I got into the Honors Program and the Grand Challenges Scholars Program at Delaware, which is really exciting for me because I love it there, it’s affordable, and I know how great their ChemE program is. I also got into the University of Rochester (these are my top two choices), which I know is a better school in general, although it is more expensive. I also know people who are ChemEs there, and I’ve been told how wonderful it is there as well. I’m incredibly torn between the two, and I was hoping that someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks!
I honestly don’t know much about the University of Delaware, but just peaking at a few statistics & rankings, I was in a similar situation when trying to make a decision on where to attend - I was between U of R and the University at Buffalo. U of R was really my top choice and ultimately the better school, while UB would have been fine, was a large public university, but it was my second choice. When my financial aid packages came in, U of R was going to cost me $3-4k per year more. I appealed, basically saying that if they could match what UB was going to cost me, I would enroll. They delivered and it made my decision easy. If they hadn’t, I probably would have been torn between the two.
It really comes down to a couple things:
- Your preference of a large public university vs a smaller private school.
- What each school offers - both academically and as a whole (student life, diversity, food, weather, whatever you value)
- If UofR is your preference, how much do you value the difference at? Would you be willing to pay a little more to go to UofR? Can you appeal for more financial aid? People choose to pay more to live in different places for personal preferences all the time. This isn’t really any different - you are choosing where you are going to be for the next 4 years. Just make sure you like where you’re going to be and can ultimately afford it.
From a career standpoint: Being an engineer (mechanical), I can say that I would have been fine going to either school, but U of R does offer countless research opportunities, and being able to take advantage of this probably set me up for internships and ultimately my career better than other schools may have. The same can be said for the academic rigor at U of R - it really helped develop my work ethic, problem solving, etc. That being said, I work with other engineers who went to all sorts of schools - it really doesn’t matter that much where you went. What matters more is that where you choose to go brings out the best in you as far as developing yourself for a career - whether that’s in academia or industry. If you haven’t already and can manage to, I’d recommend visiting both schools since it’s really the best way to get a feel for if it’s the right fit for you.
Combination of Delaware Honors plus ChemE really puts you in an incredible position if you make it through - it’s really hard. It’s ChemE is world class. For ChemE, and ChemE only, Delaware is the stronger school academically because of the historical funding source from Dupont. The research is more varied also.
Rochester is an excellent school and will probably not “abuse” you as much academically. The average Rochester student is probably more academically inclined than the average Delaware student. The weather in Delaware is better in December through March.
Delaware Honors is one great deal though and you can get a lot of personal attention from professors.
This is a very personal choice, so I think the right one is the one that you are most comfortable with.
My son graduated from UR with his degree in ME. If you said you were an ME major, then I think going to UR over UD would be a tougher decision. (my interviewed at UD for ME and did not like it there)
However, Chem Eng is what UD is known for in the field of engineering. You will likely have more opportunities since it is closer to other major cities. If it is less expensive to go there, that tips the scale in UD’s favor.
I googled your scholarship program and it looks wonderful.
http://www.udel.edu/apply/undergraduate-admissions/enrichment-opportunities/grand-challenges-scholars/
UR is good for the engineer who also has a strong interest in other areas as well. It provides a more rounded engineering education. Many minor in non engineering areas such as music or a foreign language. I think the UR students are sort of bi-brained so those are the ones that value going there.