*UIUC vs Rutgers* Aerospace Engineering. Which to pick?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Costs after grants + scholarships excluding work-study:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: $34,464
Rutgers State University: $4,740</p>

<p>I want to major in Aerospace Engineering. UIUC has my major, is a top 5 engineering college and a top 7 in Aerospace. I heard it has some of the best professors + campus along with a great internship program.</p>

<p>Rutgers, on the other hand, is my state school. However, it has a Mechanical Engineering Degree with an Aerospace concentration. I have not heard much of its Aerospace Concentration. </p>

<p>Now, my dad hates Mechanical Engineering because he believes you won't get a job, etc. He wants me to do Civil Engineering instead. However, I'm not that interested in it.</p>

<p>What should I do? Should I attend UIUC or Rutgers?</p>

<p>In addition, what are the chances of getting more scholarships from UIUC once you're enrolled and have a good GPA?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Well first, with all due respect, your dad is a moron. Mechanical engineeing is one of the broadest of all engineering majors, and is therefore one of the more recession resistent majors available.</p>

<p>Second, you should be able to do aerospace jobs just fine as an ME if you choose the Rutgers route, especially with the aerospace concentration. It is true that UIUC is a great school and all, and I dd my undergrad there and loves it, but I would doubt that there is enough to make it worth an extra $120k over your four years. If money was no object, I would defintely pick UIUC though.</p>

3

<p>I think moron is a bit strong of a strong statement there. His dad may not be well informed about all of the opportunities in each field.</p>

<p>My advice to you would be to save your money because it will help you in the long run if you are wanting to pursue more education.</p>

4

<p>Thank you. So, the wise choice would be to go to Rutgers and then go to grad school at UIUC? (I’ve heard they cover your grad fees if you have good grades!)</p>

5

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<p>The wise choice would be to decide upon grad school starting your junior-ish year, and not limit yourself to just UIUC. By then you will have a better idea of if you really want to pursue grad school, and what concentration you would want to get your degree in. UIUC is a fine school, but saying you are going there for grad school when you are currently unclear of your major, let alone what concentration you like within that major, is a bit naive. Focus on getting good grades, and getting research experience relevant to your major for the next couple of years… everything else will pan out.</p>

6

<p>Thank you, gstein. :)</p>