<p>I didn’t try the CS approach because it would be more fun than I’m allowed to have in one day. CS is another of these math-intensive majors that don’t make room for a lot of other areas of study. </p>
<p>If you like Holyoke, you should look at Smith. They do offer degrees in engineering and you don’t have to declare your major at the time that you apply to Smith, which gives you some flexibility.</p>
<p>Look at what some of engineering alumae are up to – </p>
<p>prettyimpressive.<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/engineering/alumnae_young.php”>http://www.smith.edu/engineering/alumnae_young.php</a></p>
<p>Smith is part of the the five college consortium (as is Holyoke) which provides a wide choice of language study. Look at The Five Center for World Languages and the Five College Arabic Initiative.</p>
<p>U of MN - Twin Cities is certainly worth looking at. It is a BIg 10 university, and has pretty reasonable OOS tuition compared to other large, reputable state flagships. USC is private in spite of the name, too. Run the Net Price Calculators at both to see how the costs look.</p>
<p>If you want to be an engineer (or think you do), go to a school where you can study it as an undergrad. Why spend 4 years on an education, then go back AGAIN to study something else you really wanted to study to start with? </p>
<p>The problem with the dual degree programs (usually 3+2 programs) is that very few students end up actually completing them. It is hard to leave your college after 3 years and not graduate with your friends (although U Mass is close by at least). Plus, you pay for 5 years of undergrad… sometimes engineering takes 5 years anyway, but setting yourself up to do it for sure is expensive. </p>
<p>“If I didn’t do engineering I might major in computer science (instead of IR) and minor in Arabic/Middle Eastern Studies.”</p>
<p>Check out the University of Virginia. They have a College of Engineering; they also have a program for Middle Eastern studies/languages in their College of Arts/Sciences, and I know some people who have studied in Jordan (including study of Arabic) through UVa.</p>
<p>A few comments. </p>
<p>I like your list but not for engineering. If you want to try a little engineering before deciding I would add schools where engineering is just another major. Some schools with this property are Johns Hopkins, University of Rochester, Case Western and Rice. There is a wide swing of degree of difficulty here. None are as hard to get into as MIT though. </p>
<p>You might also consider schools like Tufts, Cornell, and Northwestern, apply to engineering knowing that if you want to transfer to arts and sciences, it’s possible. </p>
<p>Wellesley is a great option because of the cross-registration. You also have access to the MIT career fair. </p>
<p>Mt Holyoke - less attractive. I actually looked into the 3-2 program for D2 and almost nobody did it, and there is no attempt to line up your schedule so that you can take the courses that you need when you need them. Finally they expected you to pay Mt Holyoke tuition for the year spent in residence at UMASS. Not a chance!. </p>
<p>Your list is largely composed of schools where admission will be highly competitive. The odds may be better at the following colleges, where you could explore engineering and/or global affairs from the get-go.
U of Rochester
Vanderbilt U
George Washington U
Illinois Institute of Technology</p>
<p>Considering your academic interests and what your family can pay, I suggest that you focus on the schools that will meet full financial need.</p>
<p>Remove the 3 women’s colleges on your current list since engineering programs are not offered and add Smith if its campus vibe is acceptable to you. The COA of Georgia Tech will probably exceed what your family can pay unless you can get some big scholarship and grant. </p>
<p>MIT–Super Reach
Georgetwon (CS & international affairs & languages)–Reach
WUSTL–Reach
Notre Dame–Reach
Tufts–High Match?
Washington and Lee–Match?
Smith–Match
Trinity College–Match
Purdue–Safety
IU–Safety</p>
<p>Were I you, I would not apply MIT but apply ED to a school that is the best academic, financial, and social fit for me, whether it is a reach or match.</p>
<p>By the way, unless you are super proficient in Calculus, engineers recommend that you enroll in Calc I in college, even though you aced Advanced Calc or AB Calc in high school. College-level calculus is much more substantive than high school Calc; there’s more material to cover in less time. Some Freshmen with Calc AB under their belts and whom therefore decide to skip Calc I find college Calc II to be a difficult challenge.</p>
<p>You have a respectable ACT composite score, but your math & science scores are not close to competitive for elite STEM programs. MIT’s 25th-percentile Math ACT score is a 34. It is exceedingly unlikely that you will raise your score by 7 points - not impossible, just improbable - and you should not base your college choices on an improbable scenario. If you want a strong undergraduate STEM program, you will have to apply to less selective colleges, because the Math & Science scores will be weighted heavily. Otherwise, apply to strong liberal arts colleges like Mount Holyoke, and major in Math or Science - you will not have to declare a major, and all your other impressive attributes will be considered. </p>