Hello! I’m currently choosing between USC (spring admit) and Purdue for mechanical engineering, and I’m looking for advice on which school would make the most sense. USC would be about 100k/year while Purdue would be about 50k/year, with my main goal being to get my master’s degree and then go into the industry. My parents are willing to pay the whole cost for either option but would obviously need a reason to pay more for USC.
Preferences:
Small teacher-to-student ratio
Good weather/environment
Good internship opportunities
Ps internships are up to the student, not school but Purdue has a huge career fair. But no schools has guarantees and we are seeing that now as parents of kids from top schools - like ga tech - are reporting no jobs.
Two great admissions but to me Purdue is the easy choice here.
I’m clearly very biased but another vote for Purdue based on cost, starting on time, and internship opportunities. Student teacher ratio isn’t great in the intro classes but any large class will have a mandatory breakout session of no more than 25 students. I would think the same would be true at USC though.
Weather of course will be bettering in California but IMO, that’s not a good reason to choose a school where you will only be living for 4 years.
If that is the case, then you must mean University of Southern California (a private school), where in-state does not matter for tuition purposes. In-state cost for University of South Carolina would be much less than $100k per year.
Agree. This is the same comment I was going to make.
The University of Southern California (USC)is a private school. It is not a public school in California. This means that every single student who attends USC pays the same exact price.
California instate students do not get a “discount” for being a resident. Everyone pays the private school rate.
The University of California schools and the California State University schools have in-state rates for California residents.
If you received an acceptance to one of the UC’s or CSU’s then yes they are bargains.
Because USC is private, it does not belong to these groups of public schools, and the students families pay for the school to run.
You can get a mechanical engineering degree from Sacramento State or San Diego State and you’ll be making the same money as a USC grad. I don’t know if it’s worth $100,000 to go to USC for a mechanical engineering degree -your fees and salaries will be the same.
Another vote Purdue.
– Cost differential is meaningful to most families. Even more so if the savings by going to Purdue means your family would have the means to fund a grad degree if you do go that route.
– In general, I am not a fan of a spring start. You will miss out on first semester freshman year when the vast majority of your peers will be creating new friendships and adjusting to college life. For engineering in particular, a spring start could throw off the sequential courses.
–If you do consider USC be sure to fully udersrand how spring admits are assimilated into campus socially, where you would dorm (ex. with oher spring admits, other freshmen, upperclassmen, etc.), how your schedule would work, when you can expect to graduate (would it be in Dec.?), etc.
–In your equation the warm weather is in USCs favor but it seems to me like a high price to pay for more sun.