UIUC Aerospace vs. Stony Brook University Mechanical?

Westchestermom
Fri, 28 Mar 2014 20:34:58 +0000

My son was accepted into UIUC for his preferred major- Aerospace Engineering. He also was accepted to Stony Brook University for Mechanical Engineering (no Aerospace Engineering major offered). COA for UIUC is 49.5K whereas COA for Stony Brook (instate) is around 23K.

Son is very bright but under performed GPA wise in high school (very quirky kid), although he was able to get a 2290 on his SATs and a rack of 5’s on AP exams. Basically he was disconnected from the high school experience and found much of the work boring. When he is enthusiastic about what he is doing, he can excel. For example, he eagerly attends advanced science and math classes on Saturdays at a selective program for high school students offered by a top notch university. He is also into research. Son toured UIUC, loved it, and is excited about attending.

We can pay for UIUC, but obviously the digging into our pockets is going to be painful- and will deplete assets that could be used for other purposes. We are tilting towards doing it 1- because son can do aerospace which is his preferred major and 2- he’s enthusiastic about the school which will increase his likelihood of success. (He knows we will pull the plug if we see any dicey grades).

Just curious to know what others think… Son will likely be looking for summer internships and may well apply to grad school. His dream job is aerospace related although he knows job situation could mean he winds up working in a different area. Thoughts, anyone?