Hey guys,
I am in need of some help here. I am currently attending my last semester at a community college and I am planning to transfer to a four-year school in this fall with a major in Chemical Engineering. As of now, I have been accepted to these schools: University of Rochester, Iowa State University, U of M Duluth. It is almost impossible for me to attend ISU because of the high out-of-state tuition. I am from MN, by the way.
I am debating whether I should accept the admission offer from RU or from the U of M Duluth. Below are some of the reasons that can influence my decision and I would appreciate any comments/suggestions.
UR pros: More prestigious than U of M Duluth. Might have more/better on-campus recruitments. Might be more generous in terms of financial aid (I haven’t received a financial aid package yet). I like the location better.
UR cons: My only main concern about RU, which is actually why I decided to start this thread, is that I don’t want to be in an environment where I will be below average in terms of academics. I mean… without any exaggeration, I am a really hard-working person when it comes to doing my school work, even if that means doing nothing on the weekends and breaks but school work. However, I realize that most of the students at RU are quite talented. I truly enjoy challenging myself but that precludes if I have to struggle to keep up with my studies.
By the time I transfer, I will have pretty much all my lower level classes completed so I will start the upper-level engineering courses at wherever I wind up transferring to. I am doing fine in my current college and my schedule is quite heavy loaded. I am taking O Chem 2, O Chem 2 lab, multivariable Calc, and Calculus-based Physics 2 with its lab and I am handling this ‘ok’. My schedule for last semester was the same as this one except it was the lower courses.
So I guess my point is, I am not sure if I will be able to handle the work at UR. What I am sure of, though, is that I will work hard to the best of my ability.
U of M Duluth pros: Student-body might not be as competitive, which means I might do well in academics. In-state tuition (more on this later).
U of M Duluth cons: future job placement might not be as good as that of UR. Although I am an in-state student, I would still have to take out more than $10,000 in student loans. The location is good but not as appealing to me.
On another note, what is the student atmosphere at UR like? is it super competitive or more collaborative? How hard is it to get a one-to-one attention from the professors/advisors there?
Your input is much appreciated.
Again, these are just my thoughts and are open to critics.
