<p>Also, the Presidential scholarship at UA covers tuition including increases for all 4 years.</p>
<p>My mother was mentored by a Lehigh engineer. She has the utmost respect for him and knows he was well-educated. However, my parents lost it when they saw the equipment in the labs and the tuition for Lehigh. I remember seeing that same old, lab equipment in their factory when I was a little kid. It was sitting in a dusty storage room. </p>
<p>Parentofpeople. </p>
<p>My parents were not impressed by any of it. In their opinion, the caliber of the engineering students that we met, the engineering facilities and the projects being touted were all subpar. And, yes. They have a lot to say about where I attend school. Their company is paying my tuition. </p>
<p>To Consolation- the cost of attendance have the Federal loans already factored in. At UA the federal loans are worth $5500. At Lehigh, he gets $6500 because of an additional Perkins loan. The rest are scholarship grants. He also got a work study grant of $1500 at Lehigh- which we felt was okay since he will be able to secure a job on campus. So the remaining cost at UA is $6000 and at Lehigh $10000. Cost at Lehigh might end up being cheaper because travel costs from NY is cheaper compared to going to Alabama.</p>
<p>To sparksflying- We toured Lehigh Engineering and were very impressed with the research and facilities we saw. The engineering department resembled Cornell at a smaller scale. The proximity of Lehigh to NY, Boston, Philadelphia, New jersey and Boston ensured that the Lehigh students are able to get internships and jobs at many companies in the northeast. Lehigh engineering is also highly regarded when we asked several engineers based in Pittsburgh (where we are from). We didn’t see all the facilities at Alabama but I know they have a new STEM building. Our main concern with UA is that the lack of research on my son’s field of interest- Biomechanical Engineering and job placements in the northeast.</p>
<p>Tweetymommy:</p>
<p>If you’re OK with Lehigh, go for it. It is a nice campus. Just because it doesn’t suit our needs. That doesn’t mean it won’t suit yours.</p>
<p>Loans are not aid! They are a convenience, not a discount. You need to remove the loans to determine your totsl cost.</p>
<p>To Chardo, the total cost of loans is roughly the same ($5500 for UA and $6500 for Lehigh). DS was given grants and scholarships at Lehigh so cost of attendance is ~$10.000 while at UA is $6000. Lehigh was very generous with need based grants because our family income is low. Lehigh is very expensive (~$57,000/ yr) but offered enough grants and a work study grant so make it possible for DS to attend. DS and I really liked the CBH fellowship but it is looking more and more that Lehigh might offer the best option for him and our family.</p>
<p>Tweety mommy, it sounds like you have 2 great options and they are both great. I am partial to Lehigh because of our great experience there. It does not have that big sports feel that Alabama has but that may not be a factor for him. </p>
<p>Another thing to consider is cost of travel. When my D went to school we didn’t think too much about it. But it was really hard when everyone else is going home for fall break and she wasn’t. It was very hard that first year when we couldn’t afford to fly her home for thanksgiving. It got better, mostly after she had a boyfriend where she can go. But she is not the most outgoing person and there were not a ton of invitations. I won’t lie. </p>
<p>My DS was admitted to Lehigh IBE (full price), and turned it down for Alabama electrical engineering. He has no regrets. </p>
<p>To deb922- I think the driving distance to Lehigh (~ 4 hrs) is a big factor for me. It will be too expensive for us to fly to Alabama or for DS to fly home on short breaks. DS is the first one of my kids to leave for college. He just turned 17 this year so he will be younger than most college students so I can’t help but worry. The hard partying that Lehigh is known for is a concern. Any feedback on how to deal with this or whether we should worry about it would be appreciated.</p>
<p>To Chardo- DS and I loved UA. We loved the campus and the people we met during the tour. And DS enjoyed his visit there during the CBH weekend that is why it is such a hard decision. </p>
<p>Alabama, as well as every other college in the country, has plenty of partying too. Don’t let that perception dissuade you from a school you otherwise like.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore at UA. She’s very happy there and pleased with her choice. She isn’t an engineering major, so I can’t help you there, but she is in CBH and likes the program and the research she’s done (hers is in economics). One thing I’ll say about UA - top students who want personal attention get it. Most of the professors are very student-centric, and it has the smallest big-school feel we encountered. I’m not sure if it’s a consideration for your son, but my D loves being at a football powerhouse and being able to see Division I sports. She’s not a partier and is not Greek, but she definitely appreciates the sports culture. We’re a 12 hour drive from Tuscaloosa but it hasn’t been a big deal. Flights between Chicago and Birmingham are easy and usually reasonably priced, and there are enough OOS kids at UA (over half) that there are plenty of kids on campus during short breaks (including T’giving, when many kids choose to stay to watch the Iron Bowl). Have you checked the flight schedules between your town and B’ham? </p>
<p>Your son has two good options, and it sounds like the cost difference between the two schools isn’t significant. That being the case, your son has the luxury of being able to choose the school that he thinks is the best fit and where he’ll be happy for the next four years. Obviously being able to do the research he wants to do is an important factor, but there are many others. Good luck to your son with his choice - it sounds to me like he won’t go wrong either way.</p>
<p>I should also add that the alumni network at Lehigh is very strong. And it is interesting to see how close DD and her Lehigh friends have remained after graduation. They can go into a bar in NY (forget the drinking aspect) and it will be a large Lehigh crowd of all ages. They really stick together even after graduation. Groups like that provide great networking opportunities long after graduation. I should point out DD was not Engineering, so 1. I am not insulted by someone’s parents opinion 
and 2. She did participate in Greek life which is very strong, and had a great experience all around.</p>
<p>As a current freshman engineering student at Lehigh I can only say good things about our engineering school up here. If you go on payscale.com you’ll see that Lehigh has one of the highest ROI’s (return on investment) in the country too, even beating some Ivy’s. With that said I received a similar financial aid package from Lehigh and have no regrets in coming here. It really is and excellent school. If he’s interested in seeing what its like to be a freshman engineering student at Lehigh then check out our blog at <a href=“http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/</a><br>
(Its actually run by freshman engineering students on work/study)</p>
<p>Eng’g salaries are going to be regional based on the cost of living. So, making $5 -10k more in a pricey area won’t mean that you’ll have more discretionary dollars than if you earn less in a cheaper area. </p>
<p>I know several Lehigh MechE’s and they have been very successful. Lehigh does have a “work hard, play hard” mentality, but I don’t think it comes close to Alabama as a party school. Lehigh also has a great alumni network. While it is especially strong in the NE, there are plenty of Lehigh grads in Charlotte, Raleigh, etc. It sounds like your S likes both programs, so it may be a matter of “fit.” Lehigh is not particularly diverse. On the other hand, Alabama is very Southern.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses. We are so torn in our decision still. We just found out that UA awarded DS with more money ($2500) as a CBH fellow. This brings the cost of attendance really low (~4000/yr). But cost of attendance at the University of Pittsburgh (Engineering) is $3300 because of scholarships and grants. While Lehigh would cost about $12500. Pitt and Lehigh would keep him close to us in the northeast. We are leaving the decision to DS. He is still undecided because he could see himself attending each of these schools. We are thankful that he has these options.</p>
<p>Tweentymommy: Remember, grant money is that, grant money. If the grant dries up, what will up to his funding?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, about Alabama, my son is a recent graduate. He did CBHP, and he found the program quite rewarding. Worked with one professor for three years. He has degrees in economics and political science, as well as minors in CBHP and mathematics. He graduated debt free, studied abroad, earned a Hollings Scholarship, was a Phi Beta Kappa and now has a full ride to UVA Law. He was friends and roommates with many of engineers. One was a ChemE major (also got a degree in political science), was a Truman Scholar and now works for the government. Another was a Goodwater Scholar as a chemE major and earned a big scholarship to med school. The third, his best friend, was a MechE major. She was a Hollings Scholar, a Goldwater Scholar, a Mitchell Scholar, won a scholarship from the National Science Foundation and recently accepted a PhD offer from Stanford – and she will not be paying for it, either. She turned down Cal Tech, Ga. Tech, Michigan and MIT. </p>
<p>Your son has excellent options, just as my son did five years ago. It is not an easy decision. It is what makes him happy.</p>
<p>Your son is fortunate to have two options that are also financially feasible for your family. As a parent of a UA CBHP student, I can tell you that the administrators, teachers and fellow students will provide a strong support system and challenging reasearch, academic, and social peer group. The program really is as good as it seems! LeHigh also offers a great environment, I’m sure. It may come down to feelings or intangibles, things hard to quantify for the STEM student. Best of luck to your son.</p>
<p>Tweetmommy - Is there any chance at all that your DS may change his mind and not go into engineering? A lot of kids start out saying they want to major in one thing and then go into something else. Is there anything else that he is interested in that one school offers but the other doesn’t? Also he has to maintain a 3.0 for the Presidential . is the gpa higher to keep the $2500 fellow scholarship? Are there gpa requirements for lehigh and if so are they reasonable? </p>