I just got into GT through the waitlist and have already committed to Rutgers Honors College. Considering that GT is a top 5 school for engineering, should I consider going there? 50k/year is near the max I can pay out-of-pocket, and GT is at that boundary while Rutgers HC is much nicer at 20k/year. This means I would be spending an additional 130k for a GT degree over a Rutgers HC degree. I am not sure yet if I want to go to graduate school. If I do plan on going, it may become too expensive (assuming like 80-90k/year for a top-end graduate school) if I attend GT, but that’s not the case for Rutgers. Plus, I would have the comfort of being in-state for Rutgers. Basically, are the outcomes/networking/opportunities available from GT for an additional 130k (which I can comfortably afford if I do not end up doing a master’s) worth it compared to all the perks and benefits of Rutgers HC for electrical engineering? Also, would it be better to attend Rutgers HC as I probably have a better chance of standing out as the student population may not be as competitive as GT when applying to graduate schools? Does the prestige of the university matter for engineering (in the scenario I do not go to graduate school and go straight to the industry)? Thanks!
Are you taking loans to go Ga Tech?
Reputationally Ga Tech is stronger but will your outcome be different ? That’s debatable.
You can make a case for Ga Tech although it costs above your budget.
But I would not take on big debt.
Grad school in engineering is tough. You may decide not to go so not sure id factor that in.
Good luck.
If doing masers is the aim then save money. Other things to consider beyond Tuition are travel, preference to research over internship(since you want to go masters route), course rigor and AP credits you can use. Masters would consider your UG recommendations and GPA. GA Tech is notorious for grade deflation. So that is to consider. Good luck!
Hey! Just curious, when did you get off of the waitlist?
Prestige really does not matter much, if at all, in engineering. I have worked with graduates from Rutgers (and MIT, and Stanford, and U. Mass Amherst, and many other schools, and in one case GT). On the most part no one cares where anyone got their degree. GT is a very good university. However, you can do very well with a degree from either one of these two very good universities.
When I was applying to graduate schools, I was applying with an undergraduate GPA that was probably only okay because I was coming from a school that is also notorious for grade deflation (specifically MIT). However, if I had been coming from a different university, then I would probably have had a higher undergraduate GPA. I doubt that it would have made much difference one way or another. Certainly the students who I met in graduate school came from a very wide range of universities (including Rutgers).
If you have a strong personal desire to attend GT, and if your parents can afford it, then it might be a reasonable choice. However, given what you have described, unless you have a very strong preference, I would be inclined to stick with Rutgers.
Monday 6/10/24
and you have time to accept till?