ChemE/MechE at JHU (26k) vs GTech (49k) vs NCSU (almost full-ride)

Compare College Acceptances
, ,
1

I am so grateful to be admitted to all of these schools. While I don’t think I can go wrong with any of these options, it doesn’t feel like theres an obvious choice. :frowning:

Cost does matter to me–I could technically afford all of these options without debt but just the thought of paying 200k for a college education ruined my experience touring GT. That being said, everyone I’ve spoken to has agreed its the best ‘engineering’ school. I’m very curious about if investing more for an undergraduate degree for engineering is really worth it.

I plan to do a lot of outdoor activities at any school I attend, and all of the campus’ seem great from the ones I’ve visited/researched. Not very picky about that

My primary concern is getting internships in college and a job after. I’m interested in the applications of engineering in the medical and renewable energy fields. I am planning to do engineering research (come hell or high water, I will bother professors irl to work in their labs) from freshman year onwards and the baja racing teams sound very cool.

Traveling/studying abroad is also a major plus. I’m fine with any ‘environment’ honestly, I’m sure there will be a few people I like at any school.

I’m pretty lost right now, so wherever I end up I will be figuring out what I actually want to do for a bit. Hence why I can’t decide on a school since I’m not sure what sector I really want to work in. My overarching goal is to get a high-paying job after college, and I’m getting differing opinions on where I can accomplish this from.

I’m probably missing something so please feel free to bring up anything I might be glossing over. Sorry if this is incoherent, I’m fairly overwhelmed. Thank you so much for your time and help!!

2

You are 100% correct; some focus too much on the - am I giving up. These are three WONDERFUL schools - and yes, there’s a trade off for lower cost in regards to “perceived pedigree.”

  1. GT was ruined when you went - so why would you go? You will be there day after day for four years - will that bother you daily? Why have that on your mind.

  2. It’s the highest ranked in US News, that’s all. They have kids (including on this website) not finding jobs, struggling like others. And my son, at a lower ranked SEC school interned with two MechE kids - he got invited back a second summer and they didn’t. So on paper, yes it’s top ranked (with JHU) but if it’s not right for you, then it’s not right for you. No school gives you any guarantee.

  3. Depends on the outdoor activities - but none are in an outdoor zone - in regards to mountains or beaches, etc. so you’d have to define more. If it’s playing frisbee golf, perhaps. If it’s skiing or hiking in the mountains, I’d say none are adjacent.

  4. You can do research at most any school - just ask. Perhaps it will be more competitive at Tech and JHU - I don’t know. But at both my kids low ranked schools (one an engineer), it seems as if the supply for research exceeded the student demand. As for clubs, at some school they’re competitive - you can contact the Formula SAE club or club of interest at each - and ask about participating. Note - Georgia Tech also has an ecoCAR team in addition to Formula SAE.

  5. Engineering is tough for study abroad - but you can do in Summer and if your school doesn’t have something, others will. Ga Tech says each major has an affiliate school program. NC State says it offers high impact experiences and JHU offers engineering semesters in Israel and Denmark. I suspect, one way or another, through the school or another college, you’ll find a study abroad. My College of Charleston kid did a summer via Nebraska, as an example. Many she wanted to do at many colleges were actually cancelled - so this is one where there’s no assurance, but you’ll find a way through your college or another.

One thing about NC State - you know engineering is at the Centennial campus - so a bit of a walk or bus ride.

Career outcomes:

NC State Dec 24/May 25 grads - 66% knowledge rate (meaning near 2/3 responded) - 61 of 99 employed, 13 in grad school. Of the 61, 58 reported salaries - $84.4K average and $82.5K median for ChemE.

Ga Tech - I can’t tell the knowledge rate (what % responded) but 51 grads and shows of those seeking employment, 78.4% are employed at the time of reporting. The median was $85.5K - so $3K more than NC State. Companies typically pay location and that might be the delta - or it could be the name.

JHU shows an 88% knowledge rate - so they know outcomes of most. 40% are employed, 52% are continuing education and only 3.5% were still looking - so they seem to have more employed percentage wise than the other two. They show a $102K average and $97K median.

So from an ROI POV, it’s likely JHU, NC State and then Ga Tech (as I see it). But you might wonder - why do JHU grads make more? Their top two employers are Booz Allen and BCG - so they are placing people into consulting roles and not necessarily engineering roles - which is common btw as published data show up to 75% of engineering grads don’t work in engineering roles.

NC State has Chem E - the other two, the major shows up as Chem and BioMolecular - so not sure how much of the figures come from the Bio Molecular part vs. chem.

Anyway, just one perspective of many you’ll receive.

Sorry - I didn’t see the MechE - I used ChemE #s above.

For MechE

NC State - 44% response, 91 working and 17 in grad school of 120 respondents. $77.7K average and $76.2K median.

Ga Tech - of those responding, 71% of those who wanted had jobs. $82.5K median

JHU - 97% knowledge rate, same amount working and in grad school (almost all - so a higher placement rate), $97K median and $102.2K mean.

Best of luck

1 Like
3

Sometimes a three-way decision can have you going around in circles. Try taking one school out of the mix and considering head-to-head decisions.

For example, what if you hadn’t gotten into Hopkins? Would you pay 200K for GT or go to NCSU for free?

If there is even one of the three head-to-head matchups that you’re sure about, that’s all you need to eliminate one choice. Then you have a cleaner decision to make, between the other two.

To me, it sounds like you’re really not comfortable with the cost of GT, and don’t inherently love it enough to get over that discomfort. The whole “it’s the best” argument only goes so far when your other options are as excellent as they are. There is nothing about JHU or NCSU that’s going to hold you back. If “elite” is important to you, JHU delivers that for half the cost of GT. If a highly-respected engineering degree without the extreme exclusivity (which will still be plenty marketable) works for you, then NCSU for free is amazing too. There’s no bad choice here. Congrats!

5 Likes
4

Between JHU and NCSU, check for any secondary admission to major requirements.

At NCSU, declaring a specific engineering major requires a competitive admission process if the number of interested students exceeds capacity of the major: Join a Department - Change of Degree Application (CODA) | College of Engineering

Based on CODA Statistics | College of Engineering , it looks like chemical engineering admitted pretty much all applicants in recent semesters, but mechanical engineering was somewhat competitive.

5

Have you visited all three and have a strong preference?

There’s no bad choice here.

NC State is an excellent school and free is fantastic. A degree from NC won’t limit your opportunities.

The only thing I can say about GT is it might be possible to graduate in three years. My son and several of his classmates did but you’ll need a fair number of AP/DE credits. Our budget was our in-state flagship. 3 years at GT was the same amount as 4 at our flagship. He worked up a plan and sold the idea of graduating in three and it worked.

1 Like
6

To me, this makes you a great fit for JHU. My D strongly considered JHU and had multiple visits to campus, including sitting in on some chem E classes (pre Covid when they were doing that kind of stuff). She was incredibly impressed with the collaborative nature in the engineering classes, the amount of research available for undergrads (multiple people told her there are more openings available than students to fill them), and the quality of their research facilities. If you have any inkling of doing engineering with medical implications, there is no better place.

And Baltimore is a highly underrated city. You will have museums and a world class conservatory at your door step, tons of restaurants, sports, easy access to DC and north you’ll have parks, hiking, kayaking, etc…..

2 Likes
7

I think you take GT off the list. You are right, there is no reason to spend that much more money when you’ve got two other fantastic choices. I would just echo what @momofboiler1 said about JHU - to me, that just felt like the best choice. They have amazing research opportunities, and if you are looking for name recognition, excellent reputation in the STEM community. That said, NCState is also an excellent school and free is hard to ignore. If you are the type of student to get into all of these, then you’re likely the type of student who is going to work hard to do well in college, an you will be a strong job candidate, regardless of which college you choose.

I might suggest you flip a coin. Say heads is one school tails is another. How do you feel after the coin flipped. Are you pleased? Disappointed? Relieved?

Good luck OP. I think you’ve got some great choices.

2 Likes