<p>I'll be applying to college next school year and my dilemma is that I don't want to graduate from undergrad with a HUGE debt.
I'm an OK student, nothing out the ordinary.
Right now what I'm thinking of doing is applying to about 4 state schools (NY) and then about four Ivies (the ones that I'll get really small or no loans) Right now I'm thinking Harvard, Princeton, UPenn and Cornell, (I know what Cornell doesn't offer that much of aid but it's the best for engineering that I've heard of.
So yeah, I'm interested in engineering. And those are the schools that I'm thinking of.
Do you guys think that's advisable? Or should I apply to other private schools?</p>
<p>If you're interested in engineering then why not also apply to the top schools for undergrad engineering - these aren't necessarily the Ivies. If there's nothing out of the ordinary in your stats then the likelihood of getting into the Ivies diminishes anyways.</p>
<p>Graduating without a huge debt is smart. Just remember that some of the privates offer a lot of money so it can even the score with some of the states.</p>
<p>yeah, that's the thing, which schools...</p>
<p>if you truly are just an "OK student, nothing out of the ordinary," you are wasting your time and $ if you apply to Ivies, which do NOT pick their students out of a hat.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree with Northstarmom.. how "average" are you? If you mean "average average" then it would be a waste of time and money to apply to ivies.</p>
<p>Maybe she meant average in the CC context. :D</p>
<p>Harvard and Princeton aren't that well known in engineering, why not look at Caltech or MIT instead.</p>
<p>anagarcia</p>
<p>There was a list in the parents forum a while ago about the undergraduate programs that guarantee to met 100% of need for all 4 years, and list their average loan amount on the right. Perhaps this is a smart list to go by if you need aid and your EFC is low.</p>
<p>Schools that meet 100% of need + (average first year loan amount - average yearly loan for all undergrads)</p>
<p>US News top 50 National Universities:</p>
<p>Harvard University (MA) ($2489 $2,377)
Princeton University (NJ) ($0 $0)
Yale University (CT) ($1,447 $2,410)
University of Pennsylvania ($3,143 $4,049)
Duke University (NC) ($3,700 $5,009)
Stanford University (CA) ($2,675 $2,860)
California Tech ($1,798 $1,318)
Mass Inst. of Technology ($3,321 $3,897)
Columbia (NY) ($3,465 $4930)
Dartmouth College (NH) ($3,168 $4,318)
Northwestern University (IL) ($2,424 $4,148)
Cornell University (NY) ($10,400 $8,157)
U. of Chicago (IL) ($4,474 $5,484)
Rice University (TX) ($2,532 $3,069)
Univ of Notre Dame (IN) ($3,603 $5,278)
Emory University (GA) ($3,129 $4,890)
Georgetown University (DC) ($2,010 $3,634)
University of Virginia* ($3,771 $4,395)
Tufts University (MA) ($2,911 $4,219)
Boston College (MA) ($3,707 $4,721)</p>
<p>US News Top 50 LACs:</p>
<p>Williams (MA) ($2,187 $2,860)
Amherst (MA) ($1,839 $2,263)
Swarthmore (PA) ($2,047 $3,061)
Wellesley (MA) ($2,488 $3,097)
Carleton (MN) ($3,140 $4,307)
Bowdoin (ME) ($3,253 $3,595)
Pomona (CA) ($2,500 $2,825)
Haverford (PA) ($2,674 $3,872)
Middlebury (VT) ($2,971 $3,690)
Claremont-McKenna (CA) ($2,728 $3,441)
Davidson (NC) ($3,090 $3,903)
Wesleyan (CT) ($2,466 $4,427)
Vasser (NY) ($2,165 $2,846)
Colgate (NY) ($2,296 $4,200)
Grinnell (IA) ($4,355 $5,150)
Hamilton (NY) ($3,352 $3,921)
Harvey Mudd (CA) ($3,554 $3,472)
Smith (MA) ($2,109 $3,730)
Colby (ME) ($2,984 $3,343)
Mt Holyoke (MA) ($3,321 $4,925)
Oberlin (OH) ($3,612 $4,187)
Macalester (MN) ($2,503 $3,302)
Trinity (CT) ($2,901 $4,237)
Barnard (NY) ($2,625 $4,107)
Bucknell (PA) ($4,000 $5,200)
Scripps (CA) ($3,166 $3,647)
Sewanee (TN) ($3,629 $3,338)
Connecticut College ($2,861 $4,229)
Lawrence (WI) ($4,609 $5,505)
Pitzer (CA) ($3,148 $5,101)
St. Olaf (MN) ($3,747 $4,507)
Beloit (WI) ($2,642 $3,364)</p>
<p>I'm not familar with schools that are strong in Engineering, however i'm sure you could find some good schools here.</p>
<p>Well your post is certainly stupid since you ask. If you're average, nothing special, ivies are absurd.</p>
<p>UB, RPI, Clarkson, Alfred</p>
<p>Um, I would recommend Stanford if you want to do engineering.</p>
<p>if youre just an ok student wanting to do engineering, dont apply to the ivies....waste of money. psu, umd, vt, ncst are all very good for engineering...</p>
<p>You should look at the five US Service Academies. Especially, USMMA at Kings Point in NY.</p>
<p>They all have great engineering programs. USNA and USAF have two of the top five aeronautical engineering programs in the country and USMA has the number two civil engineering program in the country and Kings Point has the best maritime engineering program in the country.</p>
<p>Tution, room and board -- $0</p>
<p>Also, KP has the most flexible service options.</p>
<p>RPI, Union, Lafayette, Lehigh, Bucknell, Villanova</p>
<p>The five service academies also mean you'll have to go into the military...probably the reason why students who go onto top private schools don't apply to them more often...though they are great for engineering (I hear Air Force is the best?)</p>
<p>thethoughtprocess, </p>
<p>You are right that if you attend a service academy, you have an obligation to serve your country. At Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, you have a five year active duty commitment. If you attend the US Merchant Marine Academy, options are to serve five years on active duty in any of the services or the NOAA Corps, or serve eight years in the Naval Reserve and work anywhere in the US maritime industry for those eight years.</p>
<p>As for why some students don't apply, a lot do. They are among the most completive schools in the country. It was just as hard to get into the Naval Academy last year as it was to get into Yale. </p>
<p>It takes a very special individual to go to one of the academies. It takes everything it does to get into a top private PLUS a commitment to service above self. So it doesn't make sense for someone without that commitment to apply.</p>
<p>Also, most of the kids at the academies had many of the top privates as back up schools.</p>
<p>Finally, as for Air Force being the best, it depends on what you want to do.</p>
<p>The service academies are definetely not harder to get into than a top 10 private school, of the three students accepted to service academies in my graduating class (2004) only one went to Air Force, whereas West Point and I'm not sure what the other ones were turned down for Duke and Columbia respectively. The acceptance rate is decieiving. The application process is completely non-conventional.</p>
<p>However, still great opportunities, the admissions standards are 'different' per say but not more difficult. </p>
<p>I doubt many top private schoolers have the physical capabilities of a service academy grad though</p>
<p>Union and Columbia University.</p>
<p>Well my stats are:
3.6 GPA
SAT: 780M/720V/750W
My ECs are weak, a few clubs, no leadership
I'm a hispanic female</p>
<p>But I think I know what I'm going to do.</p>
<p>Is the GPA weighted or unweighted? </p>
<p>Your SATs are good and a hispanic female applying for engineering should be of interest. Perhaps Cooper Union or Olin, which will fund your education. Other privates to consider: Northwestern, Notre Dame or RPI.</p>
<p>I would second Cooper Union and RPI. You might also check out WPI in Massachusetts.</p>