Help me pick a college (advice)

[spacebuff75]

Hi forum.

 

I'm trying to decide between the University of Colorado Boulder and Purdue University. My major is Aerospace Engineering. I love both campuses and the classes I saw. Obviously CU has a nicer surrounding area but it also seems like Purdue has newer facilities. I was accepted into Purdue honors so that's a big draw for me and I'm still waiting on CU honors.

 

If anyone has any experience with this stuff I'd love the advice/help. Which campuses are better? Does one offer something that the other doesn't? What about student outcomes and experiences not covered in their websites?

Everyone I talk to at each school says they love it so I'm not worried about making a 'wrong' choice but obviously I want to make a good choice for the next 4 years. Hopefully it doesn't come down to a coin toss!

 

Thanks!

[Donut417]

6 hours ago, spacebuff75 said:

University of Colorado Boulder

I have visited the state of Colorado. One thing I will caution you, you need money to live out there. Its not cheap. My advice would be look at living expenses. Second piece of advice, try not to take too many student loans if you can help it. Cause student loan debt is no joke.

[CommanderAlex]

1 hour ago, Donut417 said:

 Second piece of advice, try not to take too many student loans if you can help it. Cause student loan debt is no joke.

Community college is always a great choice to start...that's where I went first and transferred to a four year institution. Significantly cheaper than if I directly went to a four year institution after high school. 

[TetraSky]

I'm in Canada.

I have never heard of Colorado Boulder university.

But I have heard of Purdue.

 

According to Google, it is much harder to get into Purdue than Colorado boulder. Which in turn translate to graduation rates being higher at Purdue.

Purdue is ranked 99 in the world for a top university. Boulder is far down the ranking at 264.

 

Purdue University : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details | Top Universities

University of Colorado Boulder : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details | Top Universities

 

Then you consider the cost.

Purdue is somehow cheaper. Though it has extra fees depending on the course. This might also be the case for Boulder, but I'm too lazy to search any more info than this.

https://admissions.purdue.edu/costsandfinaid/tuitionfees.php

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder-1370/paying#:~:text=University of Colorado Boulder's tuition,Colorado Boulder is more expensive.

[Donut417]

51 minutes ago, CommanderAlex said:

Community college is always a great choice to start...that's where I went first and transferred to a four year institution. Significantly cheaper than if I directly went to a four year institution after high school. 

Collage is becoming less necessary in some fields. Companies rather have real world experience. Even with community college, you may still have to take out loans. As someone who has student loan debt, unless you are going to be a doctor or something that pays, its not worth it.

 

For reference the current student loan debt in the US is $1.727 Trillion according to Google. With a majority being Federal Loans like I have.

[CommanderAlex]

8 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Collage is becoming less necessary in some fields. Companies rather have real world experience. Even with community college, you may still have to take out loans. As someone who has student loan debt, unless you are going to be a doctor or something that pays, its not worth it.

 

For reference the current student loan debt in the US is $1.727 Trillion according to Google. With a majority being Federal Loans like I have.

In general, Internships are worth more than a college diploma. With community college, you're looking at spending 3-4 times less on a semester of tuition from CC versus a 4-year institution. Keep in mind loans are not the only option to pay for college, with scholarships and grants helping. States also tend to have programs to pay for tuition at a community college while the student only has to pay for the fees and books. Getting a part time job helps pay for college too if you didn't know that. Going into a humanities major is not worth it for anyone since they pay less than any STEM field will ever. 

[Donut417]

12 minutes ago, CommanderAlex said:

In general, Internships are worth more than a college diploma. With community college, you're looking at spending 3-4 times less on a semester of tuition from CC versus a 4-year institution. Keep in mind loans are not the only option to pay for college, with scholarships and grants helping. States also tend to have programs to pay for tuition at a community college while the student only has to pay for the fees and books. Getting a part time job helps pay for college too if you didn't know that. Going into a humanities major is not worth it for anyone since they pay less than any STEM field will ever. 

 

Let me put things in to perspective. I have $47,000 in Federal Loans currently. I have an associates and bachelors degree, I dont use either.  As a person part of the generation of "You need collage or you wont succeed in life". Im trying to let the OP know they need to know what they are getting in to. When I went to community collage, we didnt have the states providing shit. Financial AID said my parents made too much money and Id have to pay out of pocket. Not everyone gets scholarships which is where the loans come in.

 

Community collage is great, but associates degrees dont mean much in today's world. Many companies want a bachelors at least. Part time jobs dont pay enough.

[MadAnt250]

I know nothing about aerospace, but college can be a waste if you don't make the right moves and just follow the crowd.

Get your foot in the door to almost or close as possible to whatever you want to work in before you come close to finishing college.

 

People come out college and don't like the fact that they have to start from the bottom. Start from the bottom before you even finish, that gives you a huge advantage, because experience in some fields can apply to others and they know you can trusted more.