Look at the first destination surveys for the colleges on your list. There should be detailed information on employers, locations, and starting salaries for individual majors.
You can also look up the college’s career center website.
Some schools send a bigger percentage of their undergrads to grad schools than industry. That should be information that is readily available.
Tsbna44, to your questions:
we are out of state for Florida, living in NJ
his stats are not bad - SAT 1510, GPA 3.92 (out of 4), 9 AP’s, soccer captain, National Honors Society - therefore I think he has a chance for both, as well as other good schools
we visited ERAU and UA - he was mesmerized by UF, the campus, the sports, the weather, everything, literally it was like an eye opening experience - however he said he feels career wise ERAU is better, experience wise UA is better - that’s when we got into the debate about which school is better.
now he wants to visit Georgia Tech (although I think is more like a reach for him), Purdue (match for him), Univ of Virginia (reach), Univ of Michigan (reach), Virginia Tech (safe).
from my perspective (as a parent), I am looking for a prestigious, affordable school - therefore UA is first on MY list - however I think connection to the industry and job placement should drive out decision.
Momofboiler1 - to your questions 
we visited only 2 schools by now - ERAU and UF - he was stunned by UF and said he would like a big school. I’m not surprised, I know my son and yes, he likes a good social life (I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with that but it’s not about me, right 
)
I know about 1st year at Purdue - he is hesitant - initially he said maybe is better so he can change after first year, then he said he doesn’t like the pressure of the grades AGAIN, after 4 years of high school. Purdue is also s big school, right ?
regarding living after graduation … out of my house for sure but I don’t think he thought further than this
Virginia Tech has very detailed info available online. Google Virginia Tech Post grad survey. They have aerospace as well as mechanical. I would caution you in looking at Virginia Tech as a safety. Engineering is getting to be a harder admit all the time, even for excellent instate students.
UVA engineering had lots of info available online as well, last time I looked.
Eyemgh - unfortunately, we are no Florida residents …
At this moment AE seems to be a must in his world - I am reading that ME is broader, will try to offer to him maybe a ME with a minor in AE
Florida is far enough, California is too much for me - we always discussed only east coast. Of course if he insists on CA, I will never say no
Purdue is a big school - 40K students. Engineering facilities are AMAZING. AE super strong. Cradle of Astronauts and all of that ; )
Big partnerships with lots of aero companies including Rolls Royce that has a jet engine plant in town.
Transition to major was non event for my D. Her feeling is that if you can’t meet the GPA cut off taking first year classes, that doing well in the more advanced courses is going to be a huge grind, so better to know that out of the gate.
Engineering (and CS) at Purdue have gotten very ,very competitive. I would put it into the low reach category.
And if Purdue stays on the list, be aware that he needs to apply EA. Purdue fills almost the entire class in EA, and honors and merit awards are only considered for EA applicants.
Does cost matter? If so, an obvious option is Rutgers.
The question is, why does he think that? What specifically does he see himself doing in AE that requires a degree in AE?
It’s really much more about the skills he’ll bring to a team, no matter the degree. He’ll get those through classes, labs, projects, clubs and jobs.
My so is a ME with a concentration in Mechatronics, but he took the full course load including all the graduate classes in fluid mechanics, and did his MS on boundary layer aerodynamics. He interned for an aerospace company and was offered a job. He chose a different path that is even heavier in fluid mechanics, but for aerodynamics, he’s every bit as competent, if not more than an AE. He has zero experience at the systems level though or with things like propulsion. He has multiple ME friends at SpaceX and NASA.
As for experience, I lean on LinkedIn. Pull up a school. Select alumni and AE (or any other degree for that matter). Then look at the top 5 or 10 under Where They Work.
Lastly, the counterpoint to first year competitive programs are schools like Cal Poly where you start in the major you applied to, but it’s more challenging to change majors. Every system has strengths and weaknesses.
Tsbna44 - sure I am speaking from my perspective but we are a team. I am doing some research and then present to him my thoughts. He will decide - this is for sure.
This being said - AE seems to be a priority in his mind. I will try to explain what I read on this forum, maybe a ME with AE minor will be better …
We visited only ERAU and UA - to make him more confused - he loved UA and said he thinks he likes big schools, however he said ERAU seems to be more what he wats for a career (I still have to get more details about this - not clear to me what he means)
ucbalumnus - I’m sure he will end up getting some loans and I have no problem with this. We will help as much as we can, but he should be responsible for his education.
Regarding Rutgers - I have big hesitations to encourage it - AE at Rutgers is very new (3 years old) and I don’t think they have big industry connection … my thinking is that, in the end, the goal should be finding a decent job after college, as fast as possible - a job that will pay the college loan. That’s why I am trying to research job placement
This will depend on the school. AE isn’t a subject per se, until you get to the systems level. It’s really a carve out of ME subjects, much like HVAC is. Depending on the school, a minor won’t be needed if he just takes the right classes. Like I said, my son is a ME (BS/MS). He had opportunities in aerospace, including SpaceX, NASA and several satellite companies, but after interning for one decided on a different industry altogether.
Respectfully, you should have a problem with this. The drag of leverage will more than onset any small advantage the choice in school will give him. Assuming academic success, graduating debt free is the most powerful thing he can do for his future financial success.
If he wants a big school vibe with strong AE and ME where he might get money and is on the east coast, I’d look at NC State and Penn State. Both are great engineering programs, long established with deep industry connections. Maryland is the “obvious” answer of AE, but it’s likely going to be too expensive. If he’s willing to think about programs accessible to the east, but in the Midwest, Iowa State would be my choice. They will likely give him money.
Remember, and this is really important, if leverage is part of the equation, money is a HUGE factor in his decision. Paying student loads is a massive drag on building wealth for retirement. Based on how compounding works, that lost ground can never be made up.
As you know, not every college offers AE major (e.g. Caltech only offers an AE minor, even though it has a long history and reputation in that area). Specialized courses for an AE major are all introductory by necessity. Having a good foundation in underlying physics, as well as engineering principles, is the key to success.
So - you can find data from each school if you look hard. Here (at the bottom) is the powerbi database from ERAU. You can dig through.
If I’m reading right, they placed 33 AE engineers with a median salary of $68.5K. Says undergrad only but hard to tell. This was 2019-20.
Florida has one (also attached) - but I don’t see salary info - but you can contact them to find it.
You have to be realistic. Most student outcomes are based on where you live - lower cost areas (Florida) will have lower salaries, etc. My son is interning at a major car company this summer. He goes to Bama - back for a 2nd year at the car company. Neither of his two Ga Tech roomies from last Summer were invited back - hence, I’d say be careful about putitng it all in rank. This Summer, he’s working with more Ga Tech, TN Tech, Olin, Purdue, Wisconsin, UTK, and more - so in many cases, these companies are not looking at the rankings or to the level you think.
So a few thoughts to all your notes:
I’d get with UF and get with ERAU - they will have reports they can send you or point you to. After all, they are businesses selling a product and will want you. Just ask. I personally disagree with your son’s notion - but find out.
From what you’ve written (and you wrote UA but I think you meant UF) - he should go to a big school, not ERAU - and he’ll be fine. I say this because he wants football, the campus, etc. Also, and don’t know if UFs is good or not - but I will tell you food is underrated - and when we visited ERAU, we asked 3 separate people where to eat on campus and all said don’t - it’s terrible - go off campus. Actually why my son lost interest although he too liked a bigger campus like yours and wouldn’t have ended there anyway. They did give him a 50% scholarship though as did Florida Tech - another similar to ERAU with as good an industry rep (and better food).
He is “safe” at ERAU and he will earn a scholarship. He is between reach and likely to Florida. Florida doesn’t admit by major. However, I believe engineering may be different in that they have a community college option (Santa Fe). I suspect he’ll get into Florida but kids with better stats than his didn’t last year - noted on the UF website where people were perplexed (if i recall, one got into Carnegie Mellon but rejected at UF).
If he likes ERAU, and someone mentioned, you should check out UAH - because if affordability is important, you can’t do better. He’ll be dirt cheap - and Huntsville is rocket city - NASA’s second city after Houston and there is so many aerospace/military companies there, he’d be tripping over himself.
If affordability matters, he should be looking into Alabama - like a Florida - more national merit scholars in attendance than any school in the country - and in addition to the huge scholarship ($28K), he’d also get $2,500 for his SAT score. You want “rank” but there’s a reason really smart kids are going to these schools - $$ - and the housing situation is strong - he’d be Honors (if he applied) and live in Ridgecrest - which is as nice a dorm situation as you can find. U of Arizona, by the way, another one - gorgeous campus as well, great Honors dorm with a dining hall on the bottom and gym adjacent - and a very go aero engineering school - and like Bama, dirt cheap tuition. You’d be out of both $70K over four years - and have the same or similar position (I believe) as Florida.
Purdue is a wonderful school - your son is a reach, not a match. I would not worry about first year. Many kids who start engineering don’t finish - 40%+ depending on the study and others have pointed out, Purdue has a higher retention rate. Some will be difficulty - it’s a brutal major no matter where you go and kids change their major first semester. Some will be interest (engineering is not for everyone)- and hence a big school gives you more options than an ERAU which is going to be aviation only focused. But if he’s sticking with engineering, he’ll find a major that can get him to the company he wants. My son did STEP (summer program) at Purdue - a week there - and raved about the campus and food - again, I would not discount food.
Va Tech - a match - and by the way, along with UMASS and UCLA, typically rated amongst the best food in the country. Va Tech, for my money, the nicest campus in the country - but really really really really big area wise. Go check it out should it work for you. Don’t expect merit.
You wrote: “rom my perspective (as a parent), I am looking for a prestigious, affordable school - therefore UA is first on MY list - however I think connection to the industry and job placement should drive out decision.”
That’s fair - we all have opinions - everything we write. Affordability is in the eye of the beholder. I am spending maybe $70K at Bama - probably not even that over 4 years. I’m saving $80K over what I would have spent at Purdue (my son got $10K merit which is rare). He chose where he goes…I didn’t. But frankly, he’s interviewed with similar companies and I think he could get to where he wants from any large flagship. So you have to define- what is affordable.
You will spend, when you add in extra $$, 180-200K at some schools on the list and under $80K at some I mentioned. All these schools will offer opportunity to co-op. In fact, my son (doesn’t want to co op) was showing me an aero position last night at Eaton that they came to his school for in the last week. I think industry wide, they aren’t finding enough kids to co-op so if one wants one, they’ll get one - and thus hopefully leading to full time.
That’s a lot of info - too much info - but visit more schools and don’t let the “prestige” get in your way. When your son gets to work, if he’s like the 3 huge companies I worked for), he’ll have bosses from schools like W Georgia, Long Beach State, Tuskegee, and work with people from the likes of Clemson, Fairleigh Dickinson (to give you a NJ who’s a VP at my company), Kansas, Wichita State, Central CT and then some.
I love prestige but realize now my son made the right decision for him - and that’s what matters - have fun in the process - your son will have great options and I truly believe whichever he chooses can get him to where he wants to be - but this is the most important part - if he wants it. None of them will hand him opportunity - he needs to seek out and take advantage of the many resources all of these schools will offer.
100% thumbs up / agree on the loans - and actually this is where the Alabama (gives you another $10K over 4 years for the SAT), Arizona, or UAH (for an ERAU substitute) come in - because it will be free - to at most $70K (room and board, etc.) - no loans - and likely similar/same jobs.
Burdening a kid with unnecessary loans - in my opinion and many disagree - but is crazy even at the $27K four year level - which is the govt subsidized guarantee.
Out-of-State Freshman Scholarships – Scholarships | The University of Alabama (ua.edu)
UAH - Admission & Aid - Freshman Out-of-State Academic Scholarships
Florida should be considered a reach for this student. Despite whatever the admissions office says, UF is definitely not “geography blind,” and anecdotally it has rejected a lot of high-stat NY/NJ/CT applicants the last two cycles.
(Although I suppose there is a chance OOS admissions will become less competitive in the future, thanks to laws like this one: State university faculty, students to be surveyed on beliefs)
Yea, far too many discount the drag of leverage. Paying off loan debt comes at a cost. It’s one thing if the investment unlocks a much different career path, but we’re talking aerospace. Wage will be determined by where the job is. That’s it.
I was teaching my son about this very concept. He was saving very hard but concerned he might not have enough. He is debt free, maxed his 401k and Roth from age 22. By age 60, if he doesn’t retire early, he will have amassed twice the wealth his mom and I have. We’re both doctors, but didn’t start hard retirement saving until much later because we were paying off debt.
AE earnings are quite similar from all schools. Only MIT stands out, and only about by $10k. That gap closes as engineering in the field is meritocratic. Debt will be an anchor, nothing more.
momofboiler1 - thank you for the info.
Purdue is definitely on the list, and yes - I know CS and engineering is very competitive. Out of State price is also attractive, although a bit higher than UF.
I didn’t know about the early admission - good tip, thank you
You may already know this- but, many schools add on extra fees for their engineering programs. VT and UVA definitely do. I know because I paid them!
Just something to consider when looking at overall cost.
Just wanted to thank you all for your messages … I didn’t graduate in this country and this is a big learning curve for me.
Please don’t stop posting, I take notes on every word you are saying …
Thank you all …
Once you develop a list, write down all the deadlines. EA is a must anywhere that offers it. Most schools - Illinois, Purdue, UMD, UF - are impossible after the early or priority deadline (many Nov 1 but some now moving up to Oct 15).
Schools that don’t have auto merit - applying early can help with merit. Pitt is an example.
You are in good shape. Have you son finish his common app essay this summer so that he can then only have school specific ones to worry about.
And have him create a resume/brag sheet to give to his recommenders so they have ample time as they’ll be hit by requests from many kids late. You can ‘add the’ once common app opens.
Don’t forget, you have 20 common app spots so you don’t have to choose A or B yet. Apply widely. Visit those affordable after offers. And your so will have great opportunities