Unique Situation and Difficult Choices - Input Greatly Appreciated

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have been accepted to the following schools for comp sci:
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY Stony Brook
U Texas - Austin</p>

<p>I Plan on submitting applications to the following Non-Traditional Programs:
U Penn LPS
Columbia GS</p>

<p>Background: I am a 23 year old full-time student at my local community college. GPA: 3.95 w/ 43 completed credits, 63 total. My high school record is nothing to brag about, 85 avg from what I remember and I dropped out in my senior year for personal reasons. I have a GED. I currently own a moderately successful business as a technology consultant for small businesses and have plenty of extracurriculars and volunteer work under my belt.</p>

<p>My long term goal is to continue on the business path (Technology Consulting, Project Management, IT Management, etc...) or work as a software architect.</p>

<p>I have weighed my options for months and still find myself unable to come to a decision. I would like to attend the best possible university but am unsure as to where to draw the line for student loans. I have gotten input from many professors and friends and have heard everything ranging from "attend the best possible institution no matter what the cost (it will pay itself back in the ROI)" to "attend the school that gives you the least debt, prestige doesn't matter."</p>

<p>So here's the numbers:</p>

<p>My parents are giving me 60k towards education. THANKS MOM AND DAD! :)
I also received a 5500/year dollar grant at every school that I applied to. </p>

<p>This would mean that I would be pretty much getting paid to attend any SUNY school.
None of the SUNY Schools rank in the top 100 national list and Stony Brook(the best ranked for Comp Sci) has an extremely depressing and dull atmosphere. Buffalo and Bingahmton are OK but their comp sci rankings are low.</p>

<p>U Texas would be 46k for the 1st year and possibly 25k every year after if I am able to establish residency (Move my business to Texas). It is ranked #8 in the nation for Comp Sci and 45 National. I would have anywhere from 15-65k in debt. </p>

<p>Penn I am unsure about the cost but they do offer a no-loan policy for tuition and average debt is around 35k. I hear many people in similar situations see debt around 45-50 though. I would however have to attend graduate school if I wanted to become a software engineer because the College of Arts and Sciences doesn't offer the comp sci major. This school is much closer to home than Texas for me though and I would have a more marketable name as well as a great alumni network. (Non traditional student at LPS get the same degree as CAS students) It is ranked #5 nationally.</p>

<p>Columbia GS would be EXPENSIVE. Even with the financial aid and help from family I would walk out with 120+ in debt easy. The plus side to it is that it is less than an hour from home, it has easy access to lower Manhattan (1 subway ride), and it has a Computer Science major. It is ranked #4 nationally and I would graduate with a GS degree not a CC degree.</p>

<p>My guess is that I would have another 2.5 years at least at any university I attend. 3 for sure at Texas and Penn. I have mixed credits from business and comp sci majors so half wont transfer to a single major.</p>

<p>I am really unsure of what to do in this situation. I would really love to challenge myself at a top institution and I enjoyed the atmosphere and student body at Penn and Texas. Again though, I would be GETTING PAID to go to Binghamton, Buffalo, Stony Brook, or New Paltz.</p>

<p>I will add, if it makes a difference, that I am not looking to work for a top investment bank, consulting firm, or tech company; I am just looking to get a rigorous education that I wont regret and have an edge when applying to smaller companies. </p>

<p>Like most people, I just don't want to look back on my college years and say "I wish I did things differently." </p>

<p>What it comes down to is will the debt of going to a top school be worth the education and prestige or can I obtain the same (or similar) result at a SUNY school?</p>

<p>Any input and past experiences relating to my situation would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help!!!</p>

2

<p>For what you aspire to, SUNY for free makes most sense.</p>

3

<p>In my opinion, the only time prestige is really significant is when you’re applying to the big name companies and you’re not established in your field enough to be able to thrive without the name-recognition. Between your plan to work for small companies and already having experience I think one of the SUNY schools would be a good decision.</p>

4

<p>With only two years left, attending a school with a lackluster environment will not be as big a deal. You can take the money you save and go on exciting vacations!</p>

5

<p>The best currently available option is Stony Brook, as it is decently well respected in CS, ABET accredited in CS for good measure, and no debt for you.</p>

<p>Texas residency is described here:
[Establishing</a> Residency | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/residency/establishing]Establishing”>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/residency/establishing)</p>

<p>If you can establish Texas residency before attending, then UT Austin does become a more viable choice, though if you need extended time to complete a degree there, it may still leave you with more debt than you are comfortable with.</p>

<p>Columbia and Penn would be wildcards depending on financial aid offers if they even admit you, though if Columbia would leave you $120,000 in debt, that is definitely not a reasonable option.</p>

<p>Unlike investment banking, CS is not a particularly school-prestige-conscious line of work, although recruiting for your first job out of college can be affected by where you are (better reputation in CS helps attract visiting recruiters; being local to employers attracts the local employers). However, if you are not sure how to evaluate the strength of a CS department (in terms of offering a reasonably complete set of courses), look for either ABET accreditation in CS or a reasonably high reputational ranking in CS.</p>

6

<p>Thanks so much for the input so far! It seems as if everyone is going in the same direction on this. To add to the previous question, if I were to go SUNY would I still have a good shot at top CS graduate or MBA programs. ie top 20?</p>

7

<p>I’d go to SUNY Binghamton or Stony Brook for your interest. Although the program isn’t as strong, Binghamton is the higher rated school overall so if Stony Brook is not to your taste, I’d go to Binghamton. If you do well at either place you will be fine.</p>

8

<p>Of the SUNYs you list, Stony Brook and Binghamton have ABET accreditation for computer science; all four have ABET accreditation for computer engineering (which is usually more hardware focused than software focused).</p>