My priorities when choosing a school are to have a great mechanical engineering program with a low cost of attendance and to have lots of connections to industries. So I’m stuck on choosing the right school. For example, UCI is ranked higher than UCR and Pomona (for engineering), but it doesn’t accept as much AP credit and is more expensive. While UCR and Pomona are a lot cheaper and will accept most, if not all, of my AP credit; however, they’re not as great as UCI.
Can any guide me to the right school?
UCI
UCR
Cal Poly Pomona
UCSD (accepted me as undeclared major; probably not going there)
Go for the cheapest place where you can maintain a decent/good GPA and will receive much AP credit. Don’t go off of just ranking alone.
If you can swing it financially, go to UCI—it’s better and has a much better location. If you’ll have to go into serious debt to attend, choose one of the others.
I agree with @Planner. If you can go to a UC’s and pay for it without a debt, then choose the UC’s. It isn’t worth to have a long debt, IMHO.
Do not know UCs at all but what is the price difference? How much is a course and how many would you get credit for and assuming you go more expensive how soon can you pay back
Assuming OP gets no aid or the same aid at each school, According what J123 posted, all the UCs cost more or less the same 14,000 (again no idea about this otherwise) so 1750 per class based on 32 classes to graduate guessing here, other costs are an additional 16000, so it is really whether the AP credits transfer and how much time that saves him. Will it save him a year (30k) or more or less and what it that worth? To me saving 30k over 4 years is not a big deal but saving 60k would be but that is me.
Since I do not know the prestige and job prospect difference, someone familiar with that aspect of UC would have to answer. In New York there are huge differences. I only applied to one state school even though we have a bunch too
Do you think is worse to take a debt?
He could get aid but mostly will be from loans. If he is a resident from California and has the money to pay for UC’s, then I don’t see a problem with it. UC’s are prestigious schools.
Only the OP can decide. It is not just the education but which culture do you like better, where do you feel more comfortable and if your job prospects are better at one over the other, you may make the money back
Classmate got offered 50% merit money at another state school, it is one step below the state school I am considering. He is still interested in the one I applied to even though he has to pay full boat (not rich at all), job prospects, overall campus, distance to home
Sorry it should be worth, my bad. UC’s are bad giving merit aids. As I said before, the OP will decide the school he wants to be. The future is uncertain so we don’t know if he will earn that much to pay a great debt.