Best Chemical Engineering Schools?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello, I’m going to be a senior this fall, and consequently I’m feeling both anxious and nervous about life after high school. I’m very certain that I want to major in Chemical Engineering, and that I want to go to the best school for the best deal. Beyond that, however, I’m sort of clueless.</p>

<p>Here’s what my application will basically look like.</p>

<h2>Highest Level of Education for Parents:</h2>

<p>Father - Associate’s Degree
Mother - Did not attend high school</p>

<h2>Combined Family Income:</h2>

<p>Less than $15,000 a year (which I believe makes my EFC = $0)</p>

<h2>Ethnicity:</h2>

<p>Multiracial (Asian, White)</p>

<h2>ACT:</h2>

<p>34 - English
36 - Math
36 - Reading
36 - Science
36 - Composite</p>

<p>6 - Writing
29 - Combined English/Writing</p>

<h2>Class Rank/GPA</h2>

<p>Rank: T1/342
GPA: 4.158</p>

<h2>Extracurricular Activities:</h2>

<p>Tennnis - 10, 11, 12 Grade - Letterman
Science Olympiad - 11, 12 Grade - Letterman
National Honors Society - 11, 12 Grade</p>

<h2>Work Experience:</h2>

<p>None</p>

<h2>Community Service:</h2>

<p>None (Yeah…this is what worries me. How bad will this look?)</p>

<h2>Awards/Recognition:</h2>

<p>National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist (maybe finalist; I’ll find out this fall)
National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine Nominee
National Youth Leadership Forum on Law Nominee
Principal’s Award
Nordonia “N” Award (Should I even put these last 2 on?)</p>

<p>I visited Ohio State this past weekend, and was impressed by it. I’ve heard that it has the best Chemical Engineering Program in Ohio, and my best friend is also seriously considering going there. I’m certain that I’d be comfortable there - however, I wonder if I should aim higher. What are my chances at something like MIT? I know that Carnegie Mellon is also an excellent engineering school, but is it really that much better than OSU? Would it even be worth going there if I think I’d be much more comfortable at OSU?</p>

<p>So basically I have three questions…</p>

<li>What are some of the best Chemical Engineering universities in the US?</li>
<li>Of those universities, what’s the best one I have a serious shot at getting accepted to?</li>
<li>How much better is one college from another? Would it be downright stupid to go to Ohio State if I get accepted to MIT or even Carnegie Mellon?</li>
</ol>

<p>Please guide me, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>

<p>Edit: Oh, and just for more information, the schools I’m planning on applying to are Ohio State, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Case Western Reserve. Are there any more that are worth applying to?</p>

2

<p>I'm not really sure about Chemical engineering but definitely check out all the tech schools such as MIT, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech (I've listed them somewhat according to selectivity).</p>

<p>Not having community service obviously won't help you but it really shouldn't hurt you too much as long as you have other areas that stand out. I've known that there were people who've gotten into top schools with zero community service. So don't worry TOO MUCH about it. Do it if you can, but if you can't, it's probably fine. </p>

<p>Usually, universities provide you with pretty good financial aid (some even waive your fee if you're extremely unable to pay) so I would go to MIT or Carnegie Mellon than Ohio State just because of the quality of education.</p>

3

<p>Gourman Report rankings for undergraduate chemical engineering</p>

<p>U Minnesota
U Wisconsin
UC Berkeley
Cal Tech
Stanford
U Delaware
MIT
U Illinois U-C
Princeton U Houston
Purdue
Notre Dame
Northwestern
Cornell
U Texas Austin
Stevens Institute of Tech
U Penn
Carnegie Mellon
U Michigan
Rice
U Washington
U Mass Amherst
Iowa State
U Florida
U Rochester
SUNY Buffalo
Penn State U-P
Case Western
U Colorado Boulder
Washington U St Louis
Lehigh
Texas A&M
CUNY City C
Ohio State
Georgia Tech
NC State
Yale
RPI
Virginia tech
U Tennessee Knoxville
UVA
Columbia
U Arizona
Syracuse
U Utah
UCLA
U Oklahoma
U Maryland College park
Oregon State
Louisiana State Baton rouge
U Pittsburgh
U Iowa
Clarkson</p>

4

<p>You have good statistics, and should do well in admissions. No, it is not stupid at all to go to Ohio State, even if you are admitted to schools that are ranked higher by some people. Case gives good aid, so they are a great choice. U Peen, Cornell, Rice and RPI give good aid in general, too. Carnegie gives aid, but some people say that it is stingier than other top schools. MIT will give you aid if you get in, so keep it on your list.</p>

5

<p>Stanford's also a great choice. If your combined family income is truly that low then Stanford will also pay for your education.

[QUOTE]
Families with annual incomes of less than $45,000 will not be expected to contribute to the cost of tuition at Stanford University<a href="%5Burl%5Dhttp://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2006/march15/tuition-031506.html%5B/url%5D">/QUOTE</a></p>

6

<p>Alredy mentiend above, but the University of Delaware is worth taking a closer look becasue of the quality of the ChemE program, the campus and the relatively lower cost (even for out of state students.)</p>

7

<p>MIT, UC-Berkeley, Wisconsin and Minnesota are ranked in the top 5 for the last 30 years.</p>

<p>Delaware also has a long tradition in ChE from its close affiliation with DuPont.</p>

8

<p>You sound like a good candidate for Northwestern. I think the education you will get at a private school will be better than Ohio State. Smaller classes, more access to professors, more cohesive student body.</p>