Hi, I’m an international student and unfortunately did not get any financial aid/scholarships from any of the universities mentioned. So, I will be paying the full sticker price as mentioned. Fortunately, as I am the first person in my family to be accepted in an institution abroad, my relatives are willing to sponsor me.
Personally, I love the school culture at UBC most, it’s quirky, it has great clubs and its design teams are very interesting (and related to sustainability). Though, a lot of people have warned me against going to Canada as an engineer (apparently the job market is relatively slower than the states). USC and UW are close seconds. Academically, I’ve heard that all the schools are comparable.
About immigration: Ideally, I would not like to return to my country after graduating. I realize that the US and Canada are very different in these matters but I am not thinking about that too much. As, in the states, I get the 3 year OPT VISA after which I can apply to grad school. While in Canada, PR is always an option.
On tuition: UBC and UW are in a similar range (both very affordable for my family). While, USC is much much higher (i will be paying full COA). USC is affordable too but then my family will have no more money to spare for grad school or other aid later.
So here are the main questions:
Should I choose to go to the US or Canada for my respective schools?
If the US(even if not), where do you think I will have the best chances to get well paid jobs/good grad school programs after graduating as an ECE major? Is the tuition at USC worth it? Will I be losing out on the prestige of a high ranked school if I don’t choose USC?
In the US engineering market, do USC and UW have the same prestige for undergraduate engineering programs? Does the ranking difference matter?
Thank you so much for your advice. This is an incredibly confusing time and any opinions are extremely helpful.
NOTE: I also got admitted to Vanderbilt (Arts and Sciences) and got a small stipend scholarship. Do you think its worth it to still attend in the hopes of transferring to engineering?
Direct admit to UW Engineering, is that correct? That’s pretty sweet. Looks like the COA is $60k… I think USC’s COA of $90k is a bit inflated (they are generous on additional expenses and certain costs making it a bit higher than it has to be), but it’s still way up there. While I’m pretty tried and true to Viterbi with the fantabulous Trojan network all over, that $ is significantly less than USC, and UW is also a great school in a great city.
But UBC is a very cool school indeed, all about sustainability and Vancouver is fantastic too. You have some amazing choices. If money was no object I would go USC because it was an incredible experience for my engineers. But since money is a factor, and has pretty significant implications on other things in the future, like grad school, those two other schools may be the better options for you. The key is to get all the education you can out of college, regardless of where you go, but I have a feeling you get that. Frankly, you have a great problem!
But what does seem important to understand (that is above my paygrade) is the answer to the US v. Canada engineering demand/issues with renewable energy careers, but I am sure there is a brain trust on here that can. Also not sure of Vanderbilt re engineering, so hopefully others can chime in on that as Vanderbilt is a great school too, but I just think direct engineering admit is always better.
Interested to hear how it all turns out for you, I’m sure you will get some notable perspectives on here. If you decide to spend the big bucks, Viterbi would love to have you I’m sure.
Post edit - Should have led with this - congrats on some great acceptances!
Yep! Direct admit eng at UW-Seattle with honors (interdisciplinary). I’m a big fan of Viterbi too! They have incredible industry connections and research opportunities. It’s just certain bubbles within the SC culture that I’m not too fond of.
Currently I’m on the quest of finding out whether the extra 30k a year is worth it for USC. I’m fine with it if I can earn it back within a couple years out of school. Also, interesting point about living expenses. I hadn’t thought of living off-campus or managing my own food (I frankly that assumed all of LA was just as expensive XD). Though, that could definitely help bring down the COA.
The problem I foresee is career opportunities after grad school. You’ve said that you don’t plan on returning to your country. You may not have a choice. A large number of engineering firms have contracts with the Federal government-especially with renewable energy. This means a security clearance which many non-citizens cannot acquire. It’s posted on most company websites that they cannot offer sponsorships. You can do an internship at most firms-OPT. But after that, it can be difficult.
For my husband’s firm, who are involved in some renewable energy contracts, with the government, it’s a no-go. The same is true for my daughter’s firm. Companies are required by law to seek domestic employees first and foremost. Many don’t want to deal with the hassle of sponsorship, fees and wait times.
Start googling firms that provide renewable energy positions. See if they would be willing to offer positions to non-citizens.
The differences in status and outcomes between UW and USC will be negligible.
On an overall basis, I would think UW has a better rep than SC in y opinion - but a lot is discipline oriented so for ECE i’m not sure.
Either which way, for a US student, kids from both schools (and many more) would get fantastic jobs.
If you like the big state flagship, UW is your better bet so your parents save to help you later should you choose more schooling. Even if the cost was the same and you said pick one, UW might still get the nod. But both are fantastic.
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