<p>We all hope that college loans and parent loans will be available in the next two to three years. Lowering the college debt is a good thing in this economy. If I can use the analogy of gadad the non government student/parent loan market could be the like the five star restaurant that may be out of business next week and the fast food still going strong. There is safety and security by going to a financial safety to guarantee that you will have the loans and resources to finish college plans in our near future. And yes when I hire it does not matter if the MBA is from Northwestern or Northern Illinois , not anymore. Hiring market is changing dramatically.</p>
<p>@ash_godinho: I think you should consider transferring to Cal Poly SLO . If you are a good student you should definitely make it there and with this economy they should be willing to take in students. Their tuition fees is a bare 15,000$ per year and I think it has a very very good engineering school quite comparable to that of UVa. </p>
<p>Where as transferring to George masons is considered… I’D say in this economy where even the best engineers are not getting jobs or are being paid as much the catalog the elite university they attended to shows, 36K is a lot of money and it will take you some time to pay it off and it will be a burden on your parents. </p>
<p>I am not in a position to hire engineers :P… I am just 16 and I got accepted to UMichigan … I have had cousins who made it in to Yale and as low as MNSU- Mankato and all of them tell me IT IS THE STUDENT NOT THE SCHOOL. Trust me on this … .UVa will not be able to get you an interview with Boeing or Microsoft for the position of the CEO if you have a C grade. </p>
<p>Just take it like this 2-3 years from now if you attend George mason … you would have a job, you would be debt free and all the money to spend on yourself. Just going to UVa won’t give you “Buddy’s for life” or the Life changing experience coz at UVa random people are not going to come up to you and ask you to be friends or give you booze or invite you to their amazing party. If you are a amiable you can make new friends and if you are a jolly person you can certainly have fun at George mason. </p>
<p>I hope this helps and to above CC posters … feel free to attack me 
</p>
<p>Also please speak up and tell what you are thinking at this moment or your thinking coz these people will just keep on arguing :P.</p>
<p>ash_godinho-I don’t believe you answered if there is anything about your parent’s financial situation that has changed since you started at UVa? (sorry if i missed that)Your parents were at one point willing to fund 4 years there since you did end up there as a freshman. If their situation has changed, can you speak with the financial aid people? I assume you are instate for both schools? You will still have to eat whether you are on campus or at home. Next year you would not have to pay for a meal plan so could possibly economize more with food so the main extra cost seems as if it would be housing (although at GMU you would add car and gas expense)and also you are saying you can finish more quickly at GMU. Have you overlooked any AP classes that UVa would accept or community college classes you have taken or could take ? Can you work part time? If you really want to save money, you could consider community college (possibly as early as next semester?) with later transfer to a 4 year school.How much do you want to stay? I am not advocating you stay with UVa at all costs-that is a decision only you and your parents can make. I just don’t think the decision to transfer is as clear cut as some have suggested. If it were, you would not have posted to begin with. Good luck!</p>
<p>Shar quote: *@ash_godinho: I think you should consider transferring to Cal Poly SLO . If you are a good student you should definitely make it there and with this economy they should be willing to take in students. **Their tuition fees is a bare 15,000$ per year **and I think it has a very very good engineering school quite comparable to that of UVa. *</p>
<p>I think that $15k per year for tuition **is a lot more **than what the OP is currently paying for tuition. I think he’s currently paying about $10k per year in tuition at UVa. Paying OOS tuition for SLO would worsen his situation.</p>
<p>MY bad … I did not read the specifics… </p>
<p>Also, if anyone is interested in helping me out :- </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/830917-university-michigan-ann-arbor-vs-purdue-vs-university-toronto-vs-waterloo.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/830917-university-michigan-ann-arbor-vs-purdue-vs-university-toronto-vs-waterloo.html</a></p>
<p>TheresaCPA, I think your Northwestern/Northern Illinois example(private/public) may be different than what the OP is dealing with (probably 2 instate choices although the OP has not made that clear). The differences may not be as great and the parents may not even be aware that the OP is considering a transfer. A serious talk with the parents is in order if it hasn’t happened already. It may be very doable to stay if sacrifices are made. If finances have changed that drastically, a call to UVa financial aid first may help or a transfer to GMU or community college if things cannot be worked out with UVa.</p>
<p>Thank again for your thoughts.</p>
<p>My financial situation has not changed since I first started college. I was only thinking of alternatives. My parents say that I can go anywhere I want and they will support it. They know that i will work hard and hopefully get a good job. I did speak to my parents and they did understand everything. They would be fine with any choice i make as long as it is in my best interest. In turn, I plan to pay them back for their loan they take out, eventually. I know this seems unrealistic and main students must say this I truly want to do it. Wherever I graduate from, If I stay at home for a year or two right when I get out from college, I will have no expenses and pay them back. I live near the DC area so there is a great job opportunities. Many UVA, VA Tech, and Mason engineering grad end up working there anyway.</p>
<p>I went to all the job fairs at UVA Fall Semester (Engineering and Commerce Fairs), and I heard one thing from most of them- GPA is more like a first barrier, then it matters on experience. Meaning for people above a 3.0 or 3.5 GPA, employers look at internships. I was thinking that UVA would land me a better internship than Mason. Your thoughts?</p>
<p>Son graduated with above 3.5 so had good interviews and offers for both internships and permanent jobs. He did have a paid intership after his 3rd year. He was placed with another UVa girl and a guy from George Mason. The 2 UVa kids got permanent offers (which my son declined) while the GMU guy did not get an offer. This is of course just anecdotal and is no reflection on GMU. You should be able to get internships with either. I do know the career services and recruiting for engineers at UVa seems very good and helpful. Have no knowledge of the GMU services . By the way, my son came out of UVa with $15,000 in loans(we were full pay and we made him take out some loans as we felt he should have some responsibility for his own education). He is living frugally with a bunch of other guys, sharing expenses , and is quickly paying off the debt. He expects to be debt free fairly soon.</p>
<p>If you truly loves UVA, I would not transfer unless you are not doing well. Year from now you will be glad you spent the extra year in college. The $36,000 is actually less than that if you factor in the commuting cost. The time you save from commuting, you can get a part time job near UVA. You can also share an apartment off campus and prepare your own food, etc there are way to save money. Son is third year and shares an apartment with three other students. After the first year, I only paid his tuition and rent. He had a part time job at UVA and summer job to pay all his other expenses. The $36,000 may sound like a lot of money, but depending on the term of your loan, you monthly payment may not be a lot after the first few years and your salary would be increasing (hopefully).</p>
<p>Name recognition is somewhat important. Most people not in the DC area probably have not heard of GMU. What employers consider when they look at a college graduate is the gpa and course selection. Assuming both are nearly identical, the UVA student is more likely to be selected as they are perceived more to be better trained. If you do well, not matter where you go, you are likely to land a job. On the other hand if you have a low gpa and weak curriculum, no matter where you go, you are likely to be rejected. We have reject graduates from Duke and Columbia for this reason. Visit the GMU career office and find out how many companies and what type of company recruit at GMU vs UVA. I graduated from an engineering school. My senior year, we had over a hundred companies recruiting. Where as nearby lower tier schools the number were between 50 to 60. School with better name recognition tend to have better recruitment.</p>
<p>I’m no engineer but I’ll speculate that Engineering at GMU and UVA are more or less equal. UVA’s program is not the best in Virginia (see Virginia Tech) and GMU is on the rise as a whole. Don’t misunderstand me; by no means is the UVA engineering program poor.</p>
<p>Why don’t you make an appt with GMA dept of engineering and find out what their internships opportunities are? Also, find out if they have co-op opportunities. Those are wonderful - you get much of your education paid for and a likely job when you graduate! :)</p>
<p>We can only **speculate ** and might lead you wrong; you need to find out from the real sources.</p>
<p>If you plan on working in the DC area, then those companies will certainly know of GMU. There won’t be a “name recognition” problem. </p>
<p>You’re right about GPA being important. :)</p>
<p>Ultimately, your priorities will dictate this call. My family belongs to a church which we support financially. A lot of our friends are there, it’s the hub of our social lives, and are kids have been involved in community service and music through its programs. It takes a good bit of time and financial support, but it works for us. My elderly mom watches a minister from the other coast on TV. She sends him $25 from time to time. Not nearly the quality of life impact that our church provides us, but at this stage in life it works for her. It’s not a perfect analogy, but your decision seems to have some similarities.</p>
<p>If you attend GMU and find a co-op or internship during an academic semester, that’ll definitely outweigh going to a school like UVA for its’ prestige. Companies want experience, and you’ll definitely be ahead of the game if you have a decent gpa and some experience. Plus, the big engineering firms reside in the DC area so you’ll have a chance with them.</p>
<p>I haven’t read through the entire thread, but generally you want to go to the best school you can for your terminal degree.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for their insightful posts. I still haven’t made up my mind and believe me i think about it everyday. What do you think of the 3 years graduating vs 4 years. I feel that it will be a great benefit as it gives me a whole year extra to pay off my loans and gather work experience. Is this a benefit or am i missing something?</p>
<p>Because it appears that you truly love UVA, you might find yourself quite unhappy at George Mason. Going from a residential experience, where you have made friends and enjoyed the academics, to living at home (even if you’re close to your family) and squeezing in enough classes to graduate early might be very difficult. And, if you’re unhappy, you might not do as well in school (and if your GPA suffers, then your job prospects will suffer).</p>
<p>Although I agree that the cost differential is significant, I come down on the side of those who think you should stay at UVA. It is a wonderful school in so many ways, with a fine engineering department, and you have obviously found a strong niche there. If your parents have told you that they can handle the finances, then I would believe them.</p>
<p>I visited both, and GMU has a pretty good pull in the D.C. area (due to it’s close proximity). The campus was nice, and they are trying to turn from a commuter school to a residential school. If all you care about is academics and cost, GMU would be a good bet. Not sure on the engineering program, but hey, you can get an education anywhere. In summary, GMU has a good influence on Washington D.C. I’m sure you can find a job there.</p>
<p>Most important: are the schools ABET accredited in the specific area of engineering that you want to study? George Mason is accredited in four areas, UVA in eight. You will want to get your P.E. someday, and ABET accreditation will be required for this. Even if you plan to enter a field where there is not yet a P.E., someday that field will probably have this requirement. And, ABET accreditation just means more respect for the institution; some employers may not hire unless the program is accredited, and graduate programs may not admit. You should also look at the date of accreditation to see when the next date will be and consider whether the program is likely to be renewed. See the ABET website for more info, do a search on Virginia, and click the plus sign by the schools to see the areas in which they are accredited.</p>
<p>What about the graduating one year earlier? Is that a good thing of disadvantage?</p>
<p>This may seem obvious but before you consider transferring, make sure that Mason offers the type(s) of engineering you may be considering. Mason does NOT offer all the engineering majors that UVa does!</p>