Hi there,
I have very urgent decision to make. It has been one of toughest decision in my life thus far. I have been accepted to TCU and Drexel with quite generous amount of financial aid packages. However, the tuition fees of Drexel University is more expensive than TCU, yet it also gives me the coop opportunity during my studying time there. Do you think the coop program worth for me to pay some extra tuition fees for it? Because if I decide to enroll at Drexel, I have to pay around 20k for tuition fees. How do you guys think about these two schools? What would you choose if you are in my situation? I will be majoring in Business.
Thank you for your help!
I don’t know anything about the Drexel co-op program but if you are thinking about it based on employment during school, TCU’s business students generally have the pick of local business internships during the summer (and some during the school year). There are literally hundreds of internships in and around Fort Worth and Dallas and TCU students are highly sought after in the area. Companies like Lockheed, BNSF, Bell, Allergan and more. If that’s what you are comparing to Drexel and it’s comparable, 20K more is a lot of money. Also, I can only guess the schools are very different. If you’ve visited both, might want to think through which felt a better match to you. Good luck.
What’s the difference between each, per year?
All in all, TCU is a better school than Drexel and, rather than co-op you can do internships. (They can also help you do a co-op semester if you want to, but it’s not as common as at Drexel).
Drexel is in a “nicer” city than TCU, Philly is historical and easy to navigate, 2h to NYC by train. That’s basically the only advantage I can see.
So, better school + cheaper = I’d take TCU.
Obviously, if your parents can afford both without debt, pick whichever you prefer.
Can your parents pay the difference with no loans/hardship? If the answer is no, then I’d go to TCU. If the answer is yes, then go with your personal preference. Keep in mind that if you don’t do a co-op program you can still get summer internships or a look for part-time inter ship during the school year.
Thank you @terriw @MYOS1634 @happy1
I greatly appreciate for your all advices. Personally, I like Drexel and its location (East Coast) where is close to many cities hub with big corporations. As you guys said, it’s true that I could find an internship during summer and make up for the coop program which Drexel offers. On top of that, 20k is only for tuition fees until my graduation, I still have to pay extra money for living expenses in Philly which is pretty sure than more expensive than Dallas, Texas. Last but not least, I have off topic question that I deposited for Drexel already so what should I do if I decide to go with TCU and make a deposit for TCU. Any suggestion?
You deposit at TCU and you lose your Drexel deposit.
The difference is $20,000 and you won’t make 20k in Co-op. So, unless 20k is not a big deal to your family it seems like TCU makes sense.
A last word on something you said that concerns me “I like the location - East Coast”. TX is not East Coast by a long stretch (and I am not talking distance). Also, Fort Worth and TCU are not Dallas…big difference (to the better IMO)! Where are you from and have you spent time at TCU?