UCSD or NYU-Poly?

<p>I don't know which school to enroll in. I was accepted into UCSD for Structural Engineering, while I was accepted into NYU-Poly for Civil Engineering.</p>

<p>I was accepted into NYU-Poly's Honors Program. Their overall costs are about $54k a year, but I'm going to receive $27k a year, mostly in scholarships. Paying about $27k a year with about $50k in debt after graduation is a tad outside my parents' comfort zone, though. Plus, living alone in NYC when you're 18 doesn't sound very economically friendly either, although I would prefer to live in a vibrant urban setting, and NYU-Poly ranked among the top eight engineering schools with the best starting salaries. Their alumni also seem to be very well-off.</p>

<p>As a Los Angeles resident, UCSD would be far more affordable. Their engineering school is also ranked extremely high, and Forbes ranks UCSD 3rd nationally for salary earnings among public universities. As a military dependent, entering a public university of the state I reside in would be very beneficial, but the overall suburban area isn't some place I'd like to live in for too long. </p>

<p>How do their engineering programs (Civil for NYU-Poly, Structural for UCSD) compare? At this point, the only three factors I'm looking at are the surrounding environments, which respective program is better, and how much bang I could get for my buck. Can anyone help me choose? :D</p>

<p>P.S. I know that Civil/Structural Engineering is kind of a bottom-of-the-barrel major when it comes to engineering, and it might have been hit really hard in this recession, but I still want to pursue it! So please don't tell me that my only financial concern was the fact that I want to major in this. My parents tell me that enough, haha</p>