<p>Hey guys, I'm in a dilemma here and I was hoping you could help me out.</p>
<p>I live in Arizona. My state schools (UofA and ASU) are huge, ugly, hot, and (for the most part) stupid. 95% acceptance rate anybody?</p>
<p>I got into the University of Arizona with a full tuition scholarship. I still, however, have to pay room and board, around 10k.</p>
<p>I also got into a school in my dream city, Boston. That school, Northeastern University, gave me a 14K a year scholarship. I also got into the honors college. However, tuition is 32K, which boils down to 18K a year, PLUS another 10k of room and board. </p>
<p>Here's my question. Should I go to state school for 10K or out of state for 28k?</p>
<p>Are you paying, or your parents? If the latter, what's their stance on paying for more expensive schools?</p>
<p>There is one thing to note in your particular case that may affect your decision. Northeastern has one of the best co-op programs in the country. You can make good money doing co-ops as a Northeastern student. That money can be used to offset the greater expense.</p>
<p>Northeastern is a nice solid school, pretty well-regarded around here. My company's Senior VP (second-in-command behind the CEO) is a Northeastern engineering alum.</p>
<p>My parents said they could pay a MAX of around 15K, so that would mean I would be paying 13K out of pocket.</p>
<p>Personally, I think it is worth it to pay for a different environment. I have lived in Phoenix for 6 years and have been to Tucson on several occasions. The thought of spending 4 years there is simply unbearable. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info about the co-op program. How much can I expect to make through it? I'm a mechanical engineering major.</p>
<p>Ha ha. Your message hits close to home. If money's really an issue with you, go with U of A. I know it's not favorable, but DEFINITELY avoid ASU (especially Tempe campus). Have you been there during peak hours? It's so crowded.... If you also get into the U of A honors college, I hear it's not so bad. </p>
<p>I would choose Northeastern out of the three, but remember that if you really don't want to take out loans and apply for more scholarships and whatnot, then U of A is your best bet. :) Hey, at least it's free.</p>
<p>No offense,but I basically agree with the poster that, in terms of cache, Northeastern is akin to Univeristy of Arizona without the cactus. Maybe if you were talking about Harvard or MIT, I might have gone with these other schools.</p>
<p>MY opinion: Take the money at U of A and never look back. Saving $30,000 plus per year PLUS cost of living increases is just too hard to pass up. You and your parents will be very glad that you did, and you will get the same education.</p>
<p>Don't forget the co-op program at Northeastern. After your freshman year, you spend quite a bit of time in co-op, at which point you're not paying tuition and you're earning money. Crunch some of the co-op savings/earnings into your calculations and see what comes out. Ask the FA office to help you with those estimates, if you're not sure how to do it.</p>
<p>I don't see the problem of going to Northeastern if you're willing to work to pay the difference out-of-pocket. Go where you'll be happiest, no regrets. Make sure you really want Northeastern, though, since having to deal with work and loans CAN be taxing.</p>
<p>Are you sure that you wouldn't be happy at U of A? Any big public school will have lots of great opportunities available if you are aggressive about seeking them out. You can do summer internships or a year abroad if you need a change of scenery.
I wouldn't let the admissions rate influence your thinking. The only question that matters is whether your educational needs will be met.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that, because of the co-ops, Northeastern is a five year program, so you do have to take that extra year of tuition into account.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, both U of A and Northeastern are tied at 96th in US News national rankings. Interesting that one you would refer to as "crappy" and the other as "awesome".</p>
<p>First off I disagree that Northeastern is ASU without the cactus. OP if you want to PM me I can give you some more information about the coop program, the honors program, etc.<br>
As far as the coop and tuition goes, you do not pay tuition when you are on coop BUT it is wrong to think that you will save a lot of money when you are on coop. The average coop job pays about $13. per hour. Unless you would be doing a coop in AZ, likely you will be living on campus so you will be paying room and board out of your earnings. A current semester room and board is around $3500 per semester (cost depends on which dorm). You then take classes in the summer and pay half tuition during that time as you only take half a course load BUT you have to pay living expenses in Boston during that summer.<br>
So basically after your freshmen year you won't be going back to AZ in the summer. You will have living expenses almost year round in Boston.</p>
<p>Think about going to school in Arizona for a year or two and then transferring elsewhere. You'd same some money, and if you ended up liking it and decide not to transfer, you'd save even more.</p>
<p>Polar, Northeastern is not awesome. It is a good university, but it is not awesome. And Arizona and ASU are not crappy. They too are good universities. Those three universities are actually equal in terms of quality. And your math is a little optimistic. First of all, Room and Board at Northeastern is closer to $11,000, not including entertainment and plane tickets to fly home on holidays. Room and board at Arizona is $8,000 and entertainmen is cheaper in Arizona than in Boston. In terms of cost of living, I would estimate that Northeastern would cost you roughly $15,000/year compared to $10,000 at Arizona or ASU. On top of that, tuition at Northeastern will cost you $18,000. Altogether, I would estimate that attending Northeastern will cost you $23,000/year more than attending Arizona or ASU. Sorry, but Northeastern simply isn't worth it. If you were chosing between Arizona and say MIT or Harvard, I would at least understand. But not Northeastern.</p>
<p>I would rate Northeastern and U of A equally, and I also think that most others in the country would do the same.</p>
<p>Boston is a wonderful city, and also is a city that you could live in after college graduation. I don't think it would be worth taking out large loans so as to attend college there.</p>
<p>As for me, I lived in Boston for college. Fabulous city, but the climate sucks. I'd prefer the scenery and climate at U of A.</p>
<p>While U of A is known as a party school, all party schools -- particularly large ones -- have contingents of serious students and activities for serious students. S attends a LAC with a rep as a party school, and yet has been able to find a contingent of solid, hard working, fun, nonpartying friends, and has found many activities and organizations to be involved in that don't include drinking or drugging.</p>
<p>This question is simple. Paying 52k out of pocket to go to Northeastern is simply not worth it. I know you do not like the setting, but the truth is, you will love your college experience no matter where it is. You will have fun. Go to Arizona, its regarded as one of the better state schools and does not have a terrible campus. Arizona is way more reputable also. No one really knows much about Northeastern, except for people who know ALOT about college. Plus, if you go to Northeastern, the school feels overshadowed by the many great schools in the New England area (not to mention Boston alone with Harvard, MIT, Tufts, BC, and BU). Northeastern is not reagarded as one of the better schools in the area, and does not command alot of respect among other college studnets. Save money, go to an equally good, more prestigious school.</p>