I have never heard Clemson increasing the offer. However, my daughter has received small merit scholarships from alumni donors while at Clemson, she’s graduating in May and just applied to a few more donor scholarships (the other awards didnt require an application).
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Baylor - the other top choice - is what was being referenced.
It’s highly likely if money is involved, Clemson is not going to win.
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Thank you for that . Yes, we plan on waiting. For one thing, Clemson doesn’t release merit info until late March.
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I agree. Clemson doesn’t have to be the cheapest, but it has to be competitive with Baylor.
What this past weekend all showed us is that Baylor is a solid option for my daughter. More than being just a good school that we can afford, we all really liked it regardless of cost.
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Sorry O/T but the weather is so terrible right now…we’re about to get our 3rd snowstorm in 5 days. I hate it! I am either snow blowing/shoveling or on my phone under the heated throw blanket. I can’t wait for spring!
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I’ve done a lot of thinking over this past weekend, and have read and re-read every reply on this thread.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond and advise.
In particular:
@tsbna44 The comment you made about “Akron or Clemson or Ohio St or Boulder….not gonna matter”…has really impacted me.
It took awhile to sink in, but I think I finally get it. You have also been the hammer on the nail regarding cost. Thank you. Although some of your comments were things I didn’t want to hear, you have been right more than wrong; you have made me do more research, and I appreciate that you have shared your experience and expertise.
@AustenNut You have been unfailingly kind, calm, and encouraging. Thank you.
To those who assured me that engineering is merit based and talked me down from only chasing prestige, thank you for providing some common sense @ColdWombat @ucbalumnus @Mwfan1921
For the conversation about maximizers vs. sufficers, I am so grateful @blossom @coldwombat
For continual emotional support and for sharing wisdom, information, grace and maturity, I thank @aquapt and @thumper1 and @AustenNut
For sharing glimpses of your student’s life in band or at their college, I thank @luanne and many others
For asking questions about my daughter’s health and for not glossing over that, thank you @lkg4answers
For catching early on that Baylor is a good choice and supporting and encouraging that choice, thank you @txfriendly For the info about Clemson, thank you to those parents! For everyone who chimed in about band, I appreciate the insight and knowing what questions to ask.
I’m sure I have left some people out. But I appreciate every reply, every private message, and all the support and encouragement while
we have navigated this crazy time in our lives! In general thank you for being a sounding board. I appreciate you all!
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Between Clemson and Baylor, my D is leaning heavily towards one of them. Just wanted to run it by you folks again in case someone thinks of something we have not thought of:
Clemson:
PROs:
• better known for their engineering
• beautiful area of the country, the lake
• close to extended family
• really does the rah rah college life well
Cons:
• really far from us
• more expensive (at very top of budget)
• seems more of a Greek life/drinking culture
Baylor:
PROs:
• less expensive (there is some money left over in case she needs an extra semester or even for grad school)
• beautiful campus
• really great “vibes” for her
• less of a drinking culture
• much closer to home
• known for small class sizes and for teaching undergrads
Cons:
• not known as much for STEM
• Waco
• engineering department is smaller (not as many disciplines)
As you know I’m a maximizer, so just want to minimize the inevitable overthinking.
If Baylor has the curriculum/major she ways, it’s clear from past writings it fits you both better.
Clemson is just a typical flagship engineering - although respected in automotive.
Baylor will afford the same opportunities when applying for jobs.
Outside of 3 or 5 schools, the more known for engineering is sort of wishful thinking for many who attend those in my opinion.
Both will work but the way you’ve talked, one is a fit. One isn’t.
Btw you can fly to Waco (10 miles). Not so Clemson. You’re a hike from limited flight Greenville (48 miles) and a big hike from non stop flight Atlanta (130 miles). Of course DFW (110 miles), Love (102), and Aus (110 miles) would be bigger options but all at a distance.
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Sometimes strangers can see it more clearly than we can ourselves. Thanks for this —it is exactly what I needed to hear.
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I hope I didn’t misinterpret. Maybe others can confirm.
Once u got mad at me bcuz I was apparently misreading. But I recall her loving the Baylor visit and your pros that matter - say Baylor.
So hopefully others chime in.
Ps - the data that schools collect is not without flaws but I’d say some data is better than none. And you find trends in majors similar across most campuses - like which pay low or high etc. baylor’s #s look solid to me. In business we use data to decide or confirm and that’s what this is.
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One thing I’ve found with Greenville airport is that it’s very small and easy, and it really only takes 45 minutes (we live 12 - 20 miles from nyc airports but 30 minutes is the absolute fastest for Newark, and an be over an hour for jfk and LaGuardia with traffic). Getting to and from airports is pretty easy, 50% of students are oos, Clemson provides free shuttles to and from greenville and charlotte, plus there are several companies as well.
I can’t edit the previous post. Clemson shows lower salaries for MechE but we don’t know how Baylor calculates. Companies pay by location. Not school.
If you go read #157 on Feb 8th, that might help you. You wrote it about Baylor.
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op: Use THIS, not that:
Some data, which may include self report data, is flawed. As many statisticians know, GI,GO.
Read here:
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I don’t believe you’ve shared much about your daughter’s medical disability - nor should you have to - but concerns about her health could certainly amplify the importance of going somewhere that isn’t onerous to travel to. Depending on the situation, it might also dial up the importance of the factor you mentioned - financial buffer decreasing the pressure to graduate on time. That could matter if her health made it advisable to take a lighter courseload at some point.
I don’t know if the alcohol thing should be a big deal or not. Sometimes a dry campus, rather than eliminating drinking, can make it more secretive and problematic where it does occur. And a wet campus doesn’t mean that everybody drinks or that anybody has to. I think a student needs to be clear on their own values on this issue, no matter where they attend. Nonetheless, clearly the availability of open, alcohol-drenched partying is not a priority here 
It seems to me that you’re happy with Baylor, your daughter is happy with Baylor, and your budget is happy with Baylor. You’re just dealing with some FOMO about Clemson, which is understandable and fine - having a “road not taken” that stings a little to give up is normal and common. But I’m not hearing that you or your daughter perceive value-added at Clemson that justifies the additional cost, inconvenience, and less-comfortable cultural fit. Is Clemson, in general, a little bit of a heavier-hitter in STEM? Yes, but how much does that matter? Does it matter how many engineering disciplines there are, if she can only major in one and Baylor has what she wants? She can get an ABET degree there, and they have a program that feels like a good fit.
It sounds like you’re just afraid that you’re overlooking something she shouldn’t be giving up, at Clemson. But it seems to me that Clemson means going out on a financial and logistical limb, when she’s really excited about and comfortable with the choice that makes more sense in terms of the practicalities. I think it’s okay to let Clemson go and celebrate the fact that she got a great offer from a school she loves, with a program she loves, at a comfortable distance from home. You will never know how the road not taken would have turned out, but the road that you’re all “feeling” seems to be a good one.
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You got it exactly right.
Also (not directed to you but to everyone), the last thing I’m worried about is slight variations in the salary of her first engineering job. Let’s get her through freshman engineering first.
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@aquapt You make so many good points here, and I think you are right—it is mostly FOMO and just letting go of that last school. I knew you all would bring clarity.
Re: the alcohol, it is not a values driven thing in and of itself but it relates to her medical condition. Alcohol could literally kill her. And while I trust her to abstain (she isn’t a party girl regardless), I think it would be helpful for her to be in an environment where other students inherently respect that more or less. If she can be somewhere where there are more kids not relying on alcohol for fun, that is to her benefit.
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These are good points, but when you are trying (like we would be) to get from a small airport to a small airport, there tend not to be many flights and they tend to be expensive.
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Spot on.
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Another helpful resource:
My daughter is graduating in a couple weeks with a MechE degree and a minor from Clemson and is going into Mechatronics/robotics/controls. She’s worked on two different research projects and loved her internship experience. Fraternity/sorority culture isn’t as big as you probably think; only 35% of women and 18% of men participate, so it’s easy to find an active social life without joining. DD doesn’t like parties or bars, and she found her people in clubs like RPG/board games and creative outlet clubs. Politically DD’s left leaning and has never had any issues; she’s found people to be more apolitical and friendly. She ultimately chose CU over other schools because it felt like “home;” with her diagnoses, fit was very important.
DD has worked with the ADA office over the years; they’ve always been easy to work with and prompt to address any issues or needs. We moved here a few years ago, so we’re familiar with the health system. Salaries here are “lower,” but our cost of living is also lower. DD found them to be $65-90k in the region depending on the industry and location. Keep in mind our gas is $2.43/gal, home taxes in our lake community $2.4k/year, and you can find new build starter homes for $250-300k. Most stay in the region after graduation. We frequently fly out of GSP, and have never had any issues. Many of the flights connect through Charlotte. Any issues have come with the connections in Philly, DC or LGA. We know a few Cali students; admittedly, money was not a factor in their decision processes. I’m not overly familiar with Baylor, so I have no comparison insight. As a parent with a student of various needs, I’d say choose a school that best fits her needs and where she will be happy. I don’t think she’ll have any great advantage one way or another as long as her chosen school is ABET accredited. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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