<p>I looked through a couple pages of posts, and didn't see this addressed.</p>
<p>I go to a good school (Carnegie Mellon) in a good major (Engineering). I have about a half scholarship, so I pay less than the sticker of $45k.</p>
<p>However, this is still about $10-15k more than good ol' state U back home.</p>
<p>I know CMU is good with jobs and all, but I'm not sure if the extra $25k over my next two years here is worth it. I could buy a car instead of taking out the loans. Granted, I already have several thousand sunk into this place.</p>
<p>If I transfered back home, I would still live on campus, still keep my major (most likely, but that's not the reason for a switch). I don't think I'd miss this campus, but I would miss my friends. </p>
<p>Additionally, I want to study abroad and I don't think I have the money to do that, which frankly is depressing.</p>
<p>So CCers, should I stay or should I go? Other creative suggestions would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I'd check with your state U & see which credits transfer & how long it would take you to graduate to see if what you're thinking of is even do-able. A friend whose son is at CMU found out that NONE of his CMU credits would transfer to our state U & no courses he could take at state U would transfer to CMU. He was very upset & frustrated but ultimately decided to get his degree from CMU. You can't assume that any school will necessarily accept transfer credits from another school.</p>
<p>I'd definitely discuss the options with the relevant counselors at the two schools & talk with your family. The time to sort this out is now.</p>
<p>Well i'd say the way to go about this is to begin with the median/avg. salary upon graduation at both CMU and your state university. Then I would try to extrapolate your future earnings at CMU and at the state U. How much income per year would be foregone by going to a state school? I know much of this is speculation, but stringing together as many factors as possible should make the decision easier. Factors i'm thinking about would be how beneficial CMU's social networking might be in your future career and salary. How about the quality of recruiters at CMU vs. the state university? I've heard that many top notch engy firms pay for grad school too, making it all the more important to get hired by a good firm. </p>
<p>To cut to the point: How much foregone income are you willing to trade off for a car, and maybe studying abroad?</p>
<p>Personally, I think that the $25,000K is a small amount in comparison to your increased, life time, earnings potential from CMU.</p>