<p>colorado_mom – I hope you posted on the wrong thread because this thread wasn’t about the high cost of college.</p>
<p>Sorry for the confusion. I know this thread was not about cost of college. My comment was just an afterthought about my discouragement of freshman being too young to get hung up on college research. </p>
<p>If students are dreaming about expensive schools, they’ll need their parents in the boat by senior year.</p>
<p>Get the one up on him. You can’t let this punk win!</p>
<p>First of all even if you want to get out of texas you must apply to ut austin. It is too good an opportunity to pass up, so at least apply. I go to CMU and it’s a good school, but to be honest I’m not sure if it would be worth the extra cost over UT austin unless you want to get a job at somewhere like goldman sachs (even then they might recruit at austin, it’s a well respected school)</p>
<p>Find other good schools. Is he applying to Rose Hulman? (in a bit of a miserable city, but good school and not quite as well known in the gen-pop). University of Toronto? (Yes, Canada! even check McGill if you want to go to Montreal) UBC in Canada? If he didn’t know about CMU then you should just find more schools that he doesn’t know about. You might find a perfect match along the way. Also if you know what kind of Engineering you want to do you can go even further. You might not be aware but U minnesota is one of the top programs for Chemical Engineering. Explore!</p>
<p>Also maybe they will accept you both? Who knows.</p>
<p>edit: I just read that you were a freshman. What is this? Who cares about engineering in freshman year of HS? 
Go have fun with some girls. I don’t even think CMU admissions really looks hard at freshman year grades (but do well!) find a passion…it might be robotics or it might be literature…but find one and pursue it, then apply to programs when you’re old enough/a senior. If you really find a passion it won’t matter if you go to the top school or a not so top school.</p>
<p>Ok- here is my opinion for what it is worth, and I have been working as an engineer for a long time, also been a mother for a while now.</p>
<p>It is outrageous that you and your friend would loseyour 9th grade friendship over the possibility of not making it into the same university. Seriously there are many many good engineering schools. </p>
<p>But the main thing is this: you are very similar people, and you are both highly motivated. That is just who you are. I see folks on this website suggesting you chill, and I guess I am too, but I am also suggesting you channel some of the similarities that you have with this kid and team up and grab some opportunities where two heads are better than one. Its not all about grades, do some cool robotics thing together. Form a math club, join stuff together. Have fun. If you end up losing this friend, you will have to make friends with folks who you dont relate to as well. </p>
<p>But examine this in a healthy way.</p>
<p>Ut oh. Luckily, online forums filled with strangers are the most reliable source of advice for personal matters such as yours. </p>
<p>My suggestion (which, by the way, is the only correct suggestion) is to sabotage your friend. Have you considered murder? Would I, an anonymous stranger, lead you wrong?</p>
<p>To the person who will inevitably take offense to my post:</p>
<pre><code> I’m joking. (sort of)
</code></pre>
<p>whoo double post. sorry ):</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ve ever had to read A Separate Peace for school, but I’ve learned from experience that the best way to ditch him is to push him out of a tree so he breaks his leg and dies. </p>
<p>Nothing kills your competition like a 30 foot drop!</p>
<p>Ha I just finished A Seperate Peace. I’m not so big on sabotage cuz someone tried to sabotage my shots of getting into CMU. Why don’t you both just apply to the same colleges and let the best man win.</p>
<p>There is a very real possibility that both of you get into the school if you are both good students. Last year one of my best friends got into CMU along with his girlfriend both of them are majoring in engineering so it is possible for both of you to end up going to the same school. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Edit: Oh and I am from Texas along with my friend and his girlfriends and they both went to the same high school</p>