Hello! I am a senior at Boston Latin School and I’ve narrowed down my choices to these schools for Mechanical Engineering.
I was wait listed at Olin but if i took a gap year or go to BU/NEU for one year I can attend. The financial situation for Olin would be calculated next year but they would guarantee a half scholarship. They are super competitive and i was surprised to even get into their candidates weekend. I really like Olin but if I choose them I probably wouldn’t be able to transfer credits from BU/NEU and I’m uncertain the level of engineering experience they would expect right from the start.
Boston University gave me a full ride and I would not need to take any loans to attend. A lot of my family from Boston has gone here so there is some pressure to attend. Im sure its academic quality is strong but the campus feel seems weak.
I also have a lot of friends going here and the location is very close to home (same with NEU).
Northeastern University would cost me about 45k in total for their honors program. I really like their campus and I know they have CoOp but it is probably hard to justify the price difference. If both BU and NEU cost the same I would choose NEU even without the honors program.
Other acceptances which I plan to turn down are WPI, RPI, Umass Amherst, and Wentworth.
I’m also on the priority waiting list to Carnegie Mellon.
Any advice will help! Thanks!
Olin would guarantee half of what? Tuition? That leaves $40K+ to pay (each year). Half cost? That leaves $33K/year. So you have Olin that would cost $99-120K, NEU which would cost $45K, and BU which would not cost anything in a field in which all are fully accredited and you would be paid the same after graduation.
The half scholarship is only one component which excludes need based aid. My prediction is that Olin will have a comparable price to that of Northeastern.
Are you positive you love everything about Olin? Do you know 100% that engineering is what you want to study and do for the rest of your life? I would probably ask NU to match up BU if you really like it there! If worst comes to worse you could potentially go to Olin if you end up not liking NU. But if you feel that you can find a way to enjoy your time at BU then I would really consider that as your top choice.
What about going to BU for one year, and reassess? At that point, you’ll be able to go to Olin, or stay at BU for free. Not a bad situation to be in.
I would give a second look at RPI (stronger in engineering than BU, academically similar to NEU and they do have co-op opportunities).
I agree with MYOS. You should attend BU for that one year and see how your credits would transfer with Olin. If its not a good turn out you can always stay at BU. (Or NU if you successfully get them to match your financial aid package)
No credits will transfer to Olin. All Freshmen will come in together at the same level.
If you really want Olin, and you can afford it, take a gap year - and use the year well!
I would not recommend “giving BU a try” because, really, you either commit to BU, in which case it’ll be difficult to leave at the end of the year, or you don’t, in which case it’s just a crappy, wasted year. I don’t think you can go into it with one foot out the door.
Think about it, unless you’re utterly antisocial for the year, you’re going to develop relationships with both students and facilty, and probably get involved in campus activities, and that’ll make it very difficult to leave at the end of the year. And if you go to BU for a year just to kill time while waiting to attend Olin . . . well, as I said, I think it would be a wasted year.
What is your family’s financial situation? Will they be covering school costs out of pocket? Co-signing a private loan with you?
What kind of salary do you expect to make in your first job? Five years out from graduation? Ten; Fifteen? Will going to Olin or NEU get you a significantly better job than going to BU would? Do you plan on buying a home? Getting married? Having kids? Having more than one kid? Taking vacations?
You need to ask yourself all these questions. If you’ll be taking on loan debt to finance your education, what are your career prospects and what do you hope to be able to afford in the future? If there is no difference in terms of earning potential between schools and you’re not from a wealthy background, you need to go to school for free. 40K debt is serious business: it can take 10-20 years to pay that off, private debt is not dischargeable (even in death), and it will affect your lifestyle choices throughout your 20s and 30s, possibly into your 40s. No dream school–or preference for one campus over another-is worth 40K in debt vs no debt, especially if the schools are nearly comparable (as are the job prospects).
I feel that you should consider going to BU for at least a year because you may actually end up liking it and its free! You can get a small job as well and attend college, making your time useful. As for the “one foot out the door” I don’t think it’s a bad case 100% of the time. I know people who did guaranteed transfers from Rutgers to Cornell (and other schools) and did not regret it at all. They made double the friends and experienced a lot. And even the courses that were not accepted, the current classes at their current schools were easier because they were previously exposed to the material and classroom setting/expectations. No education is a “waste of a year”. Of course, in the end its up to you and what you really want to do!! Just know that you should figure out an alternate plan if you do not expect to attend an institution for the year 
It’s a perfect time to experience the real world.
Olin with a gap year.
I don’t understand this. “Waitlisted” normally means that you were not accepted, but you are on a “wait list” - if enough people turn down Olin’s offer (usually more than they expect) they will accept you from the wait list. I don’t get how this means that if you took a gap year or transferred that you could attend.
Unless Olin has a different definition of “waitlist” than the traditional university, you can’t choose Olin, because you were not accepted to Olin. Probably you won’t find out whether or not you will be until after the May 1 deadline, since Olin has to wait for enough students to decline to give you a spot. So my recommendation would be to make a decision based on the options you currently have.
And given that, I simply don’t understand why you would pay $45,000 for Northeastern when you can go to Boston U for free. It’s an excellent university and you’ll get a great education there.
You must be a Boston Scholar to have received a full ride at BU. Northeastern will not match their offer.
In addition, if after your year at BU you still want to go to Olin (which you very well may since its program is unique), you’ll only be 30mn away from your BU friends.
At Olin, if you’e on the waitlist, you are also automatically deferred for admission the next academic year if you do not come off the waitlist. So in effect it is a gap year with guaranteed admission.
I am confused is NE 45 a year? no one usually speaks of the total for 4 years, but are you? Do you have it or is it going to be debt?
Did Olin say you could actually matriculate at BU and still have the offer to attend Olin the next year? That is unusual. And if so then surely they could tell you what your status would be. But Olin has a unique structure and I can’t see how you would be anything other than a freshman.
Also if you want to defer Olin, then you should also ask them if they would give you an early read on your aid.
Olin grads are not stuck in engineering if they do not want to be. I know one who is in med school now 3rd or 4th year. After graduating he took a job and did the premed requirements.
If you deferred at Olin, you won’t see your FA package until the spring before you start.