I have been accepted to both Willamette University(private) and Oregon State University(public) i get a lot of financial aid based on my race, guardian circumstances(father passed away), and was wondering which college to go to. My sister and brother have gone to OSU and my sister had to only pay 100-800$ a term while in dorms, and now she lives off campus and has 1600$ in extra scholarships.
Willamette has recruited me for soccer and is willing to give me 46,000$ a year but tuition is 57,000$ so id have a gap of 11,000 to pay. If I decided to stay in a soccer house off campus i could probably cut that in half and pay 5,000.
I am wondering if it is really worth going to this private school and paying 11,000$ instead of going to OSU for only 800 a term.
I want to be an engineer and will eventually go into petroleum engineering as a career. Oregon is a natural and clean energy oriented school so it is not a perfect fit but still is an engineering school. Willamette is a liberal arts school, though the coach tried to real me in(because he knew engineering is what i wanted to major in) and explained how they have a 3-2 program with Columbia in NYC. If i get a 3.2 GPA at willamette throughout my 3 years with free tutoring plus any other stuff from being a student athlete i will be admitted to columbia through this program to get my master’s degree.
I just need to hear some opinions on if it is worth 11,000 to go and try that 3-2 program instead of going to a real engineering school.
Willamette should be ruled out unless you can get a better financial package. Nothing wrong with a 3+2 program. However, not many people take advantage of them. Remember, also, that it normally takes 5 years to get an engineering degree anyway. So, that is not a huge issue.
I see that the 3+2 program at Willamette also has Southern Cal as an option.
Petroleum engineering is a sub-discipline of chemical engineering. So, that would be the program to take at Oregon State.
First of all, 3+2 programs don’t end with a master’s degree - they end with two bachelor’s degrees. If you want a master’s in engineering from Columbia you have to do a 3+3 or 4+2 program. (I checked on Willamette’s website to be sure.)
Second of all, not only will you have to figure out how to cover $11K a year at Willamette - you will also have to cover the shortfall at Columbia. When you transfer to Columbia (or USC, or Wash U - the other two choices) you become a transfer student at that new school, with a brand new financial aid package. I know that neither Columbia nor Wash U meets full need for transfers; not sure about USC. Columbia and Wash U are both way more expensive than Willamette and you won’t have the benefit of them trying to lure you like a freshman.
So I would go to Oregon State, and pay $800 a term. That sounds awesome.
Regarding petroleum engineering… I don’t know your motives for choosing this major, but be aware that it is among the more volatile engineering fields. Basically, its salaries follow the price of gasoline. When gas prices are high, salaries are high… but when prices are low, so are salaries. With the low cost of oil right now, I would bet that petroleum engineers are not doing especially well.
The best reason to choose a major is because you find it interesting and you are fairly good at it. Potential salary is good to consider, but if you struggle to understand the material or finding it boring, you won’t make much money at it anyhow.