<p>Tbosmom, S1 will be starting this fall at OU. We had many of the same questions. I see people mentioning automotive, but I didn’t see anything from you (I skimmed some) about what sort of engineering he is considering. OU and Auburn were both schools to which he applied. The money at OU was much better. 'Bama is on par with OU, but my kid liked OU’s campus and interest in him better than at 'Bama. </p>
<p>We came to the conclusion that the undergrad school means little as long as it is ABET and is not ‘unknown’. S1 is seriously considering the PhD. OU’s program will pay for up to 5 years and can include the MS as well. Given their generous treatment of AP, he is starting with 54 credits before he even steps on campus.</p>
<p>There is a lot of money available to smart STEM kids as long as you don’t want to go to the Ivy type schools. Michigan and Illinois have great programs, but the money is a competitive option and for my kid it was not worth the hassle. Maybe yours likes to write essays for a shot, mine wanted the bird in hand with the NMF deal.</p>