<p>I'm a junior and I'm starting to look at colleges. I'm looking to major in mechanical or aerospace engineering and possibly minoring in business. Mechanical and aerospace is virtually the same education I hear, except mechanical is a broader field. I plan on going to grad school for aerospace though. I want to possibly work with launch vehicles and spacecrafts.</p>
<p>I'm in the top 10 of my class with a 4.4 GPA, and I'm looking at top undergraduate schools such as MIT, Stanford, Purdue, USC, UCLA, and Caltech. I'm interested in schools with good Boeing, Lockheed, or NASA connections and good co-op opportunities. A good business school would be a bonus too. Business is not my main concern though.</p>
<p>I'm still unclear about my future, so nothing is really set in stone. But I wanted to ask for any advice or suggestions for my search for a good college fit for me. </p>
<p>No test scores yet, I expect to get relatively high scores, but thats just my prediction. </p>
<p>And money is a major factor, but I seem to keep finding myself stuck with high tuition fees if I want to attend a top tier school. I’m out of state for all the schools I listed. But I live in Ohio, and I’ve considered OSU, however I would prefer not to go there. Although I would most likely recieve a full ride there, I find myself wanting to reach higher. My parents are willing to let me attend anywhere as long as I have no regrets. All that my
mother is actually concerned about is how far away from home I am lol. Which is why I’ve considered Purdue. </p>
<p>If anything, the tuition fee wouldn’t change my mind as would the availibility of financial aid. </p>
<p>Thanks for the help though. I’m in that stage of my life where everyone asks about my future, and I’m desperately trying to figure it out asap before its too late and I change my mind. Lol.</p>
<p>Have you run your parent’s finances through a FAFSA forecaster? You might be surprised at how much your family would be expected to pay. MIT and Stanford have great FA for needy families but not necessarily for middle/upper middle income classes. You do need to consider tOSU since you’re in-state. Some potential OOS schools that might give you some merit aid are RPI, Rochester, Case Western (in-state but private), U Dayton (the same).</p>
<p>Georgia Tech should definitely be on your radar given your interest in ME and AE. They also have a strong management program. Financial/merit aid might be difficult but they have an outstanding co-op program. A degree from GT would definitely put you in a good position for careers at Boeing, NASA and Lockheed.</p>
<p>Take UCLA off your list. Little to no aid for OOS, and the price tag is going to be too high.</p>
<p>Suggest you look at Olin, Harvey Mudd and Carnegie-Mellon as additional reaches. </p>
<p>And I’m going to give you a homework assignment. Find three great things about OSU. Yeah, I know, you don’t want to go there. But it’s a good school for what you want to do, and it would be an excellent safety.</p>
<p>Well, I think it might affect things a little when I let you all know that my household is a single-parent family, where the single parent makes less than 40,000 a year. I’m Vietnamese, so that should help explain it lol. My sister is already at Miami University with a full scholarship and good financial aid. I have high hopes though, and I’m expecting a decent amount of financial aid wherever I go… especially Stanford or MIT. I’m honestly more attracted to the campuses in California though lol. It’s not the entire deciding factor, but I really like the idea of living somewhere near a city, the opposite of living here in Ohio where there is nothing lol. I’m really liking USC’s student life and campus. I plan on visiting next summer perhaps. But I’m still looking! Thanks!</p>
<p>and OSU, I can tell you a few things I don’t like. haha. But I’ll admit some things are nice, such as the distance from home, its reputation as an overall good school, and the marching band (I’m currently in the drumline, I don’t plan on continuing it in college, but I have played on the OSU field and watched them live and they’re good!), the football was great (however their change of their coach might change their popularity). But yeah, I hear the food isn’t very good, the living spacings are not very attractive, and the student life is more of the norm I’m used to, just house parties and walking around. Also, about half my high school always ends up going there. I’m the type of student who is so used to being a step above everyone else, so I have higher ambitions, I don’t wanna be just another Ohio State student from my high school. It has always been my back-up cause I know that I would most likely get a full ride, knowing that I’m a top student that they want to keep in-state (I’m also Asian, and they seem to really want Asians according to people I know lol). So it’ll always be my back-up if all else fails!</p>
<p>"The New York Space Grant (NYSG) Consortium supports undergraduate research opportunities in space-related fields with various programs. Each year, undergraduates have the opportunity to participate in research during the summer and/or throughout the year in on-going projects sponsored by NASA "</p>
<p>Cornell also has a strong undergraduate business program, the second best in the entire Ivy League.</p>
<p>Why a business minor?<br>
If you’re thinking about Boeing and Lockheed, forget the business minor. Concentrate on your engineering major. A minor in business wouldn’t get you anything more from either company and the classes wouldn’t help you fulfill any requirements in engineering. Rather a waste of time and energy that would be better spent on pulling down the best grades possible & thus increasing your chances at either engineering employment or grad school.</p>
<p>Zeebamom, a business minor is mostly for my personal interest. I understand what you mean by focusing on one thing, but I feel like I can handle it if I’m interested. I’d even dream of opening a business someday too. (I’m a very ambitious person.)</p>
Find three great things about OSU. Yeah, I know, you don’t want to go there. But it’s a good school for what you want to do, and it would be an excellent safety.</p>