A few months ago, I posted "T5 vs T35 engineering" (viewtopic.php?t=417838) and got great feedback with diverse opinions. But some responses focused on CS and FAANG jobs, which was irrelevant to my kid. Now with several decisions in, I want to start a new thread and provide more information so that you can help my kid make the best decision for her future.
daughter: HS senior in FL, excels in physics/calculus, intends to major Electrical Engineering (EE) or CompE, but not CS. She does what she is told to do. But until HS, she rarely took initiatives. I would like to see her be more proactive and build this skillset in college. But there's no guarantee. At college, she wants to work at research labs, coop and summer internships. Upon graduation, work full time for 2-3 yrs and then pursue a MS degree. (For now, no interest in PhD)
parents: Asian immigrants living in FL. diehard bogleheads but are willing to and capable of paying full out-of-state cost of attendance out of pocket. In short, we have the fund and will invest $200k for her better future.
accepted: Purdue FYE, UIUC EE (direct admit), NCSU EE, UCF EE
expected acceptance: U of Florida (UF) EE
deferred: Georgia Tech (family consensus dream school), USC.
no rejects. there are other schools waiting such as UCB but super reach or irrelevant for this discussion.
If she gets accepted to GTech RD, then this is all over, as she will commit. Otherwise, she may need to make a decision between UIUC and UF. Out of pocket annual costs are $63k for UIUC and $0 for UF thanks to Benacquisto scholarship, which covers full CoA.
Everybody says the education itself will be similar between the 2 because they are all ABET accredited and I agree. But we all know that college is not just about lectures/courses. Outside the class is where the key differences are and here are my thoughts on each.
1. UIUC: She got directly admitted to EE, which she wants to study. 50+ ECE research labs with undergrad research assistant opportunities. Network for research park and summer internships. Midwest will be a shock to my kid because of climate, rural environment. 2+hr drive from major airports. So 7+ hrs door to door from FL home.
2. UF: Brand new building focused on AI research thx to Nvidia. CE and CS are moving in to this together, which will have synergy effect. (Previously, they were in 2 separate buildings 15 min apart.) She will also be eligible for a brand new dorm. She will have many friends from HS attending together but this is my concern. Most of her friends are pre-med. She should branch out and make friends in her field. I don't like the new UF president (ex-politician) and how UF system is changing. 5-hr drive from home. If she decides to go to UF, $200k will still be hers in some form like future house down pmt (she doesn't know).
What would you do?
This conundrum is an example of high opportunity cost. We are fortunate to have multiple excellent options and we would be happy with either choice. Of course, she will make the decision and we will respect it. My job is to gather as much relevant information/insights and present them to her so that she can make the right decision.
daughter: HS senior in FL, excels in physics/calculus, intends to major Electrical Engineering (EE) or CompE, but not CS. She does what she is told to do. But until HS, she rarely took initiatives. I would like to see her be more proactive and build this skillset in college. But there's no guarantee. At college, she wants to work at research labs, coop and summer internships. Upon graduation, work full time for 2-3 yrs and then pursue a MS degree. (For now, no interest in PhD)
parents: Asian immigrants living in FL. diehard bogleheads but are willing to and capable of paying full out-of-state cost of attendance out of pocket. In short, we have the fund and will invest $200k for her better future.
accepted: Purdue FYE, UIUC EE (direct admit), NCSU EE, UCF EE
expected acceptance: U of Florida (UF) EE
deferred: Georgia Tech (family consensus dream school), USC.
no rejects. there are other schools waiting such as UCB but super reach or irrelevant for this discussion.
If she gets accepted to GTech RD, then this is all over, as she will commit. Otherwise, she may need to make a decision between UIUC and UF. Out of pocket annual costs are $63k for UIUC and $0 for UF thanks to Benacquisto scholarship, which covers full CoA.
Everybody says the education itself will be similar between the 2 because they are all ABET accredited and I agree. But we all know that college is not just about lectures/courses. Outside the class is where the key differences are and here are my thoughts on each.
1. UIUC: She got directly admitted to EE, which she wants to study. 50+ ECE research labs with undergrad research assistant opportunities. Network for research park and summer internships. Midwest will be a shock to my kid because of climate, rural environment. 2+hr drive from major airports. So 7+ hrs door to door from FL home.
2. UF: Brand new building focused on AI research thx to Nvidia. CE and CS are moving in to this together, which will have synergy effect. (Previously, they were in 2 separate buildings 15 min apart.) She will also be eligible for a brand new dorm. She will have many friends from HS attending together but this is my concern. Most of her friends are pre-med. She should branch out and make friends in her field. I don't like the new UF president (ex-politician) and how UF system is changing. 5-hr drive from home. If she decides to go to UF, $200k will still be hers in some form like future house down pmt (she doesn't know).
What would you do?
This conundrum is an example of high opportunity cost. We are fortunate to have multiple excellent options and we would be happy with either choice. Of course, she will make the decision and we will respect it. My job is to gather as much relevant information/insights and present them to her so that she can make the right decision.
Statistics: Posted by acegolfer — Mon Jan 29, 2024 8:01 pm — Replies 9 — Views 523