Aerospace Engineering -Rockets- Internships/Summer Jobs/Hands on/Opportunities experience

College Search & Selection
1

My son is looking for and applying for a BS in Aerospace Engineering - AE preferred but will consider ME with an AE concentration. He’s interested in rockets, space, etc, not so much airplanes.

ACT: 32 (super score 33)
Graduating with 13 AP’s, include Calc BC and Physics 1, Physics C .
Strong in English (35 ACT)
4.2 weighted
Will not get Financial Aid- hoping for Merit or lower cost of attendance than New England schools- 50k (tuition + housing) and under.

Applying to mid Atlantic, South and Midwest schools.

Many of the schools are state flagship schools with large undergraduate programs. He is a rule following kid, who will quietly do his work, and will likely have a good group of like minded kids as friends… but generally won’t be the one that is “getting himself” opportunities, and knocking down doors, etc. He is personable and will likely find the teacher in his office to ask him questions one on one. The reason for the background information, is that I know that he might get lost in a BIG State school.

Looking for AE schools with close ties to internships (nearby), jobs, or hands-on learning opportunities that are not highly competitive to obtain (one job for every 75 kids). He’d like to add smaller or private schools to his list, but struggles to find some good fit. I know our local economy and know its not a great fit for rocket AE (not many companies in MA), so looking at going to where the opportunities are:

Schools currently on the “List”
Georgia Tech (reach)
WPI (concerned about job opportunities)
Purdue
Case Western
UAH
UA Tuscaloosa
U of Tennessee
U of Maryland College Park
U of Delaware
U of Michigan (reach)
North Carolina State
U of So Carolina
U of Colorado Boulder
UT Austin (reach)
Syracuse (concerned about internships)
Virginia PolyTech (concerned about internships)
ERAU- currently not on list bc my concern about options if he changes his degree

Would love to know of any we missed or any information on the AE programs specifically, internships, jobs, etc. or any recommendations on schools or programs. Or specific areas that have more AE/Rocket opportunities. Thank you

2

You might want to consider schools like Cincinnati and Northeastern that have integrated co-ops. That will ensure the work experience.

My D is a sophomore at Purdue. Purdue brought 1000 employers to campus last year. They have a super career center, an app to help students navigate the companies, and lots of support. However, it is absolutely 100% up to the student to get out there, market themselves, and be aggressive in pursuing job opportunities.

Good internships are going to be competitive at any school. Career centers are there to help students get their resumes ready, do mock interviews, and practice their elevator pitches. Taking advantage of that coaching is essential.

3

WPI’s job placement is not dependent on the state of MA. The 2018 job/graduate school placement for aerospace engineering can be viewed @ https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/career-development/outcomes

Download the PDF report and go to page 6 for Aerospace. You will see a long list of hiring companies and the average accepted salaries.

4

The “Rocket City”, Huntsville? My son wants to go into AE as well and Huntsville definitely checked all those boxes being right by NASA.