Need help deciding on colleges.

[38Chevy454]

I know personally Cal Poly SLO, it's where I went to Engineering (BS Metallurgical Eng). Still a predominantly smaller college town, although not like 30 years ago when i was there. Great school with a lot of hands on learning, and always rated near top of all public universities. Also very hard to get into as incoming freshman or even junior college transfer. So get good grades and do well on your SAT. That's really all a school has to establish the admissions cutoff.

I 100% agree with the comments that the quality or rating of the college is just to get you that first job out of school. After that it becomes what have you done and what skills you developed that make you more wanted for the next company. Yes, the grades and school still have a small factor, but it becomes less as years go along.

I also would recommend the thought that BS is not where you stop. Consider graduate school to get your MS or PhD. In future the extra levels will benefit you.

At 14 it is good you know you want to be engineering, but you still have 3 years before time to get serious about a school choice and the applications process.

 

[ponyboy]

Look at college/degree as an investment. Does it make sense to attend a university that costs $50k/year to obtain a degree and work as a social worker making $13/hr. People wonder why they have student loans for 30 years.

 

[jjquantz]

Despite being a former high school physics teacher who saw lots of students go into engineering and the sciences, I won't give you specific advice about schools - the folks above are doing a good job of that. I would simply remind you that there are lots of good choices available to you and that you should never feel like you need to make the "right" choice. Gather your information and weigh the pros and cons and you will probably find that you have several good choices. Then make a decision and enjoy your college years.

You and your family will stay a lot more sane if you can avoid framing the decision as "right" or "wrong". There will be many good choices - it will be impossible to tell from the limited data which is "best". So find something that looks good and feels comfortable.

A lot like ER in some ways.

 

[Taxman59]

I told my sons to visit every campus they could. Look at the relationship between the school and the community. Is the campus huge in a small town (VA Tech), is the campus buried in a large city (Case Western)? I suggested that they look at the type of school and what it offers, the community and what it offers, then look at the degrees. This will help them match the environment with their personality.

 

[Nords]

I am only 14 years old so I still have quite a bit of time to decide on them but I thought that I could start out by asking people that have more experience than me.

I live in southern California and I am looking for good engineering colleges with a medium+ reputation. Economy isn't a concern at this point in life and I can do research on that later.

Heh. It's been nearly eight years since I posted about our progeny's college search here:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/the-college-tour-redux-44672.html

Today, as an alumnus of the U.S. Naval Academy, I strongly recommend that you study engineering at Rice University. It's on a number of top-ten lists with a few #1s and #2s.

Regardless of which university you choose, if you're at all curious about the military then I strongly recommend signing up for Air Force or Navy ROTC. The first year is totally free of any payback obligation, and all of your tuition/fees are paid to the university at their full retail rate. (You're still paying for your own room/board.) This means the university knows they'll get full price from the U.S. government for your attendance, and that gives you the bonus option of applying early decision. While ED removes all of your negotiating power for financial assistance (which you don't have to care about if you're on ROTC scholarship), ED also gives you a few extra bonus points with the Admissions committee.

In addition, at most universities the ROTC unit gets early registration (to make sure you can sign up for your required ROTC classes without conflicts). The unit's upperclass are a wealth of mentoring info on majors, professors, and other campus details. (There may also be file cabinets of class notes and sample exams.) You'll get plenty of free study assistance from the unit to keep you from wandering too far off the academic path.

You might think that the early mornings of fresh air & exercise are a drawback, but it had the opposite effect on our offspring. Her classmates knew that she had to get up early most weekday mornings, so they'd party elsewhere in the evenings and keep it quiet around her room. There was also zero peer pressure to do drugs or underage drinking because they knew it'd jeopardize her scholarship. You'll have to decide whether that's a bonus or a drawback.

If you stick with ROTC after the first year, then at graduation you'll owe five years of active duty (plus three years of annual e-mail musters in the inactive Reserve). The good news is that by the time you start your sophomore year you'll have no doubts about whether you want to stay in the program or get out and find your own college funding.

Our daughter took great comfort in knowing that she had interesting summer internships (good pay and great sea stories) with a guaranteed job waiting for her at graduation. (Boy, was that job ever waiting for her.) But she's learned a lot and it's where she met her spouse.

Of course if you're the kind of wild-eyed hard-partyin' happy-go-lucky seat-of-the-pants devil-may-care teen who'd benefit from a highly structured environment with lots of discipline and other liberty restrictions, then a service academy is a great place to be from. Or so I've been told. In that case I'd recommend USNA or USAFA or USCGA. West Point... well... visit there in February before making your choice.

I'm in full agreement with you about great education at the service academies but there is no way that I'd call the commitment you take on at graduation to be "absolutely free".

I heard that it was a $250K education shoved up your assets one nickel at a time...

 

[laurence]

You are getting great advice here, I'll mention something else though - don't fall in love with any particular school, and don't be disappointed if you don't get it. My wife has a much younger sister who is like a daughter to me. Straight A's through high school, honor society, honors/AP classes, class president, spoke at graduation, sports, volunteer work - the whole deal. We live in SoCal and she applied to a bunch of UC schools. The best she got was wait listed at UCLA. She probably would have been accepted Spring semester but was really disappointed with this outcome. She had a good offer from University of Arizona and San Diego State, and ended up going to San Diego. She kept her hardworking go-go at 'em attitude, joined all the honor societies and became a VP of her sorority (mixed feelings about that) graduated with honors, and landed a great internship/research fellowship up in the Bay Area and is applying to PhD programs up there, with solid letters of recommendation/endorsements/connections. She did an exchange program to Germany and has been to just about every European country, her best friend speaks three languages, she has seen and done so much and doesn't turn 23 for another month.

Point is, don't think that because that first option didn't work out that you won't have an amazing college experience. Just about every solid university provides ample opportunity to get that awesome college experience and education. And when it's all said and done, I got my BS from the worst (i.e. least prestigious) Cal State and still did all right, career-wise. Only a third of Americans have even completed a Bachelor's degree! Just...don't...don't get a silly degree, my underemployed friends have degrees in fine art, music of the Andes, etc....

 

[laurence]

Edit: Pic of the happy grad.

 

[Bamaman]

I remember all the young men from our public high school that started into college as engineering students. After one semester, they were business management majors. They just didn't have the strong math and science skills to be successful.

My big city state university was reflective of the same experience. They didn't graduate 100's of engineering students every semester. They were lucky to have graduates in the dozens. And even then, the graduating students had strange names from India and Taiwan--few Americans.

My best friend is very bright, and he went to a small Southern liberal arts college with 97% of graduates going on to higher education. Then he went to the Wharton School of Business for an MBA in Finance. The running joke was all the undergraduates at Penn shelling out mega money for their Ivy League B.S. degrees--but they never laid eyes on the famous faculty members teaching in Graduate School. But it was the masses of undergraduate students' parents picking up the tab.

I'm just fortunate to have graduated in kinder, cheaper times. My tuition started out at $117.50 per semester and rose to $192.50 in four years. Southern universities in state are more like $4,500 per semester tuition. It sure beats $22K per semester tuition my niece's daughter's paying in New York City for a major that'll never maker her a living.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Look at college/degree as an investment. Does it make sense to attend a university that costs $50k/year to obtain a degree and work as a social worker making $13/hr. People wonder why they have student loans for 30 years.

I think this advice and picking a major you enjoy, can excel in, can actually get a job in and allows you to be financially self sufficient for the lifestyle you aspire to is the 80/20. Also check out the graduation rates after 4 years and stress levels of the students. Some of the very competitive schools have pretty high depression rates due to stress and overwork and some schools for various reasons have really low graduation rates.

 

[Urchina]

Don't rule out the expensive private schools such as Harvey Mudd. I'm need deep into this process with HS senior and at this point the most expensive private is looking like the least expensive option. I wouldn't have guessed that six months ago.

Yes, this. DH went to MIT, only worked summers and had no student debt when he graduated with his BS. They have an enormous endowment. So don't rule out the top schools based on cost.

When choosing a school, choose one that's good at engineering AND at least something else that interests you. That way, if you change your mind while in school, you'll be able to change majors or minors into another quality program (just ask me how I know this....).

Cal Poly SLO is a great school and a GREAT town - it should def be on your list of potentials.

Have fun!

 

[Urchina]

It's rarely discussed in the brochures but your college experience is based not only on a school's facilities, degree programs, and professors, but also your fellow students. During college years you will learn as much from your fellow students, both the good and the bad, as you learn in classrooms. To see how typical students think you need to spend time on campus, some schools will let you stay overnight in student housing. Plus find some recent alums to talk to, such as previous grads from your high school.

Oh yes, this too. I turned down a full ride scholarship to a private East Coast school because during the weekend I spent there (they flew me out) the people I met were. .. not the sort of people I wanted to spend 4 years with (for example, nobody would talk about finances with me - turns out that there were so many trust fund babies that work was considered shameful). So not my style. I went to a state school, on scholarship, instead. Lots of workin' people there, so I fit right in.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I am on the hiring team for my company and I did a few interviews this week. I am not in a STEM industry, so this may not be true in your field, but in mine, what college you went to only matters for the first job you apply for- after that, it matters how you did at your previous jobs.

One thing that is important is to get some sort of job experience even if its not in your field. Your interviewer will want to know how you deal with problems, and people etc. An interviewer really does not want to hear about how you handled your "group project" in college- do something that gives you something to say in an interview (probably not flipping burgers). Good luck!

 

[Milton]

The military is not for everyone

So true. Not that naval or military service is a bad thing, but (like every other occupation or activity) it doesn't suit all personalities. I find that people who have actually served understand this better than most civilians.

 

[Milton]

[W]hat college you went to only matters for the first job you apply for - after that, it matters how you did at your previous jobs.

I agree. Any student or young graduate who thinks that a golden career is essentially guaranteed by their possession of a degree from X Unviersity is kidding themselves.

 

[injera]

good read. My son is 2.5 and we're already thinking about college.

My thought has always been: if he's a smart and passionate student who really wants to study (insert STEM major here) and the best program is at Stanford; we will find a way to afford Stanford.

If he is an average student who really isnt sure what he is going to major in and is probably going to spend too much time drinking then he's going in state.

While I want to give my child the best chance of success, I cant see paying an extra $100k (probably $500k by the time he is 18) just so he can go to an expensive private school and drink there.

 

[nash031]

My thought has always been: if he's a smart and passionate student who really wants to study (insert STEM major here) and the best program is at Stanford; we will find a way to afford Stanford.

If he is an average student who really isnt sure what he is going to major in and is probably going to spend too much time drinking then he's going in state.

While I want to give my child the best chance of success, I cant see paying an extra $100k (probably $500k by the time he is 18) just so he can go to an expensive private school and drink there.

With our 4 month old, we've talked about the same type of things and right now are funding a 529 for her with the intent of matching in-state tuition wherever we are living in 18 years. Anything above and beyond that, she will have to figure out how to fund. Both of us went to (the same) public University and we're doing just fine. It becomes a value discussion, and I don't think there's enough evidence out there to say that a degree from a private school that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the degree from a public University is worth it. If she wants to find out for herself, she can earn scholarships like her parents did, apply for loans like her mother did, and work part time as both parents did. YMMV!

 

[injera]

With our 4 month old, we've talked about the same type of things and right now are funding a 529 for her with the intent of matching in-state tuition wherever we are living in 18 years. Anything above and beyond that, she will have to figure out how to fund. Both of us went to (the same) public University and we're doing just fine. It becomes a value discussion, and I don't think there's enough evidence out there to say that a degree from a private school that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the degree from a public University is worth it. If she wants to find out for herself, she can earn scholarships like her parents did, apply for loans like her mother did, and work part time as both parents did. YMMV!

I hear you loud and clear. I went to a top 20 private college, funded by my parents. I enjoyed my experience but got my first job out of college through a friend of a friend so it wouldnt have mattered where I went (and future career prospects didnt matter on my alma mater either).

My wife went to an in-state school, found her first job through the career center and advanced her career as well.

We both do fine but certainly the expense on my undergrad wasnt worth it. The expense of my part-time MBA however is a totally different story. Best $80,000 piece of paper ever

Good luck w the 4 mo old. it gets a lot easier i promise