<p>Out of all the colleges to which I applied, costs will likely limit me to these schools:</p>
<p>Rutgers (in-state with 10k/year merit),
University of Maryland (Honors College with merit), and
Northeastern University (with merit)</p>
<p>I will be a Computer Science major at the first two, while Northeastern would allow me to pursue Computer Science/Business Administration (a dual degree they offer). </p>
<p>I'm not a fan of Rutgers at all, so it's probably between UMD and Northeastern. I love sports and UMD's proximity to D.C. (really like what I've been reading about the Honors College). I also love Boston and the co-op system Northeastern has in place. I'm used to weather in the northeast, so that isn't a factor. </p>
<p>Northeastern is a lot harder to get into than UMD so if you did CONGRATS, but both are great if it were me i would choose Northeastern. Maybe you should visit and look at the towns </p>
<p>@Jessierippers17
While Northeastern is more difficult to get into, it is comparably difficult to be accepted into UMD’s Honors College as well. With that said, I personally believe either would provide me a great education - I just wanted to hear other opinions. Thanks for yours!</p>
<p>Consider where you would like to work after graduation. It is typically easier to use your school’s connections to find employment within 75 mile radius of your university. It isn’t impossible to find employment beyond those boundaries, just not as easy.</p>
<p>How much debt would be involved at each school, and how do your parents feel about funding each school?</p>
<p>Remember, you can only borrow $31,000 of federal direct loans ($23,000 of which is at subsidized rates), and many consider it unwise to borrow more for undergraduate study (some are more conservative and have a lower personal debt limit, perhaps even down to $0).</p>
<p>Rutgers is a perfectly respectable school for CS and many other subjects, so if cost is a major concern, you should not feel as if attending Rutgers is a let-down.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus
I’m not sure exactly how much debt would be involved - my parents do make a decent amount of money, though (2013 adjusted income at 180k), and we do try to live a frugal lifestyle. </p>
<p>If I had to stay in-state, I’d also consider Stevens (which may be more expensive than Rutgers - I have not yet been accepted), but my preferences are UMD and Northeastern. </p>
<p>I’d say that UMD has more of a national reputation as a good CS college and research university. Honors college makes it sweet. Northeastern may be just as good or better and I’m not an employer, though. I just love to pick colleges for other people, lol, since you did ask. All good choices to have, though.</p>
<p>@BrownParent
Thanks for your reply! I applied to more prestigious schools Regular Decision, but I’m not sure I’d fit in as much as I would at UMD or Northeastern - plus they’ll likely be too costly. </p>
<p>Coz i heard it somewhere northeastern offer dual degree. It would be more beneficial to have a duel degree.And mainly it depends on where you want to work after graduation. </p>
<p>UMD due to the cost difference with NEU. Honors College + CS make it a very valuable degree and the cost differential with Rutgers is very acceptable. The campus is nice, the education is good, and if you don’t absolutely want to be in a big city and don’t mind a huge university then you’ll have a great time. If NEU comes through with Financial Aid you may reconsider but right now I’d go with UMD.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634
If I were to be accepted into Northeastern Scholars Program (basically honors college) and costs end up being similar to UMD, would you change your position? </p>
<p>I’d honestly be happy at either, so this is personally a good problem to have - just wanted to hear some opinions. </p>
<p>NEU is already honors-college level, so if NEU Scholars came with a scholarship yes it’d be worth it, but if you had to pay 35K a year it wouldn’t be worth it compared to UMD Honors. Of course it depends whether your parents could comfortably pay this amount, in which case, yes NEU would be better.</p>
<p>I love UMD and live near it. S went there. D is considering it. I did some graduate work at Rutgers. Both good schools, but I think UMD offers more opportunities and broader excellence. The Honors College has a cybersecurity program that is a good introduction to the field and the players in the field. On the other hand, I cannot recommend an u/g spend 40-60K more for a degree. And Northeastern is not even a player at that price. This is really a case where what you do in college is more important than where you do it. 1. Rutgers 2. UMD 3. I’d never take Northeastern over UMD.</p>