<p>I’m in south western Pennsylvania. If I commute I’ll be going to University of Pittsburgh. If I dorm I’ll most likely be going to Penn State or WVU. I’m going into petroleum engineering.</p>
<p>So right now all my college decisions have been financially charged. I initially planned on commuting to Pitt. It’s about a 45 minute drive at best. Right now I’m at community college and planned on staying for about 3 semesters, taking all the applicable electives I can and getting the basic physics, chemistries, and maths out of the way. I don’t normally tell anyone this, but I have a trust fund and this method would leave me almost completely debt free.</p>
<p>I’ve been rethinking my choice lately after looking further into petroleum engineering. I found a list of the top ranking schools for this. Penn State and WVU both appeared, but no Pitt. Now I’m not usually one to be picky about this sort of thing. Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to get me out of Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>So do I go to Pitt, commute, and stay mostly debt free. Or, do I go to WVU/Penn State, dorm, and rack up some debt for the sake of the convenience of dorming and knowing I’m going to a better school for my degree. How I see it, It’s not like I’m getting myself in debt over my head with a degree that won’t pay crap like some of my friends are doing. Also, just for the sake of comparing I’m assuming no financial aid which probably won’t be the case.</p>
<p>dorm at pitt, @ least freshman year!</p>
<p>How much debt?</p>
<p>Personally, I think there is value to the college experience (i.e., being away from home, etc.). However, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. In your case, the case may be more compelling, as you feel Pitt and WVU have better programs in your speciality.</p>
<p>However – there are limits to the amount of debt I would recommend in any circumstance.</p>
<p>From my estimates and assuming that I’ll be able to transfer ~35 credits to WVU/Penn State (I know Penn State will, not sure about WVU), this is what I came up with in terms of what I can’t cover in loans. Pitt is at $9k, Penn State, $26.5k, and WVU at $31k.</p>
<p>I’m sure some of you think I’m silly for making a fuss over those relatively small numbers, but I was taught that a good amount of debt is no debt. I actually expected the other two to end up costing me more than that before I actually took a pen and paper to it. If Pitt wasn’t a 5 year program, there’d be a much bigger gap.</p>
<p>Have you already started at your community college, or are you still in high school and planning for further in the future?</p>
<p>Are you comparing the full Cost of Attendance for an Engineering student at each of these universities? Don’t forget to account for the cost of commuting if you attend Pitt. You will have wear and tear on your vehicle as well as fuel. Commuting three or four days each week is different from commuting five (or more) days. </p>
<p>While graduating debt-free is preferable, a certain amount of student debt may be workable. If you are eligible to file the FAFSA, you can borrow federal loans (also called Stafford loans) each year if you choose to. The limits are $5,500 freshman year, $6,500 sophomore year, $7,500 junior year, and $7,500 senior year, for a grand total of $27,000. </p>
<p>You also should be able to hold down some kind of job during the summer vacations and/or during the school years. If you don’t commute, you probably will have more time available to fit in part-time school year job.</p>
<p>If you are currently enrolled at the community college, make an appointment with the transfer counselor to sit down and take a look at your current program of studies and to find out how that program articulates with the universities you might transfer to. It may be a better fit with one or another of these programs. The very best situation is if there is a formal, written articulation (guaranteed transfer) agreement whereby certain courses and certain grades mean you are automatically in at the program that interests you.</p>
<p>I am from southwestern PA also! Just out of curiosity, if you don’t mind me asking, what high school did you attend? </p>
<p>I am not all that familiar with the Engineering programs specifically at Pitt or WVU, but I can say that overall, Pitt is a MUCH better school than WVU. The way I see it, your decision should be between Pitt and PSU.</p>
<p>I will be attending Penn State next year and, while I won’t be an engineering major, I have heard a lot of good things about the program. A huge percentage of top students from my high school are studying engineering at Penn State. Just something to consider</p>