I have been accepted to Umass Amherst, Wpi, Carnegie Mellon, and will be getting a bunch of decisions in late march from Bucknell, UMich, UWisconsin, Case Western, and RPI. I am really having trouble deciding which school to go to. My father makes a good amount of money which makes me ineligible for financial aid, so I will likely be paying sticker price at each school i'm accepted to.
My father has a college fund set up for me with enough money to go to any of the schools on my list with no loans or financial trouble, but he tells me that if I don't use up all the money I can keep it to go to grad school, or put a down payment on a house when I am older. He seems to think my wisest option is UMass, and also likes Carnegie Mellon for the prestige but he wants me to make the choice on my own. I tend to agree that the full price for college is rediculous, but it might be worth it for a superior education.
UMass is my state's flagship, so it would be the cheapest option at around 20 grand per year. I applied to all my schools as electrical or electrical and computer engineering, and UMass has a good engineering program and I know a ton of friends who have gone there and love it, but CMU and WPI and some of the schools I haven't heard from seem more elite.
I would also be able to continue in my sport if I went to CMU or WPI because they are d III, where I wouldn't be able to at UMass because I am not d I good. I have been recruited from coaches at some of the schools, but d III means no athletic scholarships, and at tough engineering schools it might be tough to keep up my grades and do athletics.
What do you think I should choose, and what would you do in my situation?
PS I don't want to come off like a spoiled rich kid. I know I am wicked lucky to have the means to be making this decision without having to worry about loans, and am grateful but still confused.
PPS I know Carnegie Mellon decision early because I am a recruited athlete.
You might have options in between in terms of cost if you get merit aid from Case, for example. I’d wait until the results are in, then go to accepted student days at a few of them (4 if you can swing the distance – U Mass, CMU, and 2 others). You aren’t likely to get any merit aid at Michigan or Wisconsin – if you prefer CMU to them, then go for it (although there is plenty of prestige in an engineering degree from Michigan, just as much as CMU!). You might find that you can strike a balance – not being full pay, but also not going to the huge state university, and having some money left for later.
Between Umass and WPI I would certainly pick UMass as WPI IMO doesn’t justify the extra money. (In fact UMass beats WPI in several aspects in engineering) Secondly, I would say that Carnegie Mellon is one of the few schools in engineering which would actually be worth the price to go to. Although I would still strongly consider Umass, especially if you want to save for grad school, I would be tempted to go to Carnegie.
-Lastly, all these schools have quite solid engineering programs so please take your time and think about what would suit your academics and finances best. (Again, assuming your parents make more than 250k a year Carnegie looks great!)
What type of experience are you looking for? What type of student body? These are different types of schools
Have you visited all of the schools? and you need to see where you get in (although you did get into CMU - no letter yet) so the others seem likely (but could surprise you).
You need letters in hand and aid packages too after you have visited the schools. Plan on scrambling once acceptances come in.
UMass
WPI
CMU
RPI - similar to WPI but not as pretty
CW - similar to CMU but a little less prestige
Bucknell - great program - remote
Wisc/MIch - big schools - difference vibes - how much different from Umass for the extra money?
It seems it boils down to whether you want to play sports or feel you can handle it with your academic workload. Of the schools list, I don’t think UWis is worth sticker price and they don’t give merit aid. I agree with other assessments that vibe will be quite different. UMich and CMU equally prestigious but very different in size and culture - costs are very close.
You lucky dog, you can make a decision based totally on fit.
Visit if you can, and talk to current students. Get an idea of what the cultures would be like. How much would you miss your sport if you can’t play any more? Or could you play club at a DI? Or could you pick up some new activity, a sport or something completely new?
I have a kid in your shoes: he will get to choose based on fit and he plays a sport well, but not DI well. I am encouraging him to continue with the sport if that is what he wants. If he plays, he will end up far away in a place he knows no one. Playing the sport will give him instant friends. He also needs some vigorous physical exercise to be at his best. He is a restless sort and can’t settle down until he has worked out. I also think that being an athlete is an important part of his identity. He will miss sport if he doesn’t play. My kid is more efficient when he is busy, so playing the sport will force some time management on him. Does any of that apply to you?
Why second guess that? Go to the best college you can – this from the perspective of education, student life, class size, future job prospects, and (in your case) the ability to continue with a team sport. Unless you’re no longer interested in inter college competition being part of a team opens up opportunities for lifelong friendships that you would miss otherwise.
In any case you seem to be thinking like an engineer – pragmatic, least cost, etc. I don’t think your situation is one in which that’s necessary.
If you were my student, I would say go to the school where you feel the best “fit”. Size of school can be significant for some students. UM is an awesome school, but it is large. The smaller schools might fit your personality better. Given your financial picture, I wouldn’t worry as much about the cost. In the long run, you probably can’t make a wrong choice here. Your options are all good.
Again, I wanna chime in that I personally would go to CMU. There are VERY few private Uni’s that are worth the price nowadays. CMU is certainly one that is worth it and since you say that your family is somewhat well off this makes it a much more viable option. Pittsburgh isn’t too far away from Mass so I would visit as soon as you can to see what they have there. UMass is a great school on a national level, especially in engineering and Business, but CMU engineering program is know around the World. Lastly, taking a little risk is fun once in a while.
CMU and consider doing your sport for the reasons Lizardly mentioned. With an undergrad degree from CMU and grad interests in engineering, you are likely to get some offers of financial support (RA, TA) when you go to grad school.
Price does not necessarily correlate to a superior education, especially with engineering. You have some fine schools on your list. You will get an excellent engineering education at any of them, the quality differential being negligible (if even quantifiable at all).
There is another way to consider your decision. Excellent degree paid for by dad, or excellent degree paid for by dad plus $150,000 in my pocket at graduation. Think about that.
I agree Chardo - really need to look at the value and what you get out it in the end especially with the option of doing something alternative with the excess funds. It’s not as simple as Dad can afford it so go to the best.
My husband went to CMU in engineering and was also an athlete there (quit the team after two years-very time consuming as I’m sure you already know). When it came time to send our own kids to college for engineering, we sent them to our state schools. We did not think that a school like CMU was worth the premium . Of course, we’re also not wealthy, as your family seems to be. You can get a fine education in engineering at many schools. Good luck with the decision.
Because CMU is the best “tech school” on your list, I would eliminate WPI, RPI, and CWRU. It is also in a better city than any of those. Pittsburgh is a fantastic college town, unless you don’t like big cities.
UMass, Bucknell, UMich, and UWisconsin are excellent choices for engineering too. I have only visited UMich, and you might want to know that the campus is immense. The biggest campus that I have ever visited, and the engineering department is two miles away from the main campus (and three miles from the football stadium). It is on sort of a “mini-campus” (and is actually called North Campus). UM does have a bus system to get you there, but it is rather remote from where the action is. The “Northwood” dormitories are close to North Campus.
I would recommend scratching UWisconsin from your list due to the state’s fiscal difficulties and the governor’s war on higher education. Even if your desired program doesn’t have major funding cutbacks, the faculty and staff are more than likely to be in a bitter or embattled frame of mind for the next several years.
