Hi,
I’m trying to decide where to commit. I was wondering if UMD, Penn State and/or VT are worth the out of state tuition and wanted to hear about the environment of these engineering programs.
Thank you!
They are if you can afford it and/or like it better.
They aren’t if you can’t.
You can and will get to the same career from Rutgers as the others.
Make sure your discipline in engineering is accredited by ABET.
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I have worked with or studied with (in graduate school) graduates from at least three of these programs (I am not sure about VT). My understanding is that they are all very good. You might want to check the ABET accreditation as @tsbna44 has suggested.
How big is the difference in cost? Would you need to take on any debt to attend any of these programs? Would any of them cost enough to be a significant hardship to your family?
Which of these have you visited?
What is your Instate option and the cost differential. Usually Instate is definitely more cost effective. Rare for outcomes to vw drastically different.
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In-state is estimated to be 40k a year and out of state is 55-60k a year. All of these programs are ABET accredited.
Do you prefer a school not named Rutgers ?
If so can your family easily afford …meaning no loans.
1° What is your parents’ budget out of pocket (from savings&income)? Do not include any loans you think they might take.
2° For each university, including Rutgers, indicate below
(tuition, room, board, fees) - (scholarships, grants) = $…
3° Why did you apply to these other universities? Anything compelling?
PSU and VT have secondary admission to engineering and CS majors based on college GPA after starting as undeclared engineering.
Are you direct admit to your major at Rutgers and UMD?
What is your instate option? It is impossible to answer your question without knowing.
Rutgers. In the thread title.
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Will your parents fund the extra costs over the cost of Rutgers? If so, the decision is yours to make.
Yes, I was directly admitted to comp engineering at both universities
Yes, they will pay my college tuition
I’m hoping you mean the full cost of attendance…not just tuition…
That being the case…make sure this works with your family…and then choose. Any of these schools is fine.
Start looking at other things than the academics…look at location, weather, activities, ease of getting home for holidays, etc.
Have you visited all these schools?
Good luck to you. Looking forward to hearing your final choice.
I should do some more research. Thank you!
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All are good. Rutgers is going to be the least expensive one, so what do the others bring that Rutgers doesn’t, in terms of academic experience, environment, etc.
For instance, Rutgers is urban, with multiple campuses you need to reach by bus, with easy access to NYC.
Penn State and VT are located in college towns (towns that focus on college students).
UMD is a bit on its own, more compact and walkable than Rutgers, but within 1 hour access to DC.
To be accurate: at Rutgers, you don’t choose your major until your sophomore year. But there’s no secondary admission process so you’re good - but have the option to switch to another major within SOE if you change your mind.
As @thumper1 said, go visit these other schools. Preferably at an engineering admitted students day, so you can see the facilities and talk to students.
I’d call College Park (UMD) a college town too. Has good metro and train connections to DC (30 mins) and Baltimore (1 hour). Also the closest and easiest of the 3 for you to get to from New Jersey.
Being a programmer, I can tell you it is definitely NOT worth the extra tuition you’re paying to go out of state. Computer degrees are ridiculously employable, and after about 3 years experience, employers don’t even ask where you went to school. You would be just fine going to Rutgers. If you want prestige, save that money and get a masters degree. It will give you a measurable increase in salary both in the short and long run.
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