<p>I got accepted into U.Mich. for engineering, and i know that it is ranked 7th in the country by US News, but I am an OOS so the tuition will be hefty. I'm basically wondering if it's worth the money going all the way to Mich. from NJ when I can just go to Lehigh or Villanova Engineering or Rutgers for Pharmacy. Do Michigan engineers have a significantly better chance of getting a job with higher salary than these Northeast schools? Significant enough for me to enroll? Plus, with the money I'd be spending to go to UM, I might not have any for grad school. I've read all about UM, and i know the reputation is great and all but I'm still having qualms.</p>
<p>Lehigh and Villanova are both privates as far as I know. Are you sure Michigan will cost you more? If costs are comparable, I’d go to Michigan for engineering. Of course Rutgers is a public state school, and would be the best deal of the four schools mentioned. They are also known to have a strong pharmacy program.</p>
<p>I think I’d pay the additional expense to attend Michigan over private schools such as Lehigh and Villavova. I think the decision gets more complicated for accepted applicants from states with good flagship schools in Engineering. We live in CA and my son is waiting to hear from UC Berkeley. In this instance it is a tougher decision than in your situation, imo.</p>
<p>yeah i got into rutgers pharm, probably because I’m IS. And the way i see it, 6 years to get my pharmD, then get a part time job and study for grad school, eventually paying my way into grad school. I just think I’d have a better time at Michigan, and even though I’d probably make more money in the future if i choose to go to Rutgers, get my pharm D, and follow my plan to go to grad school, I just don’t know if i can pass up U.Mich.</p>
<p>Fortunately you should be able to wait until you have all your financial aid packages in front of you before you have to decide although Rutgers will no doubt be your best financial situation. So many kids change their major so that might be a consideration, too, what if I don’t do engineering or what if I don’t do pharm…</p>
<p>Nova and Lehigh are aproximately $15,000-$20,000 (over 4 years) more expensive than Michigan, unless you are getting significant aid/scholarships from them. Neither is as good as Michigan in Engineering, although both are excellent schools in their own right.</p>
<p>Rutgers is a different story because it is much cheaper and you are considering a very different program. However, Pharmacy is a 6 year program whereas Engineering is a 4 year program. As such, the end cost would be the same. It would cost you approximately $200,000 for four years at Michigan and $150,000 for 6 years at Rutgers (assuming you have no FA or scholarship from either school). However, you would be earning anywhere between $50,000 and $70,000/year for for 2 years coming out as an Engineering from Michigan while you would still be in Pharmacy school at Rutgers should you choose to forego Engineering.</p>
<p>In the end, assumoing there are no significant scholarships or financial aid, I would recommend Michigan Engineering…assuming that is a career that appeals to you. If not, Rutgers Pharamcy would be the way to go.</p>
<p>Damn, 200k ; can’t believe my met fund makes Michigan virtually free. Anyways, I would go with what truly interests you more. Pharmacy and Engineering are totally different beasts, but, imo, AA > New Brunswick</p>
<p>^The most major consideration is going to be your financial aid. If your family does not have fluid means or savings/assets, you may find you are not able to BORROW enough to attend UMich. But if your income is low, you might receive a generous package. If your family is middle class and fiscally “overextended” per se, again UMich becomes a difficult-to-impossible choice for some OOS. So before you get your heart set on either, make sure your folks do their taxes promptly and file for Fafsa by Feb. 15th for the earliest (mid March) review. Also use an online calculator at Michigan’s Fin Aid site to calculate the expected Family Contribution range. If you already know all this, forgive the redundancy. It’s just that I’ve seen a lot of students very disappointed come March when they’ve not investigated how FAid works 
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<p>If finances are not an issue for your family, and if you prefer engineering to pharmacy, it is one degree that generally has a pretty solid payback schedule for OOS so it’s often worth the investment. Good luck!</p>
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<p>I thought PharmD WAS grad school. And pharmacists earn very decent (6-figure) starting salaries.</p>
<p>Yeah I want go to to UM! AA is so nice, the program is great, the reputation is great, the school spirit and sense of unity is great, just financially, it makes more sense for me to go to Rutgers Pharm, I put in less money and at the end of 6 years, probably will get more out.</p>
<p>TheLae, will 6 years at Rutgers be cheaper than 4 years at Michigan? And I am not so sure that a Pharmacy degree has greater earning potential than an Engineering degree. Perhaps fresh out of those respective programs, you will earn more with a Pharmacy degree, but in the long term, I am fairly certain that both have similar earning potential.</p>
<p>Yeah I’m pretty sure even with the extra two years it’s cheaper. And I’ve heard that even though pharmacists get a close to if not 6 figure income right after getting pharmD, there is a cap on how much they can make later in their career whereas for engineering, a much less specific and versatile skill, does not have one. But then the question of graduate schools rears its ugly head, because pharmacists have a great part time job, so study part time while paying my way into grad school. So I fear my attending grad school at worst would be delayed if i choose UM.</p>
<p>From what I understand, Pharmacists make on average (not right out of college), about $120K/year. Someone with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering (again, not right out of college) on average makes about $85K/year. I presume a Masters degree would command a slightly higher salary, one might guess $90-95K/year. If those numbers are correct, there is a very large difference. </p>
<p>Now, if you are exceptional rather than average, those numbers may not mean anything. I believe the range of income for Chemical Engineering is higher, so if you are indeed exceptional, the Chemical Engineering degree should pay more. You’d have to be quite exceptional though.</p>
<p>Pharmacy is a great and secure working degree, plus the demand for it is not dropping. Honestly, save your money and go to Rutgers.</p>
<p>I am not sure it is such a great idea to focus purely on cost or graduating salary. The cost of attending Rutgers for 6 years, assuming the OP has no scholarship, is roughly $170,000. the cost of attending Michigan for the same period of time is $100,000 (assuming the OP graduates in 4 years and lands a decent job that pays $60,000/year out of college). When he graduates with a pharmaceutical degree in 6 years, he would likely start in the $90,000-$110,000 range. At the same time, he would have been working for two years as an Engineering at should be earning over $70,000 as an engineering. In the lond term, an Engineer can do more with her/his degree than a pharmacist and the earning potential for both are roughly the same.</p>
<p>The question the OP should ask himself is simple: Does he want to be an Engineer or a Pharmacist? And in a few years, would he like to get an MBA or branch off into mangement?</p>
<p>Michigan engineering is one of the best in the world. The rank of engineering and, of course, the fact that Michigan has good connections will mean that one should find a good job upon graduation with relative ease.</p>
<p>Yes, cost is an important factor, but going to engineering at Michigan (instead of other schools like Purdue and Villanova) will help you in the future, in the “real world.”</p>
<p>Alexandre has it spot on, do you want to be a pharmacist or an engineer. They are completely different career paths, and you would devote your time in school to completely different studies.</p>
<p>Do you want to do pharmacy because you like chemistry and medicine, or do you want the $$?</p>
<p>Michigan is a great school in a fabulous town - but it is really immense. If that works for you, go with it. Finances considered, of course.</p>
<p>EVERYONE knows about it wherever you end up in the US, or the world.</p>
<p>Swimmer, compared to Lehigh and Nova, Michigan is indeed huge, but it is no larger than Rutgers.</p>
<p>Do you want to be a Pharmacist or an Engineer?</p>
<p>If you want to be a pharmacist then this discussion is pointless, go to Rutgers and be done with it.</p>
<p>If you want to be an engineer, get all your financial aid packages and decide then.</p>