UCB ranks higher than MIT for that major and Cal Poly ranks 5 for engineering schools with no doctorate. It is going to be difficult to beat your in state options for price and quality. Stop watching i3 videos and start watching Cal Poly and UCB videos.
Wow, thanks for all of the suggestions!
@whatisyourquest Thanks, the collaborative atmosphere is definitely something I want. At MIT they have “psetting” and at Rice that whole design kitchen seems pretty cool. When I say “nerdy” this is really what I’m talking about, I’m not into video games or LARPing or anything like that.
Apparently my school is “participating” in the medal thing but did not award one this year. RPI isn’t well known here.
@lvvcsf Yeah, I’m not really sure where I’d draw the line, tuition under 20k is obviously ideal (state schools), and tuition over 40k is too much, not really sure about 21-39k.
@TheGr8Gatsby Thanks, unfortunately the closest one to me is an hour away, and I think I’d rather attend a cheaper school than have an hour long commute (that’s probably an hour before LA traffic…)
@nw2this MIT doesn’t have industrial engineering, if I went there I would take mechE w/ a concentration in industrial (course 2-A). So that’s probably why UCB ranks higher. It’s definitely a good school either way, I’ll probably apply. I’m not totally sure about the atmosphere though since I’m not really that interested in politics/activism. I really liked Cal Poly when I toured it, I think I’ll try to see the school again when I’m deciding so I can remember why I liked it so much 
Thanks for the link to those videos!
I have a lot of colleges to look at now, thanks everyone!
@DogsAndMath23 I commend you for reviewing your thread frequently and for responding to the posters. Some kids start a thread on CC, and then don’t log back on and see the comments - a missed opportunity. Well done!
@whatisyourquest Thank you!
Any thoughts on Northeastern? They give scholarships up to 30k/year, which would bring the 45k/year tuition down substantially.
UCB has around 30K undergraduates, the majority of them are probably not student activists. Do check out the youtube videos.
MIT’s NPC is very accurate. Have your parents run it to see it if would be affordable.
@nw2this Thanks, I know Berkeley has a really great engineering program, so I think I should apply. Gotta try not to stereotype it too much 
We ran the NPC yesterday (which prompted my post) and long story short we probably aren’t going to get anything due to assets, even though our income isn’t super high and a lot of it goes toward medical bills (like close to half). We weren’t sure what would count, without counting the things we weren’t sure about we’d only have to pay around half. But it looks like we probably are required to count that, so we’d lose out on the aid.
It’s affordable for me to go to MIT full pay but it just seems crazy to spend $270,000 when I can still get a pretty good education for half of that.
The following might fit your quirky/nerdy preference, are mid-sized, and offer merit scholarships in the 20-30K range - Rice, Case Western, Rochester, RPI
Case also offers a very few full tuition awards that require a separate application. Long shot but it’s worth a try.
I believe that Harvey Mudd offers some merit but the awards are not huge (maybe 10-15K?) I don’t remember the details but I know a young woman who said she got a merit award there.
Carleton and Reed would probably satisfy your nerdy/quirky criteria but they are smaller (LACs) and don’t offer merit scholarships.
@mamaedefamilia Thanks! I’m looking into those schools, as well as most of the other suggestions. (I go to a high school of about 3000 people and just can’t see myself going to a college that’s smaller than my high school…)
Anybody familiar with Boston University and Northeastern? Boston University has a pretty high percentage of students living on campus (75%), for a non-elite and non-tiny school.
@Massmomm But Olin is tiny, and OP doesn’t want a small school.
@DogsAndMath23 If you want to be realistic, there is almost certainly much more than a “decent chance” you will be rejected by MIT. That of course is no reflection on you, it is just what the numbers say. I would strongly urge you to give it your best shot, but also to have plenty of alternative schools that you will be happy to attend, and which make financial sense. Good luck!
@hopeyhippie Oh, definitely. I have no delusions of it being anything other than a big reach. I’ll be thrilled if I get into WISE. I’m still going to apply to MIT just to see what happens, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up. They do accept a relatively high percentage of girls and I’ll be applying EA and everything, so I have that going for me. Still a slim chance though, I agree.
And yeah, Olin is too small for me. I don’t really want to go to an “everybody knows everybody” type of school. For a school with under 5000 undergrads I’m really going to need a compelling reason to apply, under 3000 is going to be difficult for me. I’m aware that “quirky” and “tiny” tend to go together, which is unfortunate for me, but that’s just where I am.
Don’t discount the scholarships available at many private schools. Your stats are good, and many STEM schools offer significant aid. I would definitely look very carefully at Rice. It also will be a reach, due to its size, but worth considering. It is smallish, but you might like the vibe and unique program at WPI. BU is fine, as is Northeastern, but there really is nothing they offer that isn’t available in CA. That being said, if you can swing a tour to the area it might be worth it for you to take a look at all three. One benefit they have is it is a non-stop flight to Boston, and fares are relatively cheap due to the fact that it is a major market.