This topic made it over to Rutgers fan forum. Rutgers received 31,000 applications for 6,000 slots. Apparently Rutgers doesn't put much emphasis on recruiting out of state students. There is talk that Rutgers might reduced the size of future freshmen classes to become more competitive.
I graduated from RPI in early 90's, BU was my safety school . Last I checked, it was 4x the cost of the in-state tuition at Uconn. It is not 4x the education for.most majors. If I had to choose today, it would be no contest, unless I was going to study something specific (certain Comp Sci disciples ,MechE, AeroE, BioEng) that they are very strong in. I work with a lot of Uconn grads, some are good and some aren't, but I am of the opinion that their college choice had little effect on that. Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
Students and their parents really have to look at the total cost of attendance, not just tuition rates. They should also pursue multiple options and see how the aid picture plays out, particularly for the middle class. The wealthy don't care because they can afford any option and the poor will generally get a nearly full ride anywhere they are accepted. For the middle class each school's perception of need can vary significantly and what they offer can also vary depending on their financial aid budget and how significantly they want a particular student. There's no doubt that an RPI, WPI, MIT, etc. have higher price tags, but parents shouldn't be afraid to push their case with the financial aid office if there is a disconnect. Once they know the bottom line they can make the best decision. Fortunately, all of the schools Nan listed can provide a quality education if the student makes the most of the opportunity. However, they vary significantly in the quality of specific programs, culture, environment, etc. Hopefully, students can find a solid mix of affordability and desirability based on what is important to them.
I graduated from the SOE at UConn in 09. UConn definitely provides some balance to the pure engineering (There was maybe 1 girl in my Computer Science classes so I picked up a Psych minor). All the schools listed are obviously great and you will get a lot out of them. I would say that UConn provides opportunities to obtain a lot but you have to do some of the leg work yourself. Engage with professors, apply to work on research problems, etc. UConn is also doing better at partnering with local businesses in order to apply engineering principles to real world problems. Can't go wrong with any of the schools listed from an engineering perspective. I can tell you though that I always dreaded playing WPI in Club Soccer, a waste of a drive to Worcester to beat a team 14 or 15 to nothing.
From my experience most of the males at WPI would not have had the thought or motivation to have picked up a class that contained females.
A number of us would burn up our pass/fail options on some of the courses the Nursing School students needed to take.
Why BU over the Ivies? Did you prefer to be in Boston? BU offered a better financial package? You thought you would get a better education in your major at BU?
Better education in the BU school (SAT scores and admissions rate were as high/tough at the BU school as at the two Ivies at the time, those being Penn and Cornell), plus several other factors. Money was better too (1/2 scholarship at Ivies, 80% at BU, but the truth is I went into some debt at BU and turned down a full scholarship at a top 5 liberal arts school so money was some factor but not the whole story). Just t give an example, tuition was $16k, so a difference of 35% was $5,000 a year. A lot of money, but not enough to make me forego an Ivy league education if I wanted it.
It will depend mostly on SAT scores, especially Math. The average UCONN math score for Engineering has to be close to 700. They are not interested if you have less than 1200 for Reading and Math combined.
It is a complex decision. To often today it is a financial decision. The 35% is now around $20K at a private school which comes to $80K over four years. The "package" will make a significant difference in your choice. I graduated in 1979. I could save a semester's cost over the summer. With money in the bank and working during school I came out with fairly minimal amount of loans. Tough coming out with $100K+ in loans and trying to get established. Especially if you have a degree that is not as marketable or pays as well as engineering.
Remember this. Both my kids graduated UCONN - Engineering Pharmacy. They work with others who went to more prestigious schools. The salary is the same. The only difference is mountain of student loans the other kids have.
The thing is, private schools amount to only 15% of the market. Only in the northeast of the country is the loan problem a big thing. IMO, $20-25k is not so onerous. Going into the $30k range and above is something students should reconsider for an undergraduate education. In fact, gov't direct loans are capped at $5-6k, so you can't even go above $25k unless you go with a commercial bank with a loan to be paid immediately.
