Would you do it?

Paying for College
1

<p>So I got excepted into my dream school, USC, and Now I have to make a decision of where I want to go for College. I have 2 colleges that I am deciding between USC and UCSD and if money wasnt an issue I would go to USC 110%.</p>

<p>As the story goes though, money is a big issue. sue to certain circumstances Im looking at $35,000 for UCSD or $70,000 for USC worth of student loans.</p>

<p>This is excpecting that I get into a 5 year masters program at both colleges so I will be graduating with a BS and an MS in Electrical Engineering.</p>

<p>With all my stats in mind, and the fact that USC is my dream school, would you do it?</p>

2

<p>2 points.</p>

<p>The 35K, while not insiginficant, is what an expensive car would cost. And since as an MSEE you'll be making say 60K out of school, you could afford to pay off 70K in loans. So if you really like one over the other I'd say go for it.</p>

<p>For that 5th year, do you even have to pay anyway? Is that factored into your calculations? Generally for grad school you can get free tuition and a stipend for living expenses, this is in exchage for teaching labs and such.</p>

3

<p>Off the subject, but...</p>

<p>I have a good friend who runs the corporate research lab for Motorola, and I have heard him mention this on several occassions.</p>

<p>Get you BS in a related field such as mechanical or computer engineering and your MS in EE. If will give you a broader knowledge base and make you more valuable to employers.</p>

4

<p>No way you can go from BS in ME to MS EE. Computer Engineering is a specialtiy of EE... even more narrow than EE so kinda conflicts against being more broad.</p>

<p>One area to seriously consider is Power Engineering. Meaning Electricity generation and distribution. The power grid infrastructure in the US is obsolete and over the next 50 yrs I think you'll see a lot of spending there in upgrading the plant and distribution system. Of course you'd better like your fields and waves classes if you go this route.</p>

5

<p>No offense, but I would rather take the word of someone who got his BSME then went on to get his MSEE.</p>

6

<p>Check with the USC finaid department about how they guarantee their package. On this forum there have been a few stories about grants in years 1 & 2 turning into loans for years 3 & 4, when you are hooked and cannot change. So, ask them what you can expect so you make a decision with all the info.</p>

7

<p>Don't assume that you will stick with EE! Most kids change majors, and sticking with a major because you know that you have huge loans to pay off is a horrible thing to have to do. $70,000 is a huge amount of loans to take on for undergrad degree. That's $805 a month for 10 years at 6.8% interest to pay back. You kids don't have a CLUE what it is like to have to pay a huge amount of money back like that. What if you hate EE? What if you can't make it through the program? What if you get injured or disabled a few years after you graduate and can no longer work? What if you can't find a job when you graduate? DON'T mortgage your future away.</p>

8

<p>well I have a background of 4 years on a robotics team working with Engineers all the time( I LOVE it) and the wonderful thing about USC is that I can get an MS degree in any field I want, but with UCSD I HAVE to go with EE</p>