Need Help with college decision [VA Tech $58k vs RIT $50k vs UMass Amherst $40k vs ASU $38k vs Stony Brook $42k] [computer science, computer engineering, or first year engineering]

Which major do you want the most? I’m curious about why you applied to CS at RIT and ASU, but to engineering at the others. RIT will offer decent flexibility with your major. The other schools may be more constrained, especially if you want CS, which is a popular major.

Some people hate the RIT campus, but we visited and liked the campus (it’s polarizing). We loved the school overall and the chair of one of the engineering departments met with us personally and was so nice and helpful. One thing we really liked is their mandatory co-op model. Getting the first job in CS/engineering can be hard and is greatly aided by having internship/co-op experience (which you can do at any school). Getting the first internship/co-op is also hard and is greatly aided by attending a school with mandatory co-op. But some people don’t want that, so it could be a con rather than a pro.

As noted by others, RIT is different since it’s the only private one. While it’s still a pretty big school (13K undergrads), it’s smaller than the others (ASU 65K, VaTech 30K, UMass 25K, Stony Brook 17K). You’ll get the resources and benefits that come with a private school. But all the schools you listed are great options and you’ll get a good education and opportunities at any of them.

What’s important to you? Do you care about class sizes?
For example: at Virginia Tech, 20% of classes have 50 or more students, 46% of classes have 20-49, and 33% of classes have fewer than 20 students. At UMass, it’s 18% for 50 or more, 35% for 20-49, and 47% for fewer than 20 students. At ASU, it’s 17% for 50 or more, 40% for 20-49, and 44% for fewer than 20 students. At RIT, it’s 5% at 50 or more, 48% for 20-49, and 48% with fewer than 20 students. I’m not sure how this varies with engineering classes. I preferred being an anonymous nobody in a sea of faces at a public flagship, whereas my kid wanted (and is loving) small engineering class sizes at a private. That’s going to depend on your preference.

You have great options, all of which are affordable, and I don’t think you can go wrong here. You can always visit your favorites and pick based on your gut feeling/vibes.

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