<p>Hi all. Love to get your opinion here...
My D wants to study engineering (probably Mechanical) and was accepted to both U of M and Georgia Tech. She was also accepted to our in state school but does not want to attend, it is lower in the rankings. Money is always a factor, but while we are by no means wealthy, we could find the money....</p>
<p>The Pros for U of M:
Family within 3 hours
Great college town
Great reputation for a wide range of majors- what if engineering doesn't work out?
Well rounded college experience- big 10 sports, diverse student body, wide range of student majors</p>
<p>Cons for U of M:
$53k+ oos, no financial aid
Plane ride away
Cold climate
Huge size, 25,000+ undergrads</p>
<p>Pros for GT:
Great engineering programs
Very good internship opportunities (co-op)
Approx. 6 hour drive away
Nice campus with a city full of options
Warmer climate
Accepted into a living community that excites my D
42k+ Oos, not counting on any aid
ACC sports
14,000 undergrads</p>
<p>Cons for GT:
Less options if engineering doesn't work out- 53% study engineering
Worse campus tour experience
Student stress ranked high, seemed high
Less well rounded student body
Due to co-ops, low 4 year grad rate
Lack of visible student activities advertised on campus
Somewhat geeky vibe</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice. We are really struggling with this decision.</p>
<p>I may be biased since I go here, but NCSU is pretty well known for engineering I would say. I mean, we are not GTech, but we are pretty good. My program, IE, is a top ten. I went to UNC for undergrad and am doing a MS here. I have received interviews from all sorts of places and all over the country. I think I am going on number 13+ this week- all stemming from our huge career fair. I have an interview today for a major bank which has its headquarters in Tx. I also have offers from top engineering firms and top financial firms in the US. NCSU will not hold you back and will provide a great education along the way.</p>
<p>If the money difference is not a factor, I’d go with UM. GT is a great school but take it from someone who lives in Atlanta with friends at GT… all those cons are true. Atlanta is an awesome city, but it’s not the best college town. Police department will have too much on their hands to care about your lost purse/laptop. </p>
<p>A pro for GT is that your D will get any boy she wants considering the gender ratio… which may be bad for you as a parent ;)</p>
<p>The difference in ranking is not worth worrying about. I went through this same process last year and S ended up in state at NCSU. He was also accepted at Virginia Tech. Did not apply anywhere else. I am biased on this since I am a VT alum.</p>
<p>All of the schools you mention are essentially the same academically, IMHO. Pick the one where D would like to live for 4 years.</p>
<p>NCSU seems like the obvious choice. $80,000 to $124,000 for the difference to attend GT or UM is a lot of money, particularly if a lot of it must be funded with debt.</p>
<p>A low four year graduation rate due to lots of students doing co-ops is benign, since such students are not necessarily spending extra semesters in school paying tuition.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the great comments. They are truly helpful. The costs for my D’s education will not come from loans. We have saved but we have a second child coming up the ranks and it would obviously require fewer lifestyle changes to if she were to pick a less costly school. Our decision will include cost, and quality of education, internship opportunities, future job prospects, and her overall feel for the school. She is a bright, social kid who wants a vibrant, interesting campus. Unfortunately, she was rejected from the schools that had that “wow” factor for her…still some great choices for which we are thankful! </p>
<p>Note that NCSU is one corner of the Research Triangle, so there should be some local employer presence there that recruits at NCSU.</p>
<p>If you paid UM money for the first kid, would you be able to pay UM money for the second kid? If not, how would you explain not being able to offer the second kid the same college money that you paid for the first kid?</p>
<p>This is tough because you have already allowed her to apply to OOS public schools , despite lack of aid. NC State really is the obvious choice here , unless you are wealthy. Their program is well respected and I believe they have good job placement. We are in Virginia and my kids only applied to the Virginia schools for engineering as we would not have considered paying a premium for a Georgia Tech or Michigan, particularly knowing we had to educate 2 children (as is your situation). But that was our position and it is a very personal choice as to how much to spend. They were certainly free to apply OOS but we made it clear before applications went out what our financial limits were (essentially that we could help toward the cost of an IS education). As has been mentioned, if you pay for Michigan or GT, it could be very difficult to not offer your second child the opportunity to go to whatever school that child wants as well Good luck with the decision.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor. Where you can get TWO tickets in the same day at the same spot by the same AAPD cop. Driving to class and driving from class. Happened to a friend b-( </p>
<p>Hard decision, but if NCSU is in the cards, I’d consider them as well. </p>
<p>Again, all these comments are super helpful and appreciated!</p>
<p>So what if we took money out of the equation, honestly this was not indended to be a thread about only the costs. A college education is not a depreciating asset, like my car in the driveway, right? Does everyone here think an OOS , public school is not worth the $, even if it is ranked as one of the top 5 engineering programs? We felt that the top ranked, public schools, were a decent option…UVA, U of M, UNC and GT for engineering. Hobbithopeful brought up a few points about the safety of GT and the imbalance of 69% men to 31% women, and that some of my “cons” listed above were valid. Anyone care to comment on those issues? Are there any other opinions about the engineering programs themselves? Job prospects, internships? What about the huge, proud alumni base at U of M? Wouldn’t that carry some wait in the job market? Does everyone agree with decidesomehow and others that there is no real difference?</p>
<p>Thanks, in advance, for weighing in…again!</p>
<p>PS turbo93 that is just unfortunate, bad luck! Lol</p>
<p>Taking $$ out of the equation I lean toward U of M. Why? We are from PA and have no desire for our state school either. Both GT and U of M are GREAT Engineering schools and we visited both campuses last summer. My S loved the U of M tour and campus. He wants to keep up his music and coming from a large high school, U of M size doesn’t bother him, especially if a change of major May happen for your D. Good luck in your decision, that is a toughie. Both are excellent choices!</p>
<p>You also have that Triangle area in NC who recruit heavily from NC. Now I am speaking from an overall “engineering” point of view. If it was Computer Science…I would say in-state is definitley all you need.</p>
<p>OP - I, for one, don’t think it’s worth the money if you are a full pay. What’s important is how well she does in college. If she graduates with a good GPA, some hands-on lab experience, and good LORs, she’ll be alright. After the first job, no one really cares about where you went to school. I also don’t think you can take money out of equation. It is such an important part of the college selection process. </p>
<p>If money is not the issue, then ask your D which school/campus she likes most. It does not help if she would not want to go to NCSU even if it is free. It would not be wrong to go to either UMich or GT for ME academically. Other than the city/campus, you may ask her if she wants to have a minor or second major on something. UMich does offer a lot more option on that. Atlanta has better public transport and is a much bigger city than Ann Arbor if that matters to her. The winter is not that bad in AA once you get used to it. We moved from Texas to AA many years ago and we have not complained too much except for this year. At least, there is no one stuck on highway overnight during a winter storm in Ann Arbor but in Atlanta. ;)</p>