Hey everyone.
I’m currently a prospective computer engineer at a standstill hoping someone could help me out. I’ve gotten acceptance letters from UF and FIU along with financial aid letters. The only problem I have is choosing between the two.
If I were to go to FIU I’d be living at home an hour away and tuition would be completely covered in scholarships. At UF on the other hand, I’d end up with ~$20,000 of debt (half of which would be unsubsidized) by the time I graduate. Additionally, my parents would still be paying around 2-3 thousand a year to make up the difference.
I know UF is by far the best engineering school in FL but what I’m wondering is whether it’s worth the premium over FIU in my situation. It seems kind of stupid to piss away my opportunities and dismiss UF, so I’m leaning towards Gainesville at the moment.
Thanks in advance.
$20,000 total for a degree in engineering is perfectly doable for someone in CS and the experience of living 4 years at UF (the growth and independence you’ll gain) will also be very important to you personally.
Are your parents able to pay the $2,000 a year? Will you have a job this summer to lower costs to them or loans to you?
How are you coming up with that 20k number?
Do you have Bright Futures? An hour commute for FIU sounds kind of long.
While I normally am the one to say pick the better financial option… it is still UF in this case.
Going to a highly ranked vs unranked college and only paying what is it 40k more?
Worth it in my opinion
Better job network, probably will get paid more, etc
Now if it were 40k a year, that’s a different story
@SmartMaaaaan $3500 in subsidized loans per year over 4 years along with ~$2k PLUS loans per year (what I was offered) adds up to $22,000. Not an exact figure by any means
@MYOS1634 They’ll definitely be able to pay for it I just feel guilty about making the decision. If I manage to find a job between summers then that sounds like a good idea. Thanks.
@Trisherella I do have the top bright futures award. The commute (in Miami, no less) is definitely a quality of life issue, not sure if it’s a dealbreaker on it’s own though.
@AimingTop50 Thanks for the help
For the price difference and for engineering, UF is an easy choice.
For Computer Engineering, UF is an easy choice. It’s a well respected and nationally recruited program (every year, one of the top overall recruiters at UF is Intel).
This link will lead to a list of companies that attended last fall’s Career Showcase (career fair), I selected computer engineering and got 66 companies. It goes from Amazon, to Citrix Systems, GE, IBM, Intel, etc…
https://ufl-csm.symplicity.com/events/students.php
You can also do a few things to reduce your expenses. After your freshman year, move in with 2 or 3 roommates, Gainesville has some reasonable priced apartments, and perhaps pickup a part-time job. Working over the summer is an option.
Good Luck!
@Gator88NE Had no idea there’d be that many opportunities after graduation at UF. Definitely makes my choice a lot clearer, thanks!
I am generally against taking on debt for college if there is another viable option, but living at home and driving an hour to to FIU is not a good option. I feel the FIU option puts you in a high risk group for not graduation on 4 years, but that is just my opinion.
Does the $22K debt cover room and board? If that’s the case, UF is probably the better option financially for your parents anyway. I’m assuming that if you stay at home your parents will still be buying food for you and paying the incremental costs for utilities and other expenses that result from having a third person in the house. Then add in transportation costs and insurance. If you don’t need to bring a car to UF, they’ll see a significant drop in their auto insurance bill.