My son (located outside of Boston), got into some great engineering schools and has narrowed down his choices to:
Umass Amherst (honors program) undecided engineering, in-state, no debt coming out. Big campus, big school which is not what he wanted initially.
WPI, engineering - undecided, good merit aid, little to no debt. Nice size and campus. Professors are engaged and passionate, solid reputation.
Northeastern, - civil and computer science combined major, 1st year of this major but ultimately a CivEng major. Great co-op. Not a traditional campus feel. Heāll have around $45k worth of debt after 4 years. Great reputation.
LeHigh, civil engineering, lovely campus, program he wants but price is crazy. As much as I want him to be happy, not with over $100k of debtā¦
Thoughts? It is all so subjective. Wondering if I am missing anything? I am not from this country so first time going through this system.
It seems like you answered the question already. He likes WPI and can graduate with little to no debt. Itās a very innovative program. Why look deeper?
BTW, he canāt carry the debt levels you are referring to. Only you can. For engineering, especially given the great reputation of the affordable programs, Iād strongly advise against. Certainly someone will chime in though and itās none of my business.
WPI is a great program, though do make sure heās ok with the short terms and the project-based learning. Of all the engineering focused colleges my D22 looked at, WPI is the only one she liked.
My daughter graduated from WPI a few years back. Great school and she really loved it. Smaller school with an excellent reputation. And for you, little or no debt. Sounds like a great fit.
When you say no debt, does that mean that the cost to your family is the same? Does this mean that the cost at WPI will be almost as low as at UMass Amherst, or does it mean that although junior would come out with no debt, youād be paying 200K as opposed to 100K for his education?
If the true cost of WPI is about the same as UMass, and he wants a small engineering school as opposed to a big university, then it looks as if the answer is WPI. But only if you are not putting in a much larger amount, in order for him to come out debt free.
To me it would be a no-brainer- U Mass if he can get his head wrapped around the size, and WPI if not. Both offer academic rigor, will prepare him for whatever comes next, and both are big enough for him to find his āpeopleā socially.
Northeastern and Lehigh donāt offer much the others doā¦ except a higher price-tag.
Have your son (obviously good at math) run the repayment schedules on the kind of loans you are talking about. Let him see his own monthly payments, PLUS yours (he canāt take out those kind of loans on his own, only you canā¦)
As a future engineer, there wonāt be a lot of gray area in his analysis!!!
I agree with the above. Sounds like WPI with little debt. All fields need engineers and they canāt get enough right now. Large amount of ones retired during pandemic. He will have a job, donāt worry about that.
UMass honors surpasses WPI, IMO. Heāll have smaller classes and some access to co-ops ( though not set up as nicely as NEU). WPI is also a great school. But academically, I think the honors program is going to have stronger students and the programs size will mean heāll have more options for various engineering programs. Have you visited both schools? Itās a good way to ask questions and really hear about the approach in each school.
Also, since all are ABET, then the outcome in terms of jobs is likely to be equal. Engineers of all types are very much in demand. Unlike other fields, engineering education is same-same for the most part. He can spend $$ on grad school for the differentiation.
Congratulations on your sonās excellent choices. I agree that there is no reason to take on huge debt at Lehigh or even Northeastern. If he doesnāt want a large school then WPI is a great choice. If he is unsure Iād try to revisit WPI and UMass during accepted student days.
This is pure speculation. Whether one is ābetterā or not really depends on the experience a student wants to have. If he hasnāt visited both, that would be very helpful. If he has, his gut will tell him which one is right.
I agree 100%. I was only pushing back on the notion that UMASS students would be smarter and that heād have more opportunity there. The opportunities will be different and kids will be smart at both of them.
Northeastern and Lehigh would be too much debt. As the parent, you would have to borrow or cosign loans beyond $5.5k, $6.5k, $7.5k, $7.5k each year. This is generally a bad idea for both you and the student.
So that leaves UMass and WPI. Both have ABET-accredited civil engineering. For academic fit, he may want to look at course requirements and in-major upper level electives to see if either fits his interest better. The format differences may also matter to him (i.e. WPIās 7-week terms versus UMassā more typical 15-week semesters).
Note that if co-ops are attractive, UMass and WPI both have optional formalized co-ops.
For other fit factors, he can decide what he wants. Does price significantly differ or matter between these two, beyond no debt?
More properly, ABET accreditation sets a high minimum standard for content of each major, but most engineering majors have various subareas that students can choose to emphasize with in-major elective choices. For example, civil engineering subareas include structures, hydrology, geosystems, transportation, and environmental. There can also be format differences (e.g. WPIās 7-week terms) even when content is similar.
While engineers are generally in demand, economic and industry cycles can affect demand. For example, civil engineering demand went into recession in 2008-2009 as real estate and construction crashed. Petroleum engineering demand tends to fluctuate with oil prices.
In addition, the way WPI delivers their content is unique among all engineering programs. They formalize project based learning. They are like capstone projects, but there are multiple, at least 2 and as many as 3. It essentially is like combining a club like SAE and labs into collaborative projects.
I know kids that have done engineering at UMass and WPI - both excellent programs. I donāt think you can go wrong with either - it is just a matter of which setting would be the best fit. I donāt think Northeastern or Lehigh would be worth the premium or debt.
My daughter complained a little about the fast pace of WPIās 7 week terms. It was fewer classes each term, however. But she really liked the breaks between terms with NO assignments. I recall my college professors using spring break to catch up when they were behind. A break with a ton of homework is no break.
