Jump to content

Full-ride at Fordham or half-ride at Cornell?


octocat

Recommended Posts

So, the title pretty much sums it up. I got into the M.Eng. in Computer Science program at Cornell and was offered a scholarship for exactly half of the tuition cost. All in all, I'd graduate in a year with $38,000 in loans, including from my undergrad. Tonight I got into the M.S. in Data Analytics program at Fordham, and they're offering over $63,000 in a scholarship that covers full tuition, health insurance, and a $23,000 stipend. When I was originally applying to graduate programs, I intended on going into Data Science, but now that I got into the Comp Sci program, I'm heavily leaning toward going into software engineering (I've always wanted to, but thought I would've had to have majored in Computer Science as an undergrad). 

On the one hand I feel like Cornell is the obvious choice, but on the other hand I feel like the financial aid package at Fordham is the obvious choice. Any input? Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh I totally meant to add this above - do people ever negotiate? A friend of mine said he negotiated with NYU when he got into Tisch. Would it be worth it to give Cornell a call and explain that I have another offer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, octocat said:

Oh I totally meant to add this above - do people ever negotiate? A friend of mine said he negotiated with NYU when he got into Tisch. Would it be worth it to give Cornell a call and explain that I have another offer?

I haven't heard of many people negotiating, mainly because there are other people usually in the same boat as you with the same funding offers. however, it wouldn't hurt to reach out to cornell and ask if they have any internal fellowships or research assistant/teaching assistant positions that you could possible qualify for. if you have a specific professor is mind at cornell, reach out to them and see if they have any funding. obviously you really have to have research interests that align with a given professor to be seriously considered but it definitely gives you an edge (especially since you've already been accepted)! i would be careful when mentioning other offers and mention these other things beforehand. 

a big help in making my decision was reaching out to current and past grad students from the programs i got into. they gave me insight on the pros and cons, professors and classes to avoid, basically the entire low down on the stuff that you can't see on a visit or the college's website. if possible, a visit can really help make your mind up as well so try to make it out to them. 

i hope this helped somewhat. best of luck in your decision!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, rising_star said:

Does the $38K in loans include living expenses if you were to go to Cornell?

No, I would be taking out $27k (I have about $11k from undergrad), but it would all go toward tuition. I've applied for an Americorps position that would provide me with housing as well as a bit of money back toward my undergrad loans, or if that doesn't pan out I plan on just working and paying for an apartment as I go along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm risk-averse so I wouldn't take on the debt when you have the chance to be fully funded. Why are you leaning toward computer science rather than data science? And, do you think working to pay for an apartment will distract from your studies? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/22/2018 at 1:46 AM, rising_star said:

Why are you leaning toward computer science rather than data science? And, do you think working to pay for an apartment will distract from your studies? 

I like computer science much more than data analysis, so that is the main reason. I’d prefer to work as a software engineer than as a data scientist. And I currently work over 30 hours a week and am in school full time, so I’m not too worried about working for an apartment. I went to the accepted students weekend today at Cornell and was advised to reach out to the program director about negotiating my funding. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are lots of software engineers who have bachelor's degrees in all kinds of things. Data analytics/science is potentially close enough to software development that you can get a job in software development if you take enough coding/data structures/other computer science courses. Of course, it's easier if you go to a computer science program, but it's not impossible from a data science one.

Also, Ithaca is a small college town, and you may or may not be able to find a position that will allow you to pay for an apartment fully. Even if you do, it may take a couple months into the year. So let's say best case scenario, you'd borrow $27K total for Cornell; worst-case scenario, maybe you borrow about $25K to survive in Ithaca, and your total debt is $52K after one year ($63K with the undergrad debt). Honestly, even that amount of debt is doable to repay on a software engineer's salary.

Eh, I think this one's a toss up, especially because the degrees are in totally different fields and would have different career prospects. If you would prefer a career in software development and you know that up front, from a career perspective it makes more sense to choose Cornell, and even from a debt/financial perspective borrowing that much isn't a bad idea. But a sufficiently motivated person could potentially position themselves well for a software development career from the data analytics program at Fordham, and then you'd have zero debt, which is nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/25/2018 at 5:45 PM, juilletmercredi said:

There are lots of software engineers who have bachelor's degrees in all kinds of things. Data analytics/science is potentially close enough to software development that you can get a job in software development if you take enough coding/data structures/other computer science courses. Of course, it's easier if you go to a computer science program, but it's not impossible from a data science one.

Also, Ithaca is a small college town, and you may or may not be able to find a position that will allow you to pay for an apartment fully. Even if you do, it may take a couple months into the year. So let's say best case scenario, you'd borrow $27K total for Cornell; worst-case scenario, maybe you borrow about $25K to survive in Ithaca, and your total debt is $52K after one year ($63K with the undergrad debt). Honestly, even that amount of debt is doable to repay on a software engineer's salary.

Eh, I think this one's a toss up, especially because the degrees are in totally different fields and would have different career prospects. If you would prefer a career in software development and you know that up front, from a career perspective it makes more sense to choose Cornell, and even from a debt/financial perspective borrowing that much isn't a bad idea. But a sufficiently motivated person could potentially position themselves well for a software development career from the data analytics program at Fordham, and then you'd have zero debt, which is nice.

Thank you very much for your advice! The program is actually at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island, so at least I'd be living in the city, and I have the option of commuting from my parents' home because I'm from the city. As you suggest, I'm definitely considering what my longterm plans are above all. I'm used to living on a very small income my whole life, so my plan is that if I do the program at Cornell and ultimately have around $40K in loans, I would definitely live like I'm making $35-40K until my loans are paid off. And as a software engineer in New York City hopefully that wouldn't take more than a few years. I do plan on talking to a couple of my professors from similar departments as well as graduates from the two programs before I make my final decision!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use