<p>A little about myself: I'm an African American junior, I live in Maryland and am certain that I would like to major in engineering. I've entertained the idea of Chemical, Material Science, Computer, or Electrical as a discipline but probably decide for sure until I'm older. I rank no. 2 in my class with a 3.6 GPA and have an honorable array of extracurriculars ranging from engineering club to NHS. My first SAT scores are pending, but they're projected at 2000-2200.
In addition to an engineering department that will prepare me for the workforce or success in a top doctoral program; I would also like the opportunity to continue participating in the (marching) band. I haven't gotten that far into searching for schools beyond the East Coast, however I am open to schools anywhere in the country.
Rose-Hulman
UMCP
Purdue
Virginia Tech
Harvey Mudd
Penn State
Cooper
Uni Rochester
Lafayette
Does anyone have suggestions?</p>
<p>Your list looks pretty good, in my opinion. Much of your decision-making will be impacted based on your definite SAT scores, and the difference between a 2000 and a 2200 can be staggering at some schools. Time will tell.</p>
<p>Are you considering Johns Hopkins? I don’t know about a marching band, and I don’t know about your admission chances (maybe high match/low reach), but I would consider it still.</p>
<p>If you want engineering and marching bands…</p>
<p>Then you need to look at football schools…</p>
<p>I think you’re best bets are ND, Vandy, and USC, because they would likely be quite generous to you.</p>
<p>Notre Dame</p>
<p>UMaryland</p>
<p>Clemson</p>
<p>Auburn</p>
<p>USC (calif)</p>
<p>Purdue</p>
<p>VTech</p>
<p>If you score 2100+, you have a very good chance at many top schools - especially since you are a URM :)</p>
<p>How did you do on your PSAT?</p>
<p>The following won’t likely work because you’re OOS and they aren’t good with merit/aid for OOS kids…</p>
<p>U Mich</p>
<p>U Illinois</p>
<p>Georgia Tech</p>
<p>Let us know when you get your scores… :)</p>
<p>And take the ACT, too. Some kids do better on that. :)</p>
<p>You should look at going to a division 1 school like Georgia Tech, Purdue, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Clemson, etc…</p>
<p>If you’re #2 in your class with a 3.6, then I’d add a few real reaches of the MIT/Stanford/Cornell caliber, because it’s obvious that your school deflates grades, and that should be apparent from your school profile. A salutatorian rank should give you a pretty high Academic Index (see [The</a> Academic Index - Ivy League Admissions Key?](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm]The”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm)). You’ll also need to take the SAT II. Best to take Math level 2 and either Chem or Physics.</p>
<p>I’m normally tell people not to apply to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, but your being an engineering major makes this an exceptional case. UT has one of the best engineering departments in the country, admissions is not as competitive as it is many of the schools you’re looking at.</p>
<p>^eh not really, it’s about average for an engineering department, not that great as other schools you could be looking at</p>
<p>Not sure why Olin was omitted from some above lists… it is up there with MIT, Berkeley, Caltech:</p>
<p>[Olin</a> College : About Olin : Overview](<a href=“http://www.olin.edu/about_olin/overview.asp]Olin”>http://www.olin.edu/about_olin/overview.asp)</p>
<p>Due to its very small size though, I’ll bet there is no marching band! I doubt Cooper Union, Caltech or Harvey Mudd have marching bands, but haven’t checked.</p>
<p>Oh, you didn’t say how many are in your class (are their two? LOL), or the quality of the student body (i.e. what % attend 4 year colleges, approx. how many each year go on to top 20 universities, etc.).</p>
<p>Can you talk alittle bit more about UT in Knoxville. My son has similiar stats and is also interested in engineering (mechanical or aero) and marching band. Taking the SAT in March. We are Va. residents but he wants to look at alot of schools not just VT or UVA. Can you please tell us some specifics about UT. Thanks. Guidance counselor at school seems to think UT would be a safety with merit money.</p>
<p>Congrats on your accomplishments!</p>
<p>If you place higher priority on academics than a big time marching band, please take a look at Penn; Cornell; MIT; Columbia and Carnegie Mellon–those are degrees which can make the rest of your life much easier! Note that the Ivies have marching bands, but they are much smaller and emphasize clever shows rather than spelling out “Ohio”.</p>
<p>One tier down, Bucknell, RPI, and Lehigh.</p>
<p>Next tier, Drexel, WPI, RIT, VPI, GA Tech and Northeastern.</p>
<p>If it has to have a huge marching band, GA Tech, Penn State and Purdue, among others.</p>
<p>Many of the above private schools are very expensive, but I believe they will try very hard to attract you to help diversify their student bodies.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>The Div 1 publics will NOT likely work if they don’t give big merit, and the OP can’t afford the OOS COA.</p>
<p>Schools like Penn St, GT, Illionois, Wisconsin, etc, don’t help OOS students with covering those big OOS costs.</p>
<p>If he wants to consider a Div I public with football, he needs to include the ones that give big merit.</p>
<p>But…if money is no object then… no worries, be happy!</p>
<p>Thank you for the great responses!
My graduating class has about 265 students; as far as most students at my school are concerned, is something that climbs a wall. Typically, 25% of graduates have no plans, another 25% generally goes to the local cc, the 15% enter the armed forces and the rest go to four year schools.
Not amazing, 230.</p>
<p>Academics ranks much higher than the presence of an over the top marching band. The key is, I want some semblance of a performance ensemble so I don’t have to give up on what I’ve been doing for so long. I already have a brother in college and a sister matriculating a year behind me, so my parents probably won’t be able to pay more than 25,000 a year out of pocket.</p>
<p>Bayhawk, the 230 is an outstanding score on the PSAT! I believe you are in National Merit Scholarship territory in any state. </p>
<p>You are definitely competitive for the top schools in the nation. You need to get rolling on the real standardized testing though. </p>
<p>1) Take the SAT in March. Prepare using the Xiggi method.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html</a></p>
<p>2) Let’s figure out and SAT II strategy. What are you taking for math and science now? What have you taken before? Are you taking any AP or IB classes in chemistry or physics?</p>
<p>3) You may want to check out Questbridge
[QuestBridge</a> National College Match - Selection Criteria](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/cmp/criteria.html#academic]QuestBridge”>http://www.questbridge.org/cmp/criteria.html#academic)
and see if you are eligible. </p>
<p>4) There is a great 6-week free summer program at MIT for minorities called MITES. The application deadline is Feb 16th and probably requires teacher reqs, so you’d better get moving on that too. </p>
<p><a href=“http://web.mit.edu/mites/[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/mites/</a></p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>And I almost forgot The One and Only MIT Marching Band
<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/marching-band/www/[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/marching-band/www/</a></p>
<p>If you want to be in a Marching Band it will have to be at a big school. Some of the smaller schools have Pep Bands, but I know that is not the same thing (both of my boys participated in Marching Band and it was an incrediabley positive experience for them). When we were visiting schools for my older son we always asked if it was possible for non music majors to participate in music in some way (we eliminated one college when the tour guide replied “Musicals? We usually have a play every year, but don’t have musicals very often”). My son is a trumpet player and auditioned and is performing with the orchestra at his college, which makes me very happy. You need to visit some colleges and get a sense if you would be happy at a big state school or if a smaller LAC would be a better fit. One other word of caution. One of the kids from my son’s graduating class was thrilled when she got into a well respected Marching Band at the local university. She is dropping it after this year however. She found she didn’t have the time and the band didn’t have the same kind of comraderie she was used to. Good luck!</p>
<p>*How did you do on your PSAT </p>
<p>Not amazing, 230.*</p>
<p>OMG…A 230 on the PSAT is AMAZING. That’s VERY deep into the 99th percentile!!!</p>
<p>Congrats!!! You’ll be a NMSF!!! Make sure you do all the paperwork correctly so you’ll make NMF!!! 
</p>
<p>AWESOME!!!</p>
<p>Seriously, if your SAT (or ACT) ends up reflecting your PSAT (which would be 2300 or equivalent ACT), you can go anywhere! :)</p>
<p>But…try to boost your GPA the rest of the year. I know that you’re #2 in the class, so that’s good!</p>
<p>*I already have a brother in college and a sister matriculating a year behind me, so my parents probably won’t be able to pay more than 25,000 a year out of pocket. *</p>
<p>Have they said that? Can they afford to pay out $75k per year for 3 kids in college or $50k per year for 2 in college? If so, then you’ll need to find out what their EFC is. Did your brother apply and receive aid?</p>
<p>BTW…any score over 225 is certainly a NMSF in any state. I think the highest cut-off is around 223 in various years.</p>
<p>bayhawk</p>
<p>While normally on CC, people often have to deflate expectations, in your case, I think we might have to inflate them. Your PSAT scores are amazing and should lead to at least a 2200 (possibly more) on the SATs. I agree with ClassicRockerDad–while your initial list is fine, you should consider adding top schools with great financial aid and excellent engineering departments, including Cornell (see this link to the marching band [Cornell</a> University Big Red Marching Band](<a href=“http://mb.bigredbands.org/index.php]Cornell”>http://mb.bigredbands.org/index.php)), Princeton (which now has a “scramble band” but it’s similar to a marching band) and MIT. Make sure you check the requirements for SATIIs at each school–for example, Princeton requires 2 SAT IIs.</p>
<p>That my class rank could make up for my lower gpa is encouraging. My school requires AP Calculus before AP Physics, so I’m in a perfunctory physics class this year while I take AP Environmental Science and Calc AB. I plan on taking the Math IIC and Physics Subject Tests in May or June, depending on whether I’ll have time to study despite AP fever.
In my parents’ words, they can comfortably put forth 25k per kid per year. Aside from spending money and books, my older brother’s education has been covered by merit and athletic scholarships. I don’t know that I’ll have that much luck, but in any case, I don’t want to bankrupt my parents.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of these suggestions!</p>
<p>You should also sign up for Venture Scholars, a program for high achieving minority students interested in math and science. A number of schools on or potentially on your list are member institutions and you will get info about diversity open houses, scholarships etc. Here’s the link [Ventures</a> Scholars: About Us: Overview](<a href=“http://www.venturescholar.org/aboutus/index.html]Ventures”>http://www.venturescholar.org/aboutus/index.html)</p>
<p>Bayhawk… </p>
<p>I think I know how the judges on American Idol feel when a contestant comes in all casual-like, doesn’t look like a Hollywood type, then belts out a song and makes their jaws drop.</p>
<h1>2 out of 265 does put you in consideration for any college in the country… consideration… that means that your intangibles are what will determine fat or skinny envelope. Essays and letters of reco on particular. You are hooked, so I should think you could get into at least one of the top 10 schools.</h1>
<p>I almost think you’re kidding when you write 230… nothing special. That projects to roughly 2300 give or take.</p>
<p>IF your parents income is around $100,000 or less, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and maybe a couple more Ivlies will probably end up costing youre parents under $20k per year.</p>
<p>If their income is much higher than that, then merit scholarships are in order. </p>
<p>USC gives 50% tuition waiver to NMFs, but that still leaves you with $33,000 or so.</p>
<p>I would think private schools in the 35-60 USNWR rankings would give most if not full merit ride to a URM with huge stats…</p>