I’m extremely fortunate to get the opportunity to study at one of these schools. Also really lucky to get significant financial aid from RPI and Northeastern. I’m going into computer science, and I know Georgia Tech is miles better than both of my other two options. However, it’s also double the cost.
Should I go to Georgia Tech for that price? If not, than which is more similar to GT: RPI or Northeastern? Since I might have to given up the opportunity to go to GT, I’d prefer the school that’s more similar to the one to it.
I’m from the west coast so I cannot visit any of these three. I want to eventually pursue an MBA or Master’s in Robotics or AI. Which one of these options sets me up the best for those aspirations?
Forgot to mention: Max parent contribution is around 25k per year. My hope is if I go to Georgia Tech, I can land a higher salary job to pay off the loans.
I doubt the salary differential will be that different and you can get to a master’s or MBA program from any of these schools. I don’t know which is more similar to Georgia Tech. Northeastern is known for its co-op program while RPI is a tech school which is also Georgia Tech’s strength.
There is some information here regarding salaries. You can look up the three universities and then choose computer science or the closest analog for field of major to see salaries that were reported from I think financial aid recipients. This is not necessarily applicable to any particular student however. Location of job, skill set and the experience a student brings in along with other factors all play a role.
While risk/reward is not guaranteed, in this case it is my opinion that georgia tech is worth the risk. As you know, CS hiring is more selective now and with the strong internship and co-op culture at georgia tech maybe some of the financial gap can be closed.
if the financial risk is not acceptable, then northeastern would be the next pick.
Go to one of your affordable options. Your future debt-free self will thank you.
Your post-graduation opportunities will be determined by what YOU accomplish during college rather than which one of these fine schools you choose to attend.
If you like the co-ops, then Northeastern.
If you want the special environment of a tech school, then RPI.
(My pick would be Northeastern if you can start in Boston. Not sure if you have to start abroad or on a campus somewhere as this would be very individual. But I’m not a tech person and like Boston .)
Both will offer you excellent learning opportunities and it’ll be up to you to seize them.
No one knows what the economic environment will be a few years from now - choose the no/little debt option.
In your position, I would choose RPI. It has the intensity and rigor of GT, and a longstanding reputation for excellence in STEM. I am skeptical that your difference in earning potential with a GT degree, if in fact there is a difference, would be sufficient to cover six figures of student debt.
I appreciate the perspective that the more difficult job market in CS makes it important to obtain the most marketable degree possible. But we have all seen examples here of GT grads struggling to get their first jobs, too. For me, the more difficult job market means that it’s important to graduate debt free if at all possible, so that a longer job search after graduation wouldn’t be financially catastrophic.
While I have often recommended Northeastern for CS students, I think it is less “like Georgia Tech” than RPI is, and I would be uneasy about being a beta-tester for their new curriculum approach. Also, while I think it’s great to have a co-op option, I’m a little concerned, with the constricting job market, about the ever-growing number of NEU CS students all being able to get their required co-op placements.
So I’d be most comfortable with RPI, as a more “GT-like” school at less than half the GT price, which will give you a highly-respected degree without debt.
With respect to your interest in computer science specifically, RPI aspires to world-level status. Most notably, it has been home to “the first university-based quantum computer in the world.”
I wouldn’t feel confident about arguing that RPI outcomes are tangibly better than Georgia Tech outcomes, solely on the basis of this ranking. But I think it provides proof of concept, that many RPI grads are achieving outcomes at least as good as those of GT grads if not better, and thus meaningfully supports the contention that one needn’t take on six figures of debt for GT out of concern that RPI wouldn’t deliver the same results.
Right, since also some seem to argue that regardless of where you attend, especially for CS and engineering, you can end up with essentially the same salaries anyway.
I missed the part where you say you are going to graduate school. In that case you can always attend georgia tech later. Also northeastern and the co-ops also matter less to you. So save the money and go to RPI and the research opportunities there should help for graduate school.
Regarding your interest in a masters program, RPI’s accelerated BS/MS options may be worth checking out. A coterminal degree program means that you remain an undergrad while also completing the masters requirements, meaning that you could use your generous undergrad financial aid for the full four years, but complete a masters as well. Accelerated Degree Programs | Undergraduate Education
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