TIME SENSITIVE- I need opinions!

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hello CC!</p>

<p>I want to major in Engineering, and I am in a dilemma. I want to attend college in Baltimore. For my undergrad education, do you think I should attend UMBC (honors and scholars programs) and graduate with little to no debt, or attend Johns Hopkins University and owe about 23k in debt per year. I know that Hopkins is more renowned for their engineering programs, and I absolutely loved the campus as it felt like home, whereas I liked UMBC but did not get that same feeling. I also love Hopkin's emphasis on undergraduate research. I'm not sure if I am considering graduate school or not at this point, but I guess it depends on my future employer. So is the debt too much, or is attending Hopkins worth it? I want to stretch myself and get the best education possible in an intellectual (if not slightly competitive) environment. Please feel free to let me know your opinion of what I should do. The application deadline is approaching rapidly.</p>

2

<p>Hmmmmmm… 92k in debt…or free…hmmm… man, that is a hard one. Or not.</p>

<p>If you want prestige, save that for grad school.</p>

3

<p>$92,000 is a lot of debt – more than is generally considered prudent for any bachelor’s degree.</p>

4

<p>UMBC and keep your grades up. A funded grad program (maybe even at JHU) is not a possibility if you have $92,000 in undergraduate debt. That amount of debt will define your life for years afterward.</p>

<p>Another piece of advice I freely give out - be careful what owns you. It seems like just a number now, but each month when you write that $1200 check and think about all of the other things you could be doing with that money, it nips away at your soul like a hungry piranha.</p>

5

<p>No brainer. I know JHU is a great school. And not what UMBC is. But 92K of debt is TOO MUCH.</p>

6

<p>What’s wrong with the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). It’s just 20 miles down the road from Baltimore. UMCP is head and shoulders better than UMBC and JHU in most engineering programs (exception being biomedical engineering@JHU)</p>

7

<p>I second that UMCP is an excellent alternative to both, and failing that would recommend UMBC over JHU for the costs involved.</p>

8

<p>That would be good, but I’m a recruited athlete -not quite good enough to compete for the ACC (UMCP) but good enough for the American East (UMBC). I guess I could always walk on though, but that’s pretty complicated.</p>

9

<p>Thank you teamprepscholar, that is probably the most helpful and objective answer I have gotten. This whole decision is stressing me out, but either way I will try to find a way to make it work for me. I really really want to go to JHU and I know that it has so much to offer me. (Which I cannot explain as it would take a while) I am leaning towards it despite the cost, as I will work hard to make up these costs.</p>

10

<p>Johns Hopkins is known for being a rather competitive environment. I would think twice about trying to major in engineering at JHU while having the time commitment of playing a varsity sport. I think that would be a recipe for switching out of engineering to a less challenging major.</p>

<p>I’ve heard good things about UBMC. I would lean that direction, even if money wasn’t an issue. Given the money issue, I would lean even more in that direction.</p>

<p>I’m confused by the timing of the need to make this decision. Can’t you just apply to both schools (and some others) and wait to see where you accepted and what your financial aid packages are? Is it because of being a recruited athlete you already know if you would get into JHU?</p>

11

<p>I understand where you are coming from. Johns Hopkins is an excellent engineering school and you would be with a very competitive bunch. </p>

<p>Many people here will tell you that’s too much money to borrow. They might be right, but I’m not going to tell you that without knowing your situation better. </p>

<p>First of all, I’m not exactly sure how you would even borrow 23K/yr, so you’d better explain that a little better. </p>

<p>I ran a quick calculation, if you borrowed 100K at 6.8% interest over a 20 year amortization schedule, the payments are $763/month. That’s a lot even for an engineer. It’s not impossible, but it’s a lot. These loans are not dischargable in bankruptcy, so you’re taking a pretty big risk. That’s $9K per year cash money well into your 40s. Unless you’re wildly successful because you went to Hopkins, and you might be, this loan will have a significant impact on your financial future. </p>

<p>Another question I have is why Baltimore. I mean, no disrespect intended, but I don’t understand your attraction to that particular city. Is it your hometown? Is there a significant other involved? </p>

<p>Some anecdotal data points, a person I know went to JHU for undergrad in engineering and then went to an Ivy for graduate school. She said that there was a lot more hand holding at the Ivy and as a TA, if a student was having trouble, she was responsible for seeking out that student and almost forcing help on them. As an undergrad at JHU, she never experienced that kind of personal support, and she thought it was much more Darwinian - help is there if you seek it but nobody is going to drag you in if you don’t initiate it. Frankly, engineering is hard and that kind of personal support is something worth paying for in a private school. When I struggled at MIT, TA’s would call me in and offer help. I’m saying this not to discourage you but to point out that there is a significant risk of not doing well, and being at such a competitive place and not doing well will diminish your prospects and make it even harder to pay back the loans even if you could get them. </p>

<p>Finally, I saw the 60 minutes on UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program and I was pretty impressed. There is obviously a great emphasis on research at this school and it seems like a primarily undergraduate institution so the opportunities for research seem great. it has the potential to be a great deal. They seem to get a lot of students into PhD programs. </p>

<p>I looked through the ChemE program at UMBC when my D2 was looking for colleges and I was pretty impressed with the credentials of the faculty and the size of the faculty. They had a strong emphasis on anything bio related, which appealed to her. She didn’t end up going there, but it was of interest. </p>

<p>Again, it’s hard to judge the quality of programs, or the quality of research, but the faculty seem pretty strong in anything biomedical related. The level of support they give their students seems very high. I just don’t know what to make of it, but in your case UMBC is worth a pretty close look. Make sure you apply by Nov 1 to maximize your merit possibilities.</p>

<p>So my food for thought is that JHU may not be as great as you think it is because of the Darwinian philosophy, and UMBC may be a lot better than you think it is because of the emphasis on undergraduate research and the ability of the school to get students into PhD programs. Both of this factors should be in your calculation on whether it’s worth taking on potentially crippling debt for this particular choice.</p>

12

<p>Thank you, this is all helpful. I really like B-more because it is close to home, and I really love the city- I live only an hour away but barely utilize it. Is it possible to go to a great grad school if I study engineering at a less competitive (but way more affordable for me) undergrad institution? Some of the schools aside from UMBC that have recruited me are Loyola MD, Temple (I could probably get into both honors programs) and Dickinson.</p>

13

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes, absolutely. People get into top grad programs all the time from non-top schools. I have a few friends at GaTech who did their undergrad at a medium competitive school. GPA’s, GRE’s, and research experience are what counts. And from what Classic Rocker Dad has mentioned, it seems like UMBC has a lot of research opportunities, which would actually put you in a better position.</p>

14

<p>

You can get into a top school from just about anywhere, the difference is that the “better” undergraduate departments make it easier - more rigorous academics, more research opportunities, more “top” researchers, etc.</p>

<p>But to be honest, it is much more important that you have a good undergrad experience, that the school is going to be a place where you can do well. It is better to do well in an “easier” school than to be crushed by a school that is a poor fit.</p>

15

<p>Thanks for the insights everyone. I really do seriously consider everything that you all say</p>

16

<p>Um…it sounds like the OP doesn’t know much about UMBC. That is one of the hot colleges right now. It’s hot not because it’s a pretty campus or has great dinning hall food. It’s hot because it’s producing quite well-educated STEM students and has a dynamic university president. You better think twice about turning down a free ride from UMBC.</p>