Anyone want to give me suggestions?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I haven't started looking at any colleges yet, and I just started caring about school these last two quarters (I got a 3.9 and 4.0 respectively). Unfortunately, since I had a bad first half and poor freshman year, I'll probably end up with a 3.6 (UW) GPA this year, and 3.4 overall. I'm thinking next year, I'll be able to maintain a 4.0 or close to it, weighted.</p>

<p>So by the end of Junior Year here are my projected Stats:
-10 Accelarated classes since 8th grade (Since I took HS classes in 8th grade it shows up on my transcript
-~3.5 UW GPA, 4.0+W
-5 AP Classes (World, US, Stat, Enviro and Lang)
-Will be taking another 5 senior year
-12 seasons of track
-Not many clubs
-2100 SAT/32 ACT</p>

<p>So what colleges should I be looking at. I'm interested in Engineering, and I don't want the total cost of whatever colleges I'm applying to to be much over 30k (including room and board). I am from NY, and I strongly dislike the Buffalo campus, and I don't want to go to Stonybrook since it's only 10 minutes from my house (I'm looking for affordable OOS colleges).</p>

<p>So any suggestions?</p>

<p>Sparknotes:
-<30k tuition + room and board (can be higher)
-engineering
-3.5 UW GPA
-10 APs by graduation
-10 Accelarated classes
-upward trend
-2100 SAT / 32 ACT
-12 seasons track/xc
-not many clubs
-prefer party school / school that has a nice town
-would also prefer a college by the beach/mountains/lake/etc since I am pretty outdoorsy</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Do you qualify for financial aid?
I;m thinking you might like UMiami and UT-Austin, maybe UF and ASU as well?</p>

3

<p>I wouldn’t think so, but thanks a lot for your suggestions. My parents probably make around 150k a year combined, but they had to send my 3 brothers and sisters to college, and they tend to be little bit frivolous with their money so they can’t shell out anything like 50k for college.</p>

<p>I was thinking Austin and UF, but I’m pretty sure I would get rejected from Florida.</p>

4

<p>^</p>

<p>What don’t you like about Buffalo’s campus?
(I live on LI about 45min from Stony and Don’t want to go there for the same reason so applying to Buffalo…) </p>

<p>And I wouldn’t give up on Florida. My sister got in with a small scholarship (A couple thousand. Not a big dent in the OOS tuition, but we took it…) with similar stats to yours.</p>

5

<p>I know I wrote I strongly dislike the campus, but I actually don’t hate the campus that much, the part I hate is that I have six different cousins going there, and I really would rather not having to deal with them. </p>

<p>The campus itself is alright, it seems a little depressed though, and the weather isn’t for everybody.</p>

6

<p>OOS, VaTech would run you just about $30K/yr including tuition, all fees, and room and board, give or take 1 or 2K. Some merit money is also a possibility. It’s not near the ocean but sure is near lots of beautiful mountains, and reputedly a good party place (though in a very small town).
And if you don’t like Buffalo, or Stony Brook, what about Binghamton? Smaller and less well-known than the others for engineering but still good programs. How well you’d like the campus is a matter of taste but the outdoors is reasonably accessible from there.</p>

7

<p>University of Delaware
University of Maryland</p>

8

<p>Thanks a lot guys, out of curiosity, anyone know any good engineering schools by a major city (not NY since I already live there half the year) that I could get into?</p>

9

<p>Georgia Tech fits (it’s in Atlanta), and I think you could get in there, but it’s considerably more expensive than you want–COA is 36k.</p>

<p>ETA: re: budget, Cal Poly SLO might fit. <a href=“http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/_finaid/coa1011.htm[/url]”>http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/_finaid/coa1011.htm&lt;/a&gt; Someone who knows more about the school can tell me whether I’m reading those numbers right. I have no clue what your admissions chances are.</p>

10

<p>Maybe UPitt. I don’t think it is that bad a price either.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for all the suggestions, does anybody know of any schools that might be safety like for me, all the schools mentioned I am borderline for.</p>

<p>From what i searched i liked these suggestions/schools:
CAL POLY SLO
WISCONSIN-MADISON
UT-AUSTIN
UF
VA TECH
UPITT</p>

<p>So any safeties/similar schools?</p>

12

<p>Penn State - University Park?<br>
<a href=“http://admissions.psu.edu/info/counselors/bubble_chart06.pdf[/url]”>http://admissions.psu.edu/info/counselors/bubble_chart06.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>OP isn’t going to be able to afford Penn State. They don’t really give out merit, either.</p>

<p>For safeties, a lot of kids like Auburn and Alabama. I think your best bet is to do well on the PSAT next fall, qualify for NMSF (last year the cutoff in New York was 218–judging by your SAT score you’re certainly capable of scoring that high), and apply to schools that give out big awards for NMF as safeties.</p>

<p>ETA: with your scores, you could go to Alabama tuition-free. <a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html[/url]”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

14

<p>Look at NC State for a match/safety. Good engineering program and it is located in a real city (Raleigh).</p>

15

<p>I agree that Penn State would not be a financial safety. It does meet many of the OP’s other criteria:</p>

<p>Sparknotes:
-<30k tuition + room and board (can be higher) (Will be higher than $30,000)
-engineering (yes, highly rated)
-prefer party school / school that has a nice town (yes to party school, State College, PA is also a great college town)
-would also prefer a college by the beach/mountains/lake/etc since I am pretty outdoorsy (Happy Valley)</p>

<p>It’s also a reasonable distance from New York.</p>

<p>Later posts by the OP asked for schools near a major city. That Penn State is not (NY, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are 3 -4 hours away).</p>

16

<p>[Penn</a> State - Office of Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.psu.edu/studentaid/costs/est_costs.shtml?reload]Penn”>http://www.psu.edu/studentaid/costs/est_costs.shtml?reload)</p>

<p>Now that I look at it, the Penn State branch campuses are <30k. The OP could always go to one of them and transfer after two years–that would help to cut costs.</p>

<p>ETA: OP, for a safety, how about New Mexico Tech? It’s better for certain types of engineering than others, though.</p>

17

<p>If the OP gets into Schreyer Honors College at Penn State-UP, there’s a $3,500 scholarship. Not much but it brings the cost closer to $30,000 before other scholarships or FA. The OP’s numbers are close for Schreyer.</p>

<p>Other possibilities:</p>

<p>Clemson (good engineering, near lakes and mountains, Atlanta or Charlotte within 2 hours) </p>

<p>Ohio U would be a decent safety with lots of merit aid.</p>

<p>Colorado has decent engineering, Boulder is a nice college town and is near Denver. Can’t speak to merit aid.</p>

<p>Georgia Tech previously mentioned would definitely fail the party school criteria.</p>

18

<p>

</p>

<p>I know Tech kids. You would be surprised.</p>

<p>Maybe not for the OP, though, no. I assume he wants to do well in his engineering courses.</p>

19

<p>Clemson!!</p>

<p>If you have any questions about Clemson, let me know!!</p>