Search found 851 matches

by MMiroir
Wed Mar 27, 2024 10:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Chicago vs Michigan vs Notre Dame vs UNC Chapel Hill for Economics Major
Replies: 10
Views: 685

Re: Chicago vs Michigan vs Notre Dame vs UNC Chapel Hill for Economics Major

Of the four schools, Chicago will offer her the best opportunity for consulting. Chicago has traditionally offered a very analytic Economics major that prepared students for grad schools and PHD's. It is very math intensive. A few years ago, Chicago added a Business Economics major which tones down the math requirements. The placement from Chicago's econ program is excellent. I do not know how the business economics places. Notre Dame would be a tie with Chicago if she got into the Mendoza School of Business. Placement as an undergraduate from Mendoza to IB and consulting is as good as any undergraduate college in the country. If she is going Economics from ND CLAS, placement from what I understand is not nearly as strong as coming from Men...
by MMiroir
Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oxford UK and region - rent a car for vacation?
Replies: 20
Views: 1265

Re: Oxford UK and region - rent a car for vacation?

A couple of years ago, we rented a car out of Heathrow, and spent a week driving a loop from Dover in the southeast then west to Bath and northwest to the Cotswold's. In planning what to visit, we heavily relied on the UK National Trust website. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ From wikipedia: The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the permanent preservation for the benefit of the Nation of lands and tenements (including buildings) of beauty or historic interest". It was given statutory powers, starting with the National Trust Act 1907. Historically, the Trust acquired land by gift and sometimes by public subscription and appeal, but after World War II the loss of count...
by MMiroir
Tue Mar 19, 2024 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Selling Land in Panama
Replies: 3
Views: 783

Selling Land in Panama

A family member inherited a couple of acres undeveloped land in Panama. It is in a rural area but suitable for use as a home site. She is looking to sell, but has no idea how to start the process. Any suggestions?
by MMiroir
Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help my kid out - International Relations Masters
Replies: 38
Views: 3584

Re: Help my kid out - International Relations Masters (update in last post)

Admitted: Univ. of Denver Korbel School (admitted) (30K a year) UCSD (admitted) (38K for first year plus 4K for medical/dental, no mention of funding for 2nd year) American University (admitted) (18K a year plus 5500 stipend) Univ. of Michigan (admitted) (full funding plus 20K stipend and health/dental insurance) George Washington Univ. (20K a year) Tufts (19K a year) Georgetown (waitlisted) Johns Hopkins SAIS (rejected) If money is any concern, go to Michigan, with Tufts as an alternate. Outside of IR, both schools are much more highly considered than the others, and she can take the undergraduate savings to attend a top IR masters. As shown at the following link, the acceptance rates at the top IR masters programs are typically much grea...
by MMiroir
Sun Mar 17, 2024 10:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help my kid out - International Relations Masters
Replies: 38
Views: 3584

Re: Help my kid out - International Relations Masters (update in last post)

Admitted: Univ. of Denver Korbel School (admitted) (30K a year) UCSD (admitted) (38K for first year plus 4K for medical/dental, no mention of funding for 2nd year) American University (admitted) (18K a year plus 5500 stipend) Univ. of Michigan (admitted) (full funding plus 20K stipend and health/dental insurance) George Washington Univ. (20K a year) Tufts (19K a year) Georgetown (waitlisted) Johns Hopkins SAIS (rejected) If money is any concern, go to Michigan, with Tufts as an alternate. Outside of IR, both schools are much more highly considered than the others, and she can take the undergraduate savings to attend a top IR masters. As shown at the following link, the acceptance rates at the top IR masters programs are typically much grea...
by MMiroir
Mon Mar 11, 2024 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: College degree worthwhile for marketing?
Replies: 124
Views: 8473

Re: College degree worthwhile for marketing?

Some comments assuming she wants to go into residential sales: Has she seen the recent lawsuit involving brokage fees? If this holds, it will have the effect of lowering brokerage fees across the board and making the industry less financially appealing. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/brokerages-push-undo-18-bln-verdict-real-estate-commissions-case-2024-01-09/ I think it is very difficult for young people to get into full time real estate brokerage. Income is based on transactions closing, and will fluctuate significantly. For this reason, it is filled with part time people who have other sources of financial support. She might be able to get a job as a support person on an existing successful team, but that won't pay much to start...
by MMiroir
Mon Mar 11, 2024 3:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges
Replies: 111
Views: 7469

Re: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges

It's all and good to educate yourself so that you can advise your kid, but ultimately, it needs to be their call. Engineering is not for the faint of heart, and it doesn't make sense to double major. With engineering, it's going to be all about finishing the degree, and there's a lot of material packed into that undergraduate degree. In my mind, it's first about whether they want to study it. As in, do they really, really want it. Because if they don't, they're either going to suck as an engineer, or they might not be able to complete the classes. Very true. More than 50 percent of college students change their majors at least once, which brings up the point that parents should consider not only how good a target school is for the intended...
by MMiroir
Mon Mar 11, 2024 3:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges
Replies: 111
Views: 7469

Re: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges

Hello Friends, A two part question for my teenage kids. Trying to get some thinking going before we need to firm up college application decisions in one to three years. Creating a new thread given things change rapidly with majors, jobs and careers. DW and I did not go to college in this country! Kid one (HS Sophomore): definitely on a mech Eng or aerospace or robotics track. Not on the top GPA track. Think unweighted 3.5 ish. How about doing dual majors (aero plus mech) such as at a college like University of Florida? Top colleges are out of the question I think. We want to explore tier 2 colleges with good/great intern/co-op/job placement opportunities (govt, defence, industry etc) Kid has no strong preference in aero/mech/robotics, but ...
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: SNOW blower Toro Vs Arien (24")
Replies: 21
Views: 2112

Re: SNOW blower Toro Vs Arien (24")

This was discussed in depth recently.

viewtopic.php?t=421340

Most people recommended the Ariens.
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?

I am following what is happening? There are a few variables still left but we just got several good news that pretty much sealed the deal in favor of UF. (It finally tilted the wife's preference.) 1. Last week, she got accepted to UF (which was expected). 2. Yesterday, I took my daughter to UF to meet with professors/advisor/several club leaders and see the dorm. One computer engineering professor even told DD to work in his robotics lab starting this Fall. Every student we met was so positive. All the juniors/seniors had internship/jobs secured. I can picture my daughter will grow and succeed in that peer environment. 3. Finally, a few hours ago, she received the merit scholarship email from UF. The total package with the already eligible...
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 28, 2024 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Land vs Improvement Property Value
Replies: 7
Views: 611

Re: Land vs Improvement Property Value

The improvement value is based on construction costs. If construction costs increase at a faster rate than the improvements depreciate, their value will increase.
by MMiroir
Tue Feb 27, 2024 2:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pinot Noir on the lower end?
Replies: 96
Views: 10437

Re: Pinot Noir on the lower end?

afr wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 1:28 pm
RudyS wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 12:32 pm Apothic Pinot Noir. From California. Around $11 per bottle. Actually has decent reviews. Worth trying once. I actually like it. A bit "softer" than Apothic Red (blend).
But owned by Gallo with a ton of added sugar and who knows what percent of Pinot grapes. But as long as you like it makes no matter. I’d stick with the smaller wineries not owned by mega corporations.
Yep. Pinot Noir from it's birthplace in Burgundy tastes nothing like Apothic, Meiomi and other highly-processed sweetish wines.
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 25, 2024 1:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?
Replies: 185
Views: 33178

Re: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?

In a couple of weeks we will be having a wine tasting from Lail Vineyards in Rutherford, California, Napa Valley. This will be my chance to see if price makes a difference to me. We will be tasting a $60 & $80 Sauvignon Blanc and a $95, $195 & $310 Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm not even sure what to expect since I've never tasted wines that expensive. https://www.lailvineyards.com/ I can't imagine ever paying more than $25 for any Sauvignon Blanc. There's a lot of excellent ones under $15. Sauvignon Blanc is one of those varietals that's pretty hard for a winemaker to mess up, so most range from "ok" to "pretty good", but I've never had one where I'd say it was "great", as opposed to a number of red wines I'...
by MMiroir
Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?
Replies: 185
Views: 33178

Re: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?

This thread and the shoe one got me thinking. What’s the point of diminishing returns for wine? In other words, you get next to no incremental improvement for dollars spent. Does wine top off in the $20-30 range, and it’s all marketing hype past that point? I feel like this top point exists for a lot of products. But you have a cohort with a lot of money to spend, so companies have to come up with some spin to get you to spend more. It will vary from person to person based on their budget and taste. The easiest way to decide for yourself is to buy two bottles of similar varietals at different price points, and do a blind tasting. If there is a large wine store nearby, you can do this cost effectively by buying 375mm bottles (1/2 the size o...
by MMiroir
Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?
Replies: 185
Views: 33178

Re: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?

The following blind tasting might be of interest.

https://youtu.be/OBHlCoRhhxU?si=avnXo6Gl_NBTclQ0
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 16, 2024 2:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines
Replies: 32
Views: 2241

Re: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines

Two statistics stand out. Early career earnings for CS majors: CSM: $110,684 CU: $104,284 Gender Ratio: CSM: 68% M / 32% F CU: 54% M / 46% F I went to CU a while ago, and a classmate's daughter recently graduated from Mines. I was thinking that M:F ratio was closer to 90:10... and I made the comment to my friend, "Boy, your daughter can probably pick any guy she wants!" - His response was "Problem is, she doesn't want any of them. The girls there have a saying - "The odds are good but the goods are odd!"" Yeah, I don't see a drastic difference in outcomes, but there is a drastic difference in the schools. None of my kids wanted to go to a school with a large gender imbalance, but I left it up to them to decide...
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 16, 2024 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines
Replies: 32
Views: 2241

Re: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines

Two statistics stand out. Early career earnings for CS majors:

CSM: $110,684
CU: $104,284

Gender Ratio:

CSM: 68% M / 32% F
CU: 54% M / 46% F
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 16, 2024 8:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

I think OP's daughter can find a way to thrive at UF. As others have discussed, an important aspect is job placement. It is true that many top companies recruit there, as they see it as a source of top engineering talent. That may not be the case at UF. The engineering programs at UIUC are top-notch, as reflected in the rankings. That may also be true of UF, and most likely both places are capable of producing equally capable engineers, but the perception of hiring companies is another matter. Your daughter might find a great job as a UF grad, but might have to work harder to get interviews. Thanks both. Yup, at UF, she will have to work harder to overcome less opportunity. Once we are convinced that she is capable of that, then this is a ...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Masters Degree Abroad.. Or not?
Replies: 7
Views: 693

Re: Masters Degree Abroad.. Or not?

A former employee obtained a one years masters degree in a similar business track at the University of Reading in the UK. She graduated during Brexit, and could not find a job in the UK and had to return to the US. She found employment here, and was eventually able to transition to a UK position in London with the same company.

In terms of pure ROI, I don't think it made sense especially since her income in London is slightly lower than the US, but housing and taxes are much more. However, she really wanted to live full time in the UK/Europe, so in that respect it worked out for her. I suspect at some point she will move back to the US, but for now her Instagram feed is filled with weekend trips to pretty locales in the UK and continent.
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 14, 2024 2:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Saving for Private School and College - 529/UTMA/Standard Acct balancing
Replies: 53
Views: 4112

Re: Saving for Private School and College - 529/UTMA/Standard Acct balancing

On the SEC schools, that is not really my "goal" to get them into an SEC institution (mostly sports/party factories to be honest) but rather to realize the cost efficiency of in-state tuition. I am not particularly "worried" about my children getting into UT or UTC (non-SEC) or MTSU (non-SEC)....these are not selective schools. At the risk of sounding rude, if my kids cannot get into those schools I'm not sure college is for them. Private school is less about getting them into UT but more about developing them as human beings and building their network. I am of the opinion that you can get a fantastic education at UT or a very pedestrian one....all depending on what classes you take, how you apply yourself and who you s...
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:49 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Saving for Private School and College - 529/UTMA/Standard Acct balancing
Replies: 53
Views: 4112

Re: Saving for Private School and College - 529/UTMA/Standard Acct balancing

1 - We were faced with a similar situation with three kids our late 30's. Instead of spending money on private schools, we moved from a city center to a suburb with an excellent school public school district. Tennessee is not known for quality public schools, but that would be my strong first choice before spending $600,000+ on private schools. I don't think the private schools in Tennessee are that great either, but demand is strong due to how poor the public choices can be. 2 - If your goal is to send the kids to an SEC flagships, look at the admissions rates and standards of the various target universities. https://www.collegeevaluator.com/ncaa-conferences/southeastern-conference/admissions/ Other than Vandy or Florida, they aren't that ...
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:03 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Are any BH's not wealthy?
Replies: 165
Views: 26459

Re: Are any BH's not wealthy?

Who is wealthy will vary from country to country.

Image
by MMiroir
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?
Replies: 185
Views: 33178

Re: Wine - what are we paying more for … ?

Not to be a spoiler but those of you who claim to be able to tell the difference, if you didn't do it via a blind taste test, the truth is you really don't know. This comment stuck with me. My spouse and I cook as a hobby, and many recipes include wine as an ingredient. So since Christmas, we have done a little experiment by first pouring out a glass of the wine we used to cook with, and saving it for dinner. We would then decant the dinner wine, and pour a glass out. Both glasses were set off to the side, and served blind with dinner. We used inexpensive wines under $10 mentioned in this thread for cooking, and matched the varietals with the dinner wine so it would be somewhat of a fair competition. All in all, it was pretty easy to tell ...
by MMiroir
Tue Feb 06, 2024 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5780

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

For reference about preferences, when we were starting out in the admissions process, we had lunch with an admissions officer at a T-10 university like Dartmouth. He explained their process was to start with 30,000 applicants, and then in the first review whittle down that figure to 20,000 that could be academically successful at their school. From that 20,000, the second round identified about 10,000 whose applications who would be good academic and cultural fits , and the final cut to 2,400 was to identify students that best fit particular institutional needs and would be likely to enroll if accepted. From that 2,400, they expected 1,600 to enroll. This really highlighted to us the important of the application which is the only thing tha...
by MMiroir
Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5780

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

THe president’s claims are pure nonsense. She ignores studies indicating that high school grades are a much better predictor of success in the first year of college than SATs. As far as adjusting for socio-economic factors, there are much better ways to do this than relying on the SATs, for example, simply award more admissions “points” to underprivileged students who score well on AP tests, if taken, or who demonstrate creative abilities. In my opinion, there is some hidden agenda as to why Dartmouth is going back to the SAT requirement other than the reasons reported. Can you provide a link to a non-biased study that shows that grades are a much better indicator than SAT’s? I’ve always read that grades plus SAT’s are the best indicator. ...
by MMiroir
Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5780

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

6) Extremely competitive admissions (Admit 10-25%). Requires sterling academic credentials, plus some je ne sais quoi. I think both Georgetown and Tufts probably fits in, but Georgetown is usually a bit tougher. 7) The tippy top. (Admit sub 10%). All of #7 but to the nth degree. This is the Harvard/Princton/Stanford/MIT group. ...As a final note, admissions rates have gone down over time in large part because students apply to more schools. To your last point about admissions rates going down over time, it seems like raw admissions rates have gotten weird. For example, the rate at Northeastern University is reportedly down to 5%, on par with Princeton and MIT! The rate at Tufts appears to be double that despite the SAT and ACT scores of ad...
by MMiroir
Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Evaluating private school
Replies: 205
Views: 18599

Re: Evaluating private school

A number of years ago, the NY Times ran an article that correlated high school systems outcomes by income.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... pares.html

It would seem to me this this would be a good guide to seeing how well one's local public school systems compared to others if parents were thinking of switching to private schools.
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Again, you are moving the goal posts. Luxury 2 bedroom apartments are not median 2 bedroom apartments prices. There are luxury 2 BR apartments in Pittsburgh for 10k a month. The typical college grad is looking for a place to live, and obviously Chicago, being the 3rd or 4th largest metropolitan area is going to have plenty of expensive luxury rentals. It does not mean anything for the typical college grad. And I still don’t know where you got the 90% of UIUC students want to live in Chicago. I’m going to treat that as a made up number, just like the median 2BR apartment price in Chicago being 3.1k. This nothing to do with a typical recent college grad. The point of these surveys is the measure differences in the cost of living between diff...
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5780

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

However, 44% of Tufts incoming 2022 class did not submit standardized test scores, whereas Georgetown requires all applicants to submit scores. I have not been able to find a calculator or spreadsheet designed to help to compensate for this discrepancy. Has anybody else contemplated this and come up with a mathematical approach to address this, or should I just use common sense? Thank you. There is no way to mathematically compensate for this discrepancy unless you know what the mean score is for those who didn’t submit their SAT scores as well as what the mean scores would have been for those who didn’t take the SATs. Granted, some students did not submit their scores to Tufts because their scores were relatively low. In other words, Tuft...
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Hey, if you don't like that source, name some other source that tracks cost of living differentials between major metropolitan areas. I’ve named plenty of sources where your numbers don’t agree with the numbers self reported by UIUC, from an Illinois.edu domain. The salary information you provided from UIUC represent starting salaries for the past four academic years. The salary information I provided consisted of the median incomes of students who graduated over the past four years who had a student loan. The numbers won't be exactly the same because they are not measuring the same thing. UIUC reports starting salaries of as follows: Year____________________AY 21-22____AY 20-21____AY 19-20____AY 18-19____AY 17-18 Electrical Engineering___...
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 5:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Resale value of gas cars in 10 to 15 years
Replies: 49
Views: 3048

Re: Resale value of gas cars in 10 to 15 years

I'm a big proponent of EVs, own one, and expect to replace our remaining ICE with an EV in the next few years. I fully expect people to be buying and driving ICE and traditional hybrid vehicles, though, for the next few decades. Perhaps in some areas like California in the intermediate-term (say, 2030s, although I doubt new ICE sales bans will actually occur as currently projected) the resale value will be negatively affected to a degree, and I could completely see gas prices increasing and some gas stations going out of business making refueling less convenient which would affect resale values nationwide, but current generation EVs also will likely face depressed resale value from improved battery and electric drive unit improvements over...
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

I can’t look it up now, but IIRC I believe Raj Chetty wrote a paper showing that even average graduates from elite institutions (Harvard, Princeton, etc.) saw no bump in their career earnings controlling for the type of people they were (I’d assume things like SAT scores) If that’s true for the top, top programs it’s almost certainly true for UIUC vs UF I think this is the paper you are referencing. The data presented after page 63 is very interesting. https://opportunityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/coll_mrc_qje_paper.pdf From page 62. Our estimates – both in the baseline specification and the specification that controls for college fixed effects thus lie within one standard error of their point estimate and hence are not statis...
by MMiroir
Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Hey, if you don't like that source, name some other source that tracks cost of living differentials between major metropolitan areas. I’ve named plenty of sources where your numbers don’t agree with the numbers self reported by UIUC, from an Illinois.edu domain. The salary information you provided from UIUC represent starting salaries for the past four academic years. The salary information I provided consisted of the median incomes of students who graduated over the past four years who had a student loan. The numbers won't be exactly the same because they are not measuring the same thing. UIUC reports starting salaries of as follows: Year____________________AY 21-22____AY 20-21____AY 19-20____AY 18-19____AY 17-18 Electrical Engineering___...
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 02, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: National Merit Semi-Finalist/Finalist - universities giving the most $
Replies: 50
Views: 3876

Re: National Merit Semi-Finalist/Finalist - universities giving the most $

Congratulations on the potential NMF. Like others have said, there are lots of sources of auto merit aid for NMF finalists. It changes every year. For instance, a while ago Oklahoma had the best packages for NMF, but then a new president was installed and he de-emphasized NMF recruiting. Other than the auto admit programs, here are best merit award packages we found. University of South Carolina - https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/financial_aid/scholarships/scholarships_for_nonresidents/index.php They have three merit awards that go well beyond free tuition, but they are competitive. Washington and Lee Johnson Scholarship - https://www.wlu.edu/admissions/the-johnson-scholarship/ Scholarships are awarded to up to 44 incoming studen...
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 02, 2024 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Oh, and I find it amusing that you are using UIUC's college of engineering acceptance rate of 22.3% as a sign that UIUC is "elite". UF's freshman acceptance rate was 23%, so overall UF is just as hard to get into as UIUC engineering. This isn't aimed at you specifically but you've made the clearest argument of this type and IMO it is erroneous. You cannot compare the quality of colleges, or even the quality of the student body, by acceptance rate alone. You'd have to at least know what the applicant pool is like and a whole host of other factors are relevant as well. All the other things that people try to do to compare schools are also suspect when it comes to evaluating the quality of the academic program and related opportunit...
by MMiroir
Fri Feb 02, 2024 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school
Replies: 97
Views: 13199

Re: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school

Give me a break. You make $260K and you've ALREADY got $160K or $280K (not sure which but doesn't matter) in 529s and still almost a decade to save more. You're not getting any need based aid without shooting yourself in the foot. Just plan to pay for college with your savings, their contributions (work, savings, scholarships) and your cash flow. It'll be fine. Don't do a sabbatical with the primary goal of helping your kid qualify for more student loans. Don't pay off a mortgage you otherwise wouldn't pay off just to optimize the FAFSA when optimizing it probably just means a few more student loans. I wonder if you opinion would be different if instead of a physician making $260,000 but a couple with one spouse making $160,000 and the oth...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

bubbly wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:38 pm
MMiroir wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:16 pm I find it amusing that you are using UIUC's college of engineering acceptance rate of 22.3% as a sign that UIUC is "elite". UF's freshman acceptance rate was 23%, so overall UF is just as hard to get into as UIUC engineering.
Oh so you’re just going to ignore the 7.5% acceptance rate into CS, a major that’s closely aligned to CE in terms of acceptance criteria?
The OP wrote But some responses focused on CS and FAANG jobs, which was irrelevant to my kid. So yes, I will ignore the 7.5 percent acceptance rate for CS.
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

UF is better than UIUC in most of these metrics. Perhaps the OP can chime in here as to why the $250,000 differential for two schools that are very similar on paper makes any sense. The explanation so far is that UIUC might offer more lab and research opportunities, but if those opportunities do not translate into higher starting salaries, why spend $250,000? I agree that UF in general is better than UIUC. But we only care about engineering, ECE in particular. More importantly, we don't really care about the rankings. Instead, to compare the 2 programs, I talked to 3 different EE professors. All said UIUC >>> UF for EE. For us, we value the non-monetary benefits such as the friends she will make and her growth. You guys can continue to dis...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Again for the 3rd time in the thread, I am not talking about overall rankings and overall statistics for the entire university. I have never once claimed UIUC was a top school overall but for specifically ECE ( that’s electrical and computer engineering majors only ), it is top5 by most metrics but perhaps not by your obscure early career earnings metric. As your cost of living for a median 2 BR apartment figure in Chicago was clearly incorrect, I have a hard time trusting the early career earnings metric as well. I also explained at length on why career earnings are a bad metric (which you conveniently choose to ignore, either by not quoting it or addressing it directly) and the other metrics you’re giving are also either wrong or mislead...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Also an FYI. These nerd wallet numbers don’t look remotely correct. I was paying 2800 in rent for a 2 BR apartment in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago 2 years ago, right off of West Loop, Randolph, within walking distance to Google. Where is this site getting 3100+ in greater Chicago area (I’m assuming this is including the metro area). Seems to be way too high. If you had bothered to follow the link, you would have seen the source of the housing data is listed as follows: Core cost of living data is from The Cost of Living Index - COLI from the Council for Community and Economic Research. Price collection by city is conducted in strict conformance with standard specifications at specified times. If you followed the link ...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: National Merit Semi-Finalist/Finalist - universities giving the most $
Replies: 50
Views: 3876

Re: National Merit Semi-Finalist/Finalist - universities giving the most $

Congratulations on the potential NMF. Like others have said, there are lots of sources of auto merit aid for NMF finalists. It changes every year. For instance, a while ago Oklahoma had the best packages for NMF, but then a new president was installed and he de-emphasized NMF recruiting. Other than the auto admit programs, here are best merit award packages we found. University of South Carolina - https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/financial_aid/scholarships/scholarships_for_nonresidents/index.php They have three merit awards that go well beyond free tuition, but they are competitive. Washington and Lee Johnson Scholarship - https://www.wlu.edu/admissions/the-johnson-scholarship/ Scholarships are awarded to up to 44 incoming student...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa [feedback, out of state and received merit]
Replies: 45
Views: 5255

Re: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

If any of the forum members attended Bama' as an undergraduate, I'd appreciate any feedback on your overall experience regarding campus life, general academics, the surrounding area, etc... Asking because our kid (low key/laid back, self initiator, independent, etc), applied on a whim, was accepted and qualifies for significant merit scholarship as an out of state resident. But before scheduling a flight down and tour, thought I'd throw out my inquiry to the forum. Thanks in advance. I’m well acquainted with it. UA gives out tons and tons of automatic scholarships that are based purely on GPA and Test scores. For all parents, I recommend they at least look into it……. It’s all on the website. About half of the UA undergrads are from out of ...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Those places with higher early career earnings are some of the highest COL areas in the United States and those schools ahead of UIUC all cost more (barring UCB or GA tech on an instate tuition). It’s not a fair comparison. Even the room and board prices of Stanford vs UIUC is significantly more. Stanford would be closer to 80k-90k in tuition+room and board vs 50-60k for UIUC. Stanford and the other top privates give generous need based aid that UIUC will not. According to the Stanford CDS, about 50% of students were awarded need based aid, with the average award being $65,175. If you run the numbers, you will find that the average Stanford students pays a total cost of about $56,000 which is comparable to the cost for UIUC engineering for...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school
Replies: 97
Views: 13199

Re: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school

Give me a break. You make $260K and you've ALREADY got $160K or $280K (not sure which but doesn't matter) in 529s and still almost a decade to save more. You're not getting any need based aid without shooting yourself in the foot. Just plan to pay for college with your savings, their contributions (work, savings, scholarships) and your cash flow. It'll be fine. Don't do a sabbatical with the primary goal of helping your kid qualify for more student loans. Don't pay off a mortgage you otherwise wouldn't pay off just to optimize the FAFSA when optimizing it probably just means a few more student loans. I wonder if you opinion would be different if instead of a physician making $260,000 but a couple with one spouse making $160,000 and the oth...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Those places with higher early career earnings are some of the highest COL areas in the United States and those schools ahead of UIUC all cost more (barring UCB or GA tech on an instate tuition). It’s not a fair comparison. Even the room and board prices of Stanford vs UIUC is significantly more. Stanford would be closer to 80k-90k in tuition+room and board vs 50-60k for UIUC. Stanford and the other top privates give generous need based aid that UIUC will not. According to the Stanford CDS, about 50% of students were awarded need based aid, with the average award being $65,175. If you run the numbers, you will find that the average Stanford students pays a total cost of about $56,000 which is comparable to the cost for UIUC engineering for...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

At first blush, the full-ride at UF is the obvious choice - it's unlikely that one state school offers an incremental better outcome that justifies +$252K extra tuition cost over 4 years. What may change the decision: which school has a preponderance of graduates at the companies/roles they're interested in? Finding out adds another data point to your consideration - doesn't mean they automatically choose a school based on the answer. It may end up that taking the full-ride is the right choice, as you have future optionality to use the money for a grad program or another opportunity that presents itself 3-5 years from now. You're not JUST comparing schools. You're comparing one school and $252K to another school. I know if I were 20 again ...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Attending MIT, CalTech, Harvey Mudd, UCB, USC, Stanford, CM might be worth 250K depending on the student. Most of the others not so much... Statements like this bewilder me. EE Rankings for 2024 1. MIT 2. Stanford 3. UCB 4. Georgia Tech 5. UIUC https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-electrical-electronic-communications CompE rankings for 2024: 1. CMU 2. MIT 3. Stanford 4. UIUC 5. Georgia Tech https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-computer Sure rankings are a bit subjective but I’m a bit surprised why UIUC doesn’t make a short list for engineering, especially ECE. Have a hard time leaving them off any list when it comes to EE or CE. In terms of the research output and accomplishment...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

I grew up in Champaign-Urbana. UIUC is a great school, no question. Big campus, well supported, and quite diverse due to the many excellent graduate schools. I wouldn't underestimate the impact of the culture/town though. It will be very different from Florida, and you're basically on an island in the middle of nowhere. If your daughter doesn't like it, it could be very oppressive. If a student is deeply unhappy, their academic success will suffer. An island in the middle of nowhere describes UIUC. It is two hours driving through cornfields to Chicago or Indianapolis, and there is not much of note in the other two directions. Gainesville is within a two hour drive of Orlando, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa and various beaches. It is mu...
by MMiroir
Thu Feb 01, 2024 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school
Replies: 97
Views: 13199

Re: Controlling income and paying off mortgage rather than taxable investing might be worthwhile for a top 20 school

Give me a break. You make $260K and you've ALREADY got $160K or $280K (not sure which but doesn't matter) in 529s and still almost a decade to save more. You're not getting any need based aid without shooting yourself in the foot. Just plan to pay for college with your savings, their contributions (work, savings, scholarships) and your cash flow. It'll be fine. Don't do a sabbatical with the primary goal of helping your kid qualify for more student loans. Don't pay off a mortgage you otherwise wouldn't pay off just to optimize the FAFSA when optimizing it probably just means a few more student loans. I wonder if you opinion would be different if instead of a physician making $260,000 but a couple with one spouse making $160,000 and the oth...
by MMiroir
Tue Jan 30, 2024 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 340
Views: 32467

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

A few things which may not have been mentioned when looking at universities; 1) Research how hard it is to change majors. Something like a third of college students will switch majors. At some universities this can be very difficult and if your daughters decides that engineering is not right for her then UF may have a lot more non-engineering programs which she could more easily switch majors to. 2) I don't know about any of the colleges that were discussed but I have heard a number of comments about how hard it can be to get into required classes at some good universities so pay a lot of attention to that when helping her pick out a university. 3) Dig into is the graduation rates of the different universities and especially the four year ...