I need advice, and a little input from others.

[cabbytyreburna]

here is a little info to explain,

I am currently attending the University of Washington. I am pre-engineering. I am one quarter away from being able to apply to Mechanical Engineering, however they only accept for fall. so I have to wait a whole year. then, about 400 people apply for 100 spots. so only about 25% get in.

I can either stay here, and continue at the UW

 

Or, I was accepted to start at CSU Chico this fall, and pay out of state rates for one year then establish residency and continue there.

 

Even though I will pay out of state for a year, and pay way more for this year at CSU than I would at UW in the end CSU will turn out to be less because after that first year the tuition will be way less. so in the end UW will be about 1000-5000 cheaper depending on extra fees and stuff.

 

Part of me doesn't like the UW and I hated it at first, but now I am starting to like it and part of me wants to stay.

 

On the other hand, my boyfriend is from California and gets out of the military this summer and will start school. he wants to go to school in California. Plus we both want to go to grad school in California and its easier to get into CA grad school by have your bachelors from CA.

 

If I stay, he will stay with me. but i am 3 years away from my degree. he would have his associates in 2 then take a year off then go to a university down there. if we move this summer he will go to a community college there for 2 years then transfer to a university there immediately, in fact he also wants to go to CSU Chico.

 

I also know the UW has a better engineering program than CSU chico does.

 

I already payed the $200 to say I will go as well as the $60 for orientation to CSU.

 

I love being outside, and want to get away from the rain. I am not super close to my family, a few of them live an hour and a half away, the rest are several states away. His whole family would be within an hour and a half and he is really close to his family as well as I am beginning to get close to them.

 

I don't know if I should stay here for 3 years, or transfer to csu chico and go there for 3 years.

 

Can anyone offer any advice?

[Jetta]

Make a pros/cons list and then decide.

[cabbytyreburna]

Ive done that... Over and over again. Part of it was posted here. but they both have strong reasons for going to either, or reasons against.

[keenan]

No one can answer this for you, but if I were you, I would stay put.

 

The UW has a very good reputation. And it will be easier to get into a grad school from a top school, regardless of the state it's in. You don't know for sure that you will end up graduating with an engineering degree, and the UW is great for a lot of different things.

 

But I do know how much the Pacific Northwest climate can grate on a person. (It's easier if you make yourself ski in the winters and head out to Alki in summers, btw.)

 

The big questions are, have you visited Chico? Do you like the town, the university, the program, and the people? Can you afford to live in Cali? Consider that we have a 9% state income tax and very high sales tax, whereas WA has no state income tax and lower sales tax. IMO Seattle is a less expensive place to live. Plus, for culture it beats the heck out of the central valley. Really.

[DN]

Well, if the pros and cons are absolutely evenly matched and you really, really can't decide - toss a coin.

[keenan]

Well, if the pros and cons are absolutely evenly matched and you really, really can't decide - toss a coin.

 

If the pros and cons are absolutely evenly matched and you can't decide...I would say stay where you are, because moving is a lot of WORK! LOL.

[cabbytyreburna]

The big questions are, have you visited Chico? Do you like the town, the university, the program, and the people? Can you afford to live in Cali? Consider that we have a 9% state income tax and very high sales tax, whereas WA has no state income tax and lower sales tax. IMO Seattle is a less expensive place to live. Plus, for culture it beats the heck out of the central valley. Really.

 

He will have BAH from the navy with his GI bill, and we both have enough money saved up to add to that, so the cost of living is no problem for either of us. I am visiting Chico this summer, but I used to live in Monterey and went to Redding (which is about an hour and a half from Chico) last summer. And his brother who lives near chico likes it and speaks highly of it, as well as the rest of his family. and I want out of the big city. but, I do know the UW is a great school, but I am highly disappointed in their "administrative" qualities.

 

You don't know for sure that you will end up graduating with an engineering degree

I am pretty sure that is what I want. I spent the past 3 years deciding that. I finally decided my major, and am pretty sure. But you are right. I could even change it during my final quarter/semester.

I am technically a junior, this is my 3rd year of college. its just engineering majors take FOREVER to complete, so I have 3 years left on that because I decided late.

[keenan]

He will have BAH from the navy with his GI bill, and we both have enough money saved up to add to that, so the cost of living is no problem for either of us.

 

Well, then for me I think it would come down to academic reputation (first) and lifestyle (second). They're very different life experiences. I would never blame you for leaving Seattle for Cali. But...I do think that the UW and Seattle have a lot to offer you at this stage of your life.

[cabbytyreburna]

If the pros and cons are absolutely evenly matched and you can't decide...I would say stay where you are, because moving is a lot of WORK! LOL.

 

the navy will move us to Chico this summer, FREE! and we don't have to life a finger, they will pack everything. But this summer is it, if we move in 3 years it all on us.

[cabbytyreburna]

They're very different life experiences. I would never blame you for leaving Seattle for Cali. But...I do think that the UW and Seattle have a lot to offer you at this stage of your life.

 

Im not a big fan of Seattle. Its too crowded. I like smaller less crowded places. I do like the mountains, and the hiking trails. but all thats in cali too. However, the UW does have WAY more clubs than Chico. But on the other hand,the only club i am interested in, (and in) is Kayak club.

[keenan]

Wow! How nice to be moved for free! That's worth several thousand dollars.

 

But...I love it that you are fighting for Chico. I think you might be answering your own question...?

[cabbytyreburna]

LOL. I know, thats why the $320 was already paid saying I will go and registering me for the orientation. (actually my bf paid that).

 

I was originally decided to go. But then this new stuff saying I don't get instate rates for the first year made me reconsider and I started thinking maybe im not meant to go.

 

My step mom is active duty military and through her I am supposed to be entitled California residency. I am still their dependent through the navy since I am in school and financial aid says I am their dependent until I turn 24. Well, apparently for residency tuition stuff they don't care about any of that. and becuase I filed my taxes alone last year because I wanted my darn money they wont let me be a resident through them. So I have one year of out of state to pay then I can get resident rates.

 

And all that got me really to reconsider. which also made me realize whereas 3 months ago when I made that choice, to move, i hated the UW and now I am starting to like it. Its only my second quarter there so I don't know if i will like it more or hate it as time goes on.

[cabbytyreburna]

Wow! How nice to be moved for free! That's worth several thousand dollars.

 

I know, thats why when we moved from Bremerton to Seattle for me to quit commuting we payed the $100 for a uhaul and did it ourselves. We planned to use the Navy to move us to cali instead. Because he was able to use it for that move had we chose to stay here, but to Chico its so much more expensive and stressfull. so we saved the move. Because he gets one last household goods move when he gets out to put him where he intends to live once he gets out.

[cabbytyreburna]

But...I love it that you are fighting for Chico. I think you might be answering your own question...?

 

Im sure if you all were saying go I would be giving all sorts of reasons to stay. LOL

[annie24]

even though it sounds like UW is a better school for engineering, you can make it up by getting an internship or some kind of job in a reasearch lab at chico. what i'm saying is that a stellar engineering student with good letters and an internship from chico is better off than a mediocre student at UW.

[cabbytyreburna]

even though it sounds like UW is a better school for engineering, you can make it up by getting an internship or some kind of job in a reasearch lab at chico. what i'm saying is that a stellar engineering student with good letters and an internship from chico is better off than a mediocre student at UW.

 

Thats one of the things I was thinking, and have heard before. A top of the line school can only go so far if your grades aren't good. A degree from a low end school with a 3.8+gpa is a lot better than a top end school with a 2.5 gpa. Not that my gpa is that low. its not, but you get the idea.

 

Plus I know chico is a smaller school, and I was reading reviews and people say the classes are smaller. and one person even said they felt their math education there was better than MIT. and I like smaller classes, a lot more personal.

[annie24]

and if you have an internship in a research laboratory with a good letter from a professor, that will carry you very far.

[cabbytyreburna]

Another thing I just realized, sometimes an internship with one company can turn into an actual job with that company. Since I plan to live in CA after school, since thats where my bf intends to work when he is done with school and I don't have any preference it would help me make contacts where i plan to work rather than in a different state. Even if its not with the same company, it will be local contacts to extend my contacts.

[keenan]

These are all great points, for sure. And it IS nice and sunny in Chico....

[cabbytyreburna]

And it IS nice and sunny in Chico....

 

I know, and well over 100 degrees half the time!

 

My dad is the 'academic' type and to him its all about rankings. he keeps saying 'well the UW has better programs' he doesn't grasp the concept that even if its the best academically, academics can be ruined if you aren't happy there.

Im not saying I am not happy at the UW. Its just certain factors would make me happier in Chico. you know?

But my dad has been my biggest hassle in all of this. And, well, being his kid I sort of have the whole 'academics are the most important' but at the same time part of me knows happiness can be just as important.

[keenan]

And, well, being his kid I sort of have the whole 'academics are the most important' but at the same time part of me knows happiness can be just as important.

 

Yes. I'm in your dad's corner on this, but of course I understand what you are saying as well. My perspective is, school is a fairly short, well-defined period of your life. It's not that school is more or less important than your 'happiness', but it does need to be integrated into your overall existence so that you feel satisfied with your life, and like you are making good strides toward becoming the person you want to be. Like it or not, your college experience will become part of your professional and personal history--where you went, what you studied, what academic and personal risks you took while there--that's your future autobiography.

 

--In some professions the name brand of your school doesn't matter beyond the first year of your job search--nobody really asks, nobody cares, and it's all about what work you have done. I know engineers who have made excellent livings after attending quality small regional schools and doing great work there.

 

--In others, like professional academics, it becomes a talking point in almost every interaction they have over their 40 year career. "Hi, I'm Ms. IHopeYouLikeMe and I studied with Dr. BigEgo at Important Ivy League , and then with Dr. JerkbutTalented at Big State U. As you know, they are very excellent scholars and they taught me everything they know. Will you hire me?"

 

I make fun of that second group--but it's not necessarily a bad thing. If people know that your degree is from a noted university, they give you the benefit of the doubt--especially at first. They trust that you were exposed to high-quality scholarship and that you have worked with knowledgable people, and that you succeeded in a very stressful training environment. More doors will open because you have been vetted already. This is true even if you have a 3.0 GPA instead of a 3.8. It's also a way that others 'rank' you in their own heads, at least until they get to know you better. Sad but true.

 

But on the other hand, if you are going into a field where that kind of professional pedigree matters very little, or if you don't think you will get into the engineering program and you really want to be an engineer, or if you dislike the school's size, location, vibe, whatever-- so much that you aren't performing well, then there's definitely no point at being at that school!

 

You have to find the "sweet spot" where you can maximize your own performance within an environment that will give you the best professional and personal experiences possible. You also have to deal with your dad.

[cabbytyreburna]

Thanks. That really helped.

 

Yea, ive gotten better at my dad. At first he didn't approve of me spending 2 years at a community college. but I had no clue what I wanted to do and wanted to figure it out for cheap. I pretty much stuck my foot down and told him take it or leave it. Ill drop out now, or I will spend time at a community college figuring it out. and he shaped up and listened. so, I can deal with him. its just, he sorta is right about needing good academics. ya know? but I also know unless I am happy where I am I wont do good.