<p>Hey everyone, this is the usual dilemma. I have been selected into all these colleges and I can't decide where to go.</p>
<p>I want to major in Engineering (Mechanical, most probably).</p>
<p>I can afford these schools but do not want to spend money unnecessarily.</p>
<p>I am oos for all schools.</p>
<p>Please consider that I was admitted to the James scholars honors program at UIUC. </p>
<p>I still have to hear back from Berkeley (50-50 chances) and Stanford (lottery ticket) but I want to decide where I would go if neither of those happen.</p>
<p>I need to decide based on best job opportunities, future salaries, better programs. A good college experience counts but not as much.</p>
<p>How much student loan debt would be required for each school?</p>
<p>I don’t think I will take a loan. My parents just don’t want to spend more than what is required.</p>
<p>All of the schools are considered very good for engineering. If you are not completely certain about majoring in engineering, note that GT and UIUC are not as “well rounded” schools as far as their reputations in non-engineering subjects.</p>
<p>Do you also have lower cost schools (e.g. in-state public) to consider?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys-4.html#post15518814[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys-4.html#post15518814</a> may help you with respect to post-graduation outcomes, but note that many of the differences between schools are more region-based. Any well-regarded school for engineering will attract non-local recruiters from larger employers, though each school will be favored by smaller employers recruiting locally.</p>
<p>wait till you hear back from Berkeley. i think it will make your decision easier.</p>
<p>All of these schools are all great mech eng schools and are close similar in prestige/academic rankings for mech eng.</p>
<p>So I’d choose the cheapest (I think that would be UIUC, or UT Austin) -don’t forget about travel costs- or if you know you want to work in a particular sector/industry, choose based on that.</p>
<p>I believe Austin may provide the most job opportunities/higher salaries</p>
<p>ucbalumnus: I don’t have other lower cost schools or instate universities since I’m a US citizen living in the philippines.</p>
<p>myboby123: i doubt that’ll make the decision easier since berkeley is $60000 a year, compared to $42000 at Georgiatech</p>
<p>I would rank them in this order:
Stanford
Berkeley/Michigan
GT/UIUC/UT-A</p>
<p>CollegiateDreams, I agree with you ranking when you consider just overall academic quality and reputation. However, in Engineering, I see no real difference between GT, UIUC, UT and Michigan or perhaps even Cal. And if you factor in cost, I think one can make a very compelling case for UIUC and Georgia Tech. Are Cal or Michigan worth the $15k/year over GT or UIUC? In terms of pure academics and professional placement, I would say definitely not. If the OP wants a more balanced environment (over two thirds of the students are male and just high a percentage major in Engineering or the sciences in the case of GT), more academic offerings and recognition beyond the realm of Engineering, Cal and Michigan may be worth the extra cost, but only if his parents can easy pay the difference.</p>
<p>Do each of these institutes have strengths that cater to different fields - like automotive, space etc?</p>
<p>If one was interested in getting a job with NASA, SpaceX is one of these institutes a better choice over the others?</p>
<p>I would suggest University of Michigan but it is ridiculously expensive for OOS so, goto Georgia Tech.</p>
<p>So from general consensus it seems that Michigan and GeorgiaTech are the better of these schools.
Is there something about UMich that would justify spending an extra $12000 over GeorgiaTech?</p>
<p>I would go to UT-Austin if I were you: lowest cost, great engineering school, located in a state with a booming economy, balanced college environment, and sunny weather.</p>
<p>I think they are all equal in Engineering. If you want the more affordable option, I would say either GT. goldenboy, UT (and UIUC) is not as affordable as it used to be. They had a couple of significant tuition hikes in recent years, making it relatively expensive. Michigan is the most expensive, but the difference in cost of attendance between Michigan, UIUC and Texas is no longer note-worthy…not for international students anyway. Georgia Tech is a better value though. </p>
<p>[FINANCIAL</a> AID: 2012-2013 Undergraduate Cost of Attendance (COA)](<a href=“http://finaid.utexas.edu/costs/120undergradcosts.html]FINANCIAL”>Cost & Tuition Rates - Texas One Stop - University of Texas at Austin)</p>
<p>[University</a> of Illinois Financial Aid: Cost](<a href=“http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu/cost/undergrad/nonres_1213.html]University”>http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu/cost/undergrad/nonres_1213.html)</p>
<p>[Office</a> of Financial Aid: Cost of Attendance](<a href=“http://www.finaid.umich.edu/TopNav/AboutUMFinancialAid/CostofAttendance.aspx]Office”>http://www.finaid.umich.edu/TopNav/AboutUMFinancialAid/CostofAttendance.aspx)</p>
<p>[Cost</a> of Attendance - 2012-2013 | GA Tech Financial Aid](<a href=“Blow the Whistle! (404 error: page not found) | Financial Aid”>Blow the Whistle! (404 error: page not found) | Financial Aid)</p>
<p>And the health of the Texan economy, while certainly a factor to consider, does not mean that UT students will find work with greater ease. GT, Michigan and UIUC all have top 8 Engineering programs that are extremely well recruited nationally. </p>
<p>Vivek, if money is very tight, I would recommend GT. If your folks can afford all of those universities but just want to make sure you are getting your money’s worth, you should consider certain other factors, such as environment, campus life and the university’s reputation overall. From that point of view, it may be worth paying the extra $7k-$13k/year.</p>
<p>GT has a good reputation but also a rep as a very student unfriendly and generally awful place–something to be nedured rather than enjoyed. I’d choose among the rest.</p>
<p>that was my point barrons. The OP needs to consider the campus culture. GT is 70% male and 70% of the students at GT major in high-intensity, high-stress majors. Places like Texas and Michigan are going to be more fun and more balanced. But is it worth paying the extra money? Only if the OP cares for such things. Perhaps Vivek only cares about academics and professional placement. In that case, GT will serve him just as well…and will save him some money.</p>
<p>NO nothing justifies 12k more at UMich…Umich is more well rounded GT is mostly for engineering…but because of the cost I recommend GT…</p>
<p>Illinois is a good alternative and less costly than UM while having a better academic and social balance than GT. UIUC’s non-eng areas are very good too. Much better than GTs.</p>
<p>But barrons, I don’t think UIUC is worth it if the OP can attend Michigan for $5k more. The difference in CoA favors Michigan.</p>