<p>Then it is no competition. All the schools are about $8k/yr (discount keeping above 3.6). UC Berkley is the only top 10 engineering school on the list. Think about it this way: If MIT or Caltech were on the list at $20k/yr, then those would be the schools to pick. With Berkley being top 5 engineering, he can’t pass up the opportunity if he wants to be an engineer. Note: I’m not saying the other schools are bad, I’m just saying that Berkley is top 5.</p>
<p>If he can’t keep up 3.0, then that is a problem. Not just for scholarships, but for his career. 3.0 requires more A’s than C’s. If he gets many C’s, then that’s a problem. Tip: take enjoyable and required engineering classes through the end of the sophomore year. Don’t take classes he may not to well in until Junior year. That gives a 2 year cushion to dilute a bad grade.</p>
<p>Gladgradad - my advice is very well informed. I lumped UCSD with Berkeley, as CA state schools. No, I (personally) wouldn’t pay for any CA state schools with their budget issues. Yes, I do come across a lot of Columbia grads when I recruit, both engineering and CAS, and we have a hard time getting them. I also think students change their mind about what they want to do for career, especially when they are 17/18. I wouldn’t pick a school for that ONE particular major. I can only give advice based on what I would do. I am no expert and not being paid as an expert.</p>
<p>oldfort - Go back and read objectively what you wrote and you might be able to see why I responded as I did. You didn’t make the same statements regarding UCB and UCSD and you do, in fact, seem to have a general issue with state schools regardless of your earlier retort. I’m just responding to what you wrote. It’s very clear it’s not well-informed in this particular area at all but it’s up for the OP to decide that I guess.</p>
<p>i agree with GGDad. this UC bashing gets pretty old. interestingly enough, the entire uc system --despite its “budget issues”–manages to kick most schools in the country’s ass on several levels, so the bashing is laughable. </p>
<p>but anyway, let the ‘informed’ opinions continue …</p>
<p>I do have a general issue with CA public schools. All you have to do is to read up on their budget problem. Why are you not informed about that?</p>
<p>The OP is in California,oldfort. You are probably basing your comments on currently being an east coast person. Agree with others,no need to bash the UC’s.Every parent has to decide for themselves what they thiink is worth paying for for an undergraduate degree. I am from Virginia, for instance, and would not have wanted to pay extra for a school like Cornell over UVa. But that is just me. Good luck to the OP and son with the decision!</p>
<p>If I was instate at UVA, I probably would think twice about sending my kid to Cornell. No different if I was instate for a CA school, I may choose a CA school. But in this case, there is no price difference.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Oldfort–the budget issues in the CA schools is pretty bad and no, other states do not have the same issues on the same level as CA. For a student that is dependent on FA/Scholarships to pay for college, it’s risky. What happens if 2 years from now those funds dry up or aren’t granted at the same level. Can you still afford to send him? If not, he is now a transfer student somewhere and the scholarship funds just are not there for the transfer students as they are for freshmen. It’s a legitimate concern. It’s not a bash on the quality of the schools but it is reality.</p>
<p>Although to many like OperaDad, it seems as though Berkeley would win hands down simply due to it’s great engineering ranking, keeping a 3.0 is worrisome. The first year is the most risky because of the weeder classes. Graduating from Berkeley with a decent gpa is not such a problem because one has a whole 4 years to build upon.</p>
<p>Berkeley evaluates the scholarship each semester, no grace period, no probation, no getting the scholarship back once it’s lost and the price tag without the scholarship is out of our reach. I think we have to cross it off the list even though having Regents gives a lot of perks like priority registration and guaranteed housing that override the shortcomings of whatever issues Berkeley has. </p>
<p>Does anyone know why so many kids coming out of Columbia don’t actually DO engineering? It seems to be a stepping stone for other careers like business and finance.</p>
<p>At Berkeley, changing into another engineering major requires applying to do so. Changing into a non-engineering major (including science, humanities, or social studies) is typically not difficult, except for a few popular majors. At UCSD, only a few majors (some engineering majors and computer science) are impacted and hard to change into.</p>
<p>The Regents’ scholarships at the UCs are not contingent on major. The Jacobs scholarship at UCSD is presumably contingent on majoring in engineering.</p>
<p>Columbia Engineering is a pretty small school. There are probably lot more people at UCB majoring in electrical engineering than the engineering school each year (350-400).</p>
<p>Until Google, FB, Yahoo came along, finance and consulting often paid more than other firms. Now, companies like Google are recruiting at many top engineering schools and they seem to pay better than finance firms. Engineers are good problem solvers and great at delivery, all are very important for finance and consulting. (hope I was well-informed to post that)</p>
<p>Would it be correct to assume that you can actually pay about $7-9k, without your son needing to take student loans or working?</p>
<p>As far as assessing the consequences of losing the Regent’s scholarships:</p>
<p>What appears to be the typical formula for Regents’ scholarships (in-state) is that they replace the student contribution (about $8-9k including Stafford loan and expected work or work-study earnings) with additional scholarship. Losing the scholarship would likely result in getting “normal” in-state financial aid, which should give you the same $8,750 expected family contribution plus an expected student contribution of about $8,500 (i.e. he would have to take a Stafford loan and work if you could not contribute more) for a total net price of about $17,250.</p>
<p>I too feel the need to come to oldfort’s defense. The state budget issues are real, and to deny that they could affect (or are already affecting) higher ed in California, Illinois, or other states with serious problems is naive. Just because things seem “fine” now, what if they change over the time a class of '13 high school graduate is in college? It would be a legitimate concern for me.</p>
<p>The California budgetary situation is improving (and the worst of it hit the community colleges because they could not regulate the number of incoming students through a selective admissions process). Also, California is much better than Illinois in its financial aid policy for needy students. California, along with Washington, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and Michigan, meet need for in-state students (though all of these states expect a Stafford loan and/or small amounts of work-study from the student). Illinois, on the other hand, challenges Pennsylvania for the worst financial aid gapping of middle and lower income in-state students.</p>
<h1>76: there’s no need to characterize this as something that it’s not. i’ve read several of oldfort’s comments over the years, and they’re often funny (as well as feisty!). this was not a ‘piling on’ with respect to oldfort, but more of a spirited rebuttal.</h1>
<p>To me (personally), money given without any string attached is always better. Why is a school like Columbia or Pomona able to that? Maybe because they have more endowment than other schools. More money always means better facility/faculty/scholarship for students. </p>
<p>I have given my view. Ultimately it is OP’s family decision, and the kid has some great options. Good luck.</p>
<p>While my position on the merits of Berkeley vs Columbia are more nuanced than oldfort’s, on this…I am largely in agreement. </p>
<p>No-strings money is much better than one with strings…especially one requiring maintaining a 3.6+ GPA…</p>
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<p>There’s usually around 1200-1400+ students in SEAS. However, the fact SEAS students share many of the same facilities, ECs, campuses(including Barnard), and the sometimes Byzantine university-wide bureaucracy* means it has more of a feel of a larger university than a small college.</p>
<ul>
<li>While I personally had no issues, everyone else I knew who is a student or alum at Columbia has complained about this aspect of their Columbia experience. Then again, I’ve heard similar/worse things about those at Berkeley and UCSD. In this respect, it’s a wash with the 3 universities.</li>
</ul>