Have you visited the campuses? While CWRU and CMU have similar student body feel and I believe number, CWRU campus is very spread out whereas CMU is much more compact. You can also take classes at UPitt if something is not offered at CMU as they have reciprocal agreement and are side by side. I did like University Circle area in which CWRU is located but the area of Pittsburgh CMU is located (Oakland) has a more typical college town feel plus you have the city at your doorstep. Plus there’s Pamela’s and their fabulous hotcakes (still dreaming about those). Though if wanted to save the money, I believe you would get a good scholarship from CWRU and so it would be a relatively good value in that respect.
Wow, what a lovely dilemma UMass v CMU. I’m interested in what kind of student you are, how strong. Also what you envision, will you want to work right away or maybe get MS first then work. Or are have you been thinking over a PhD at all? I heard from my own daughter of the luxury of engagement in class and research with your profs at a smaller private school, compared to what she observed as a grad student TA at one of the publics on your list. Not engineering but CS. However the cost of UMass instate is a massive good deal for still a strong engineering school.
Interesting what a student does when it is now their own money on the line. I do know two siblings who had the choice you do and one went to the free engineering school and banked the money and is using it for med school. The other went to the expensive school in humanities and now working at google, lol. Also my relative did EE at Princeton and did football the first year but had to drop it, it just wasn’t feasible.
You should wait to hear back on financial aid from your other schools. Case and RPI may give good merit aid, especially Case.
CMU is about 3x more expensive than UMass. Do you think it’s 3x better too? Do you think a degree from CMU compensates for the 160k extra dollars you are paying? Personally I would pick UMass as I think there are huge benefits to going to a cheaper school. You don’t always have to worry about how much you are spending, you can study abroad, travel over the summer, join Greek life. You won’t be that financially free at CMU.
Earlier I recommended dropping CWRU from you list. I now rescind that advice because, yes, they often offer excellent merit aid. Also they are in the same athletic conference as CMU, so you should be able to play your sport.
In my opinion, Cleveland does not compare well with Pittsburgh. Plus, although the area around CWRU is about as good as it gets in Cleveland, the area around CMU is even nicer. Again, just my opinion. Nonetheless CWRU is an outstanding school and it very well might offer you really good merit aid.
Yes they can give some chunky aid, wait and see. Please keep us updated.
Just got back from visiting both CMU and CWRU. Liked both. Case Western is known for excellent merit aid. I was also impressed by the larger endowment and some of the new buildings. At least between those two, I might consider what other classes outside of engineering you’d be taking. Case has a good business program, CMU is stronger in the humanities. Also, I’ve spent time in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh for work, and like both cities. I definitely would not rate Pittsburgh higher than Cleveland, just different. Cleveland has a larger demographic of people from the outside (and surprisingly large international contingent) than Pittsburgh, which is pretty inbred. Both cities have culture, sports, restaurant scene, etc.
Here is an insight into sports. My nephew did football freshman year, because he HAD to stay in sports. He got no $, just wanted to be on a team. He did terrible academically and rarely played anyways. He finally quit the team Junior year and was SO much happier and did so much better academically. Why play if you are not getting $??? Play on the intramural sports teams, where you can skip if you have a test… oh, and you should do CMU, seems like best rep.
You are extremely blessed, hope you know that.: )
This calculator is designed for people who need to compare aid packages, but it might also help you sort through some of the variables that are important for you. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
Visit all the schools in question. Arrange to sit in on a class, to stay overnight, speak to professors, eat in the cafeterias…get a real feel for where you belong.
“I definitely would not rate Pittsburgh higher than Cleveland, just different.” (post #26)
I agree with this statement, having grown up in one and lived in the other, as well. Pittsburgh is a bit more quirky (in a good way) and unique. Strip district, Oakland, Southside & dawntawn, are all cool places to hang out. Very community oriented. Cleveland has always felt a little like a bigger city to me. Some great places there, too, such as University Circle, Little Italy. If you are a baseball fan, Pittsburgh’s ballpark is much better IMO–perhaps the best in the country, especially given its location. As for schools, I give CMU the edge on Case, but it is hard to go wrong with either.
I totally agree with this statement. Not that it is particularly relevant to choosing a college. I just have spring fever and can’t wait until April 6th. Five more weeks!
Anyhow PNC is my personal favorite baseball venue, although tied with Wrigley Field.
As far as the two cities, I prefer Pittsburgh largely because its downtown is far more vital than Cleveland’s. Downtown is perhaps the biggest factor in my judgment of any city; big, small, or medium.
New Information. I was waitlisted from Case Western (I probably wont take a spot on the list) and accepted to RPI with 16,000 per year merit scholarship. I still don’t know if I got any money from CMU because the coach only told me that I’m in
I’ve heard that Carnegie will try to match merit aid for schools it competes with so I hope it will at least match RPI’s offer.