School Advice

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

Matts96HB

.
Moderator
VIP
Alright, so here's the scoop. I am 21 years old, and will have finished my AA degree after the Fall 2011 quarter. I have decided on a major in Mechanical Engineering. I have sifted through the schools in my area and applied and been accepted to both of the following schools:
University of Idaho (for the spring 2012 semester)
Eastern Washington University (for winter 2011 quarter)
Now, that being said, lets review my financial situation. I work summers and rake in some cash, so I have some saved up. If I sell my car, I can pay cash for the first semester at U of I. The entire first year could be paid for at EWU. I receive NO financial aid, so just do not ask. lol.

I'll try and make this easy to read:
University of Idaho:
2nd in the area for engineering
$25k/yr for tuition (+living, etc) which would decrease to 5400/yr after the first year (upon receiving "in state" status)

Eastern Washington University:
Fairly low on the list for an engineering school
$6k/yr tuition and I can live at home (free :D )
Mechanical Engineering program is NOT ABET certified (because it is a new program)

My question is, what would you guys do in this situation? I'm looking for some advice from people who possibly already have degrees in engineering or related fields; Does the pending ABET certification make much of a difference? Is it worth the extra cash to go to the University of Idaho? In terms of my first job, does it seem that which school I graduated from have a large effect on the likelihood of being hired?

Sorry for the novel full of questions.. lol
 
The name of a school can go a long way unfortunetly.

I would try to go to the best Mech. Engineering school you can even if it is 1000 miles away. I have a few Mech. Engineering buddies that went to UCF and are doing pretty well for themselves...not that UCF is great.

Just my opinion, in my field if you went to a big name school you will get in the door just for that even if you are a tard...like some of my coworkers with big degrees that cant tie their shoes.
 
Yep, in this new economy names and rankings help.

I just moved from Oregon to Colorado for law school. In Oregon I could have went to the #80 ranked school nationally, at Colorado I am right at #36.

Also, and I don't know if this holds true for engineering school but it is sound advice for law school: Go to school where you want to work, unless you go ivy league.

Edit: You might consider the Air National Guard to help with paying for school. Remember that "Debt Limits Opportunity." VA educational benefits are the hook up anymore. My VA status got me instant in-state tuition status at Colorado University, and they are paying for my first year and a half of law school. Plus I get a housing stipend. Pay for school... like a boss lol.
 
Last edited:
Military is an awesome way to get school benefits. But if you do go military route please don't be one of those retards at combat training (aww man this is bullshit i just want my collage money, i dont want to do this shit awww) and complain 24/7.

But i guess if you join the cheer force than you will be in Luxury all day with no worries. ha ha

this is what i got

20,000 dollar student loan reinburstment (for my previous loans)
GI Bill
and 350 extra a month for school
 
Last edited:
ill tell you the same thing that pretty much everyone who asks for advice here is told....


fuck (his/her/their) mom
 
get in to the best school that will accept you.

take out loans, everybody gets them. it's the only loan in the world that is worth getting.

not much else to say.
 
Take out a school oan if needed. They have really low interest and it makes things easier during college.

Also.....I want to know why financial aide is out of the question???? I jumped through those hoops like nobody's business! It is a hassle but hell.......a grant is a grant and money is money
 
get in to the best school that will accept you.

take out loans, everybody gets them. it's the only loan in the world that is worth getting.

not much else to say.

This ^

taking a serious interest in your own education and betterment lets employees know that you care enough about yourself that they can take a chance to give you a chance.
 
can you still qualify for low interest education loans if you can not apply for financial aid?
i know some loan programs are limited by need etc

i am also confused by the financial aid bu ti am assuming its because you live at home now so they count your parents income, but the parents don't have the free capital or don't want to contribute.
 
Agreed with others. Go to the better school as when I interview new engineers I do look at which school they went to. Take student loans, you are investing in yourself and your future.
 
I'd do your due diligence and look at schools that have close relationships with certain firms/companies you'd like to work at. It goes very far in the interview process. I know my company poaches a lot of students from a lot of the big schools that we donate money to in different degree areas. Engineering is definitely one of them.
 
The name of a school can go a long way unfortunetly.

I would try to go to the best Mech. Engineering school you can even if it is 1000 miles away. I have a few Mech. Engineering buddies that went to UCF and are doing pretty well for themselves...not that UCF is great.

Just my opinion, in my field if you went to a big name school you will get in the door just for that even if you are a tard...like some of my coworkers with big degrees that cant tie their shoes.
Anything too far away might be out of the question at this point, simply because it is already fairly late in the year and I would be late for application anywhere else.
Yep, in this new economy names and rankings help.

I just moved from Oregon to Colorado for law school. In Oregon I could have went to the #80 ranked school nationally, at Colorado I am right at #36.

Also, and I don't know if this holds true for engineering school but it is sound advice for law school: Go to school where you want to work, unless you go ivy league.

Edit: You might consider the Air National Guard to help with paying for school. Remember that "Debt Limits Opportunity." VA educational benefits are the hook up anymore. My VA status got me instant in-state tuition status at Colorado University, and they are paying for my first year and a half of law school. Plus I get a housing stipend. Pay for school... like a boss lol.
Moving too far away is somewhat out of the question. There are plenty of schools that rank top 25 in the nation in California. But, since it is so late in the year, I'm kind of stuck with what I've already applied for.

The military is something to consider. That would nearly eliminate my need to work while going to school, and I'm sure my grades would show it.
Military is an awesome way to get school benefits. But if you do go military route please don't be one of those retards at combat training (aww man this is bullshit i just want my collage money, i dont want to do this shit awww) and complain 24/7.

But i guess if you join the cheer force than you will be in Luxury all day with no worries. ha ha

this is what i got

20,000 dollar student loan reinburstment (for my previous loans)
GI Bill
and 350 extra a month for school
Thats a lot of financial support..
ill tell you the same thing that pretty much everyone who asks for advice here is told....


fuck (his/her/their) mom
The dean? ;)
get in to the best school that will accept you.

take out loans, everybody gets them. it's the only loan in the world that is worth getting.

not much else to say.
I wouldn't mind loans, but paying cash for the first year (most expensive) is something that I am in a position to do.
Take out a school oan if needed. They have really low interest and it makes things easier during college.

Also.....I want to know why financial aide is out of the question???? I jumped through those hoops like nobody's business! It is a hassle but hell.......a grant is a grant and money is money
My household makes too much money. I still live at home, so my income is included..
This ^

taking a serious interest in your own education and betterment lets employees know that you care enough about yourself that they can take a chance to give you a chance.
Makes sense, I think my decision has been made.
can you still qualify for low interest education loans if you can not apply for financial aid?
i know some loan programs are limited by need etc

i am also confused by the financial aid bu ti am assuming its because you live at home now so they count your parents income, but the parents don't have the free capital or don't want to contribute.
Yeah, the financial aid thing is kinda screwy. I have applied at my community college, EWU, and University of Idaho and have received nothing so far. One can only assume that it is due to my family's income. I can pay my way so it doesn't bother me too much.
Agreed with others. Go to the better school as when I interview new engineers I do look at which school they went to. Take student loans, you are investing in yourself and your future.
Thanks for the advice, good to know from someone who interviews engineers :thumbsup:
I'd do your due diligence and look at schools that have close relationships with certain firms/companies you'd like to work at. It goes very far in the interview process. I know my company poaches a lot of students from a lot of the big schools that we donate money to in different degree areas. Engineering is definitely one of them.
This is an interesting point. While U of I is a decent school (have been told by many of my peers/friends/etc. and also been told by a couple firms in the area) it is not even on the map when looked at on a national level.

I suppose its time to start considering some other schools.
 
Don't disrespect my branch of service... it's called "chair force"
:rofl: thats awesome never heard that one before. Nice I'm Army. I respect anyone in the service no matter what branch. Thanks for your service.



Matts96HB I would see a recruiter and see what benefits the military can offer you. Even reserves can get you all those school benefits and you only do 2-3 days a month and 2-4 weeks a year for annual training (fun stuff usually). also you can get really good retirement benefits. Im a Army Lifer for sure. Military is good times

It just seems like you might consider it and all this talk about looking good on resumes well nothing looks better than Military.
 
So are you saying your parents still claim you on their taxes? If not.....you can be their 'roommate' :cool:
 
why pay cash when interest rates are low? you can invest at a higher rate of return than what school costs.
 
I'm thinking about Spring quarter at the University of Washington, I just looked at their website and its $10k/yr (even with next year's tuition hike) for a school ranked #34 in the nation in engineering.

In regard to loans, its just a weird thought for me because I've never had a loan. I think if I were to do that I'd take the loan out and then pay a large sum of money on the loan, but still maintain some savings for an emergency.
 
That's about right for tuition there. I'm planning on going back there for my MBA, pending 95b16coupe's help :p.
 
yeah, i'd tend to agree a student loan is the way to go. put your savings aside, and use the loan checks for all the important stuff.

Most student loans dont have to be paid off until you graduate (or stop attending). And if you have a savings account that you can make twice or even three times the minimum payment with, in addition to your new engineering income, it goes a lot quicker.

Just my 2c on it.
 
That's about right for tuition there. I'm planning on going back there for my MBA, pending 95b16coupe's help :p.
For some reason I thought it was far more expensive. People over on this side of the state have thrown around some really wild numbers - $40k/yr etc. so I never really looked into it- glad I did.
yeah, i'd tend to agree a student loan is the way to go. put your savings aside, and use the loan checks for all the important stuff.

Most student loans dont have to be paid off until you graduate (or stop attending). And if you have a savings account that you can make twice or even three times the minimum payment with, in addition to your new engineering income, it goes a lot quicker.

Just my 2c on it.

It makes sense, and I'm sure just paying for food will put a nice drain on my savings over the course of 9 months. lol

I'm definitely very excited to get started at a university. I think I've chosen a field I'll be able to enjoy, which is all that matters to me. Oh, and I'm sure the pay wont be all that bad either ;)
 
Back
Top