<p>Thanks a lot for all your help! </p>
<p>astrophysicsmom and awesome socks: You guys make a really good point. The reason I’m leaning towards Maryland over other “safeties” is that the aerospace opportunities in the area are really unmatched anywhere. There’s a huge multitude of co-op/internship opportunities, not to mention job opportunities after graduation. Plus, I might be able to apply to a more competitive grad school later with little or no debt.</p>
<p>worrywart: Thanks for posting that link, it was nice to see how many of those scholarships they actually give out!</p>
<p>If anyone else interested in engineering at UMD is reading this, you might be interested in the statistics here: [Student</a> Workshops, Engineering Co-op and Career Services, University of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.coop.engr.umd.edu/students/salary.html]Student”>http://www.coop.engr.umd.edu/students/salary.html)
These are the average hourly co-op and internship salaries for students in their respective engineering majors - they don’t seem too shabby.</p>
<p>I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a good offer!</p>