Hi. So, I'm a senior. I'm wanting to attend the University of Iowa and major in Computer Science and Engineering to pursue a bachelor's degree, but it would be about $50,000 each year since I'm an out of state student. After scholarships and the help of my parents, it would be about $25,000 each year. And if you include personal expenses, books, and transport, it would be about $31,000 each year that I'd have to pay back.
The University of Iowa is the only college where I've liked everything that the college and the city it's in has to offer. I've been to Illinois State University as well, and I really liked the college, but I didn't like the feel of their city (Bloomington-Normal) because it didn't look like a good place to live after graduation since it was so run down. That being said, Illinois State would be $15,000 each year ($21,000 if you include personal expenses), and I'm not sure how much the feel of the city should impact my decision. Also, another reason why I liked the University of Iowa and its city so much was because I'm gay and they both seemed pretty supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. I live in a small city where that's not so much the case, and I'm pretty quiet when I'm at school. So, I feel like this could be a good opportunity for me to grow. I'm sure Illinois State could give me those opportunities as well, but again, the city looked really run down and not super welcoming.
Also, one of the reasons why I'm still considering the University of Iowa is that I've heard CSE majors tend to have very high salaries. I don't qualify for FAFSA grants. It's been really hard for me to make a college decision, and I'd like to hear your opinions. Would it be a dumb decision for me to attend the University of Iowa considering its cost?
Is $100,000 of debt too much for Computer Science and Engineering Students?
byu/CorrectLie7941 inStudentLoans
Posted by CorrectLie7941
5 Comments
I’d do Illinois. As a CSE major, you may graduate with a high salary. You may not. The city doesn’t matter a lot, as it’s unlikely you’ll work where you graduate in that career path.
Basically, why double the cost of your education for the same outcome / why go into 6 figure debt over the appearance of the city that you likely won’t be staying in?
Did you get any offers from in-state schools?
How is your performance? What do you hope to do? Engineering is *generally* a safe but as we know computer sci landscape has changed and so specifics matter.
You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and good support system. Go where you feel comfortable but the higher the stakes, the more you should be tunnel-vision to your goal. I personally chose a school in the middle of nowhere on purpose because I’m a hopeless social butterfly, distractable, and can spend too much if I’m surrounded by temptation. So it depends heavily on your performance, personality, and ability to hit that high ROI (networking, internships, professionalism, etc.) The school may say you get it just by name dropping but never trust that. They’re just a business with incentive to get your $ and plus the Dean could be in a scandal next year and trash the reputation or any # of random outcomes – it’s all about you! Good luck.
>it didn’t look like a good place to live after graduation
This is completely irrelevant.
It seems incomprehensible that *Iowa* would be measurably more tolerant than Illinois. Save the money and stay in-state.
Yes, $100k for any undergrad is way too much debt.
I understand why you’re thinking the way you are, but taking on this much debt will likely impact you for the rest of your life.
At minimum, you should get through your Gen Ed at a community college or local state school to save some money.
Yes, it would be dumb. I would go to your state college. Unless you’re in Finance or going to an Ivy League, people and employers truly don’t care where you went to school.
If your parents can help you with $25k a year for school, take that opportunity and go to whichever college that will fully cover. Student loans will ruin you for a bit no matter how high your salary is. I make $122k a year and based on that, my student loan payment is higher than my car payment. And this is from someone who only had to take out $13k for in-state tuition.