunities more heavily. But, in your case, as an engineering major, A&M probably has the stronger program, not the other way around. Therefore, imo, costs should be the overriding factor.)</p>
<p>Though you say you would leave Wash U with only 20K in debt, I’m guessing that 20K is just YOUR debt. Surely, your parents would be paying significantly more than that for your 4 years (unless you have a huge need-based-aid package). As far as I know, there aren’t free-rides to Wash U, just full-tuition scholarships. As it is with any prestigious private university, room and board is very pricey there. I’m totally guessing that room and board alone, for 4 years, would be about 60K-80K. (Remember, it WILL go up each year!) So, I’m guessing that though YOUR student debt would be 20K after 4 years, the school would be costing your family much more than that. In my book, the amount your parents are paying DOES count as part of your CoA. That money could otherwise be put to good use for grad school, study abroad, etc, if it weren’t being used to fund your undergrad education. Therefore, even though it’s not coming out of your pocket directly, it should count.</p>
<p>As to your list of Pros and Cons …</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about more competition for research and other opportunities at A&M. It’s true that there are more engineering students at A&M, but there are also more research opportunities. And, given that you were awarded attendance and scholarships at both schools, I’m guessing that you’re one of the top students in the country. That’s not going to change after you get to A&M. As one of the top students, you’re going to get to do research if you want to do research. They use resumes and gpas to decide, as well as some personal factors. You’ll be okay. That Con should come off your list, imo.</p>
<p>It’s true that A&M won’t be as personal. In fact, it is my belief that it won’t be NEARLY as personal. I say that as a parent of a private university student and the parent of an A&M student. But I will also say that each of my kids thinks they have chosen the perfect school for themselves. Both think that the entire “package” is ideal for what they wanted in a university. My A&M son knows his private-school-brother’s situation very well and will acknowledge that it is MUCH more personal. But he finds his A&M experience personal enough and he loves being part of such a challenging, well-reputed engineering program where opportunities abound and where nearly all of his professors have some amazing story to tell (when prompted) about where they’ve been and what they’ve done with their lives. He also loves the camaraderie amongst his peers – that feeling of “we’re in this together.”</p>
<p>Like you, my son is a top student. As such, he has found at A&M (so far) that when he knocks, doors do open. Perhaps all students at A&M feel that same way and it has nothing to do with being a top student! That would be awesome! Whatever the reason, in my son’s case, he has found that he has what he wants and needs at A&M. If you feel strongly that you are one who will thrive significantly better in the personal environment of a private school (my other private-school son is that kind of student), then you should weigh the “personal factor” more heavily. If you’re like my A&M son who can thrive in either environment, then you should give the “personal factor” less weight. (in my opinion, obviously)</p>
<p>I have to admit, I don’t know much about changing majors. Neither of my kids has considered it. But, I am pretty sure it would NOT be hard to change majors OUT of engineering at A&M. It is more difficult to change majors INTO engineering there. And, yes, in regards to Wash U, the ability to change majors is one of their super strong points. They are very into well-rounded students who get to study and explore what they really want to study and explore. And scholarships always go with them! Awesome! I LOVE that about Wash U. It is a real selling point.</p>
<p>Personally, I would throw the “prestige factor” out the window, too. It only muddies the waters, imo. But, I’m somebody who has always valued substance over what other people think – ie, “prestige.” You only live once. Go for what is best for YOU – throughout your life. Don’t go for what you think will make you look good to others. That’s a guessing game in the first place. And in the second place, you may be sacrificing what you really want or need in life in order to (you hope) impress other people. A meaningless endeavor.</p>
<p>(IF you mean “prestige” in terms of what grad schools might think of your undergrad degree … hmmm… I THINK A&M’s engineering degree would be perceived as more prestigious than Wash U’s, though I’m not certain. AND I THINK that grad schools will be looking more for what you accomplish in your undergrad from either reputable school than for simply which school you chose to attend in the first place.) </p>
<p>The Boeing connection is very appealing, especially if you really want to work for Boeing someday. However, I would venture a guess that Boeing recruits out of A&M, too. Just guessing. You could check into that pretty easily, I think. But, yes, I do like it when a company you love recruits heavily out of a school you love. It’s something to think about.</p>
<p>I think you should also throw the “competitiveness of environment” Con out the window. That is, if you’re going to be an engineering major, you’re going to find a very competitive environment in both schools. While it’s true that nearly every student at Wash U will be a top-performing student, no matter their major, you’ll likely find that within YOUR intended major – engineering – both schools are extremely competitive. Like you, my son had top marks in high school. Truly, most of his stats couldn’t be beat. He was accepted Early Action to MIT. Shortly after arriving at A&M, he met three other classmates who were accepted to MIT but chose A&M. He is getting great grades at A&M, but he is working his tail off to get them. He has found it to be a very competitive, very challenging environment. And he loves it! He is surrounded by extremely brilliant professors and many brilliant students. It IS true that you will likely be surrounded by brilliant students within every class – core and non-core – at Wash U. That is likely not true at A&M. But I predict that you will be surrounded by enough brilliant students within the engineering program at A&M that you won’t perceive any lack of competition. And, at A&M, if your stats are what I’m envisioning as an accepted student at Wash U, you’ll likely place out of a lot of the A&M core curriculum where you might otherwise find less competition. I just think that “competitiveness of environment” is a non-factor in your decision, knowing what I know about both schools and both engineering programs.</p>
<p>So, in my opinion, and based solely on the fact that you want to be an engineering major, THIS is a more accurate list of pros and cons:</p>
<p>A&M
Pro:
broader range of faculty for wider variety of research
5k per yr with scholarships
Good reputation for engineering
Cons:
Not as personal (?)
Hard to change or adjust majors (?)</p>
<p>WashU
Pro:
More personal (?)
ability to change majors very easily (?)
Connection with Boeing
Con:
20k per year</p>
<p>I hope that sharing my opinions will help you in some way. Naturally, these are only MY opinions based on my family’s experience. YMMV. Nobody can make this decision for you, as you know, and nobody can give you the magic insight into what either experience will be like for YOU. But I have attempted to give you some insight into what these experiences have been like for my family.</p>
<p>You have a lot to think about! The good news is: You really can’t go wrong! Either school is a great choice for your intended major! :)</p>