I suspect that part of the reason that community college was mentioned may have to do with a lower cost of attendance, and not your ability to get admitted elsewhere. (Many of us posters here on CC are parents who have paid in one form or fashion for our kids to get through college; so we can be a little sensitive to the financial aspects of paying for college.)
There are several things to keep in mind in all this. One, it isn’t where you start, but where you finish, that matters; and whether you can take advantages of the opportunities that are put in your path. The fact that you are on this website asking questions says something positive, to me. And hard work and gumption can take you a very long way, wherever you end up in school.
[h]ow does subsidized living at home and commuting to a local community college or four year college fit into this?
My parents would have 0 problem with either of those. They’d love to help, they just don’t have any money. They’re immigrants with education debt of their own and their relatively high earnings are very recent. Just bad luck with timing.
[T]here is also a pathway to apply to a service academy as an enlisted service member…
Thanks for bringing this up! I spoke to a former officer on this exact point and he said that, while risky, I’ve got a pretty good shot at this route because of a high ASVAB and this route into the academies being undersubscribed. I’ll definitely keep thinking about this route as well.
(Many of us posters here on CC are parents who have paid in one form or fashion for our kids to get through college; so we can be a little sensitive to the financial aspects of paying for college.)
I totally, completely sympathize. I truly cannot imagine anyone writing the checks that FAFSA implies. Kudos to you and everyone else who has made this kind of sacrifice for your kids.
The fact that you are on this website asking questions says something positive, to me.
Thank you! I’m amazed to have gotten this volume of informed, helpful responses from knowledgeable parents for free. I’m very grateful.
Much appreciated. I’ll make sure to cover this base so that I am ready to do CC apps and logistics if it’s needed. Hopefully I can find someone who wants to buy my SAT, and I’m willing to look good and hard.
Here are a few other options that you may want to look into if you have not already:
You mention USMA and USNA, have you also considered the USCGA? Unlike the USMA and USNA, they have a direct application process. Strong engineering programs, and opportunities that seem related to some of your current research interests. – https://uscga.edu/ – My dad is a USCGA graduate in engineering, and in addition to his education at USCGA, they paid for his graduate engineering degree.
Seconding JMU, GMU, CNU.
Always apply to honors colleges/programs (they unlock merit scholarships).
Look into WPI.
UAlabama Engineering may not be a full ride but they’ll use your weighted GPA+test scores.
What about Miami Ohio? Ucincinnati with its pioneer co-op program- apply to the Cincinnatus scholarship and to “honors within Honors”.
You definitely have a free ride at Youngstown State but not sure the CoE is what you’re looking for Rayen School of Engineering | academics.ysu.edu.
Run the NPC on Case Western Reserve and Olin. Are the results better than what you’ve seen so far?
You should definitely apply to MSOE. I’m glad it’s on your list. They offer a small number of full ride scholarships. I know someone who got one, and I know another kid who goes there and loves it. My kid applied for admission mid-Oct, was admitted early Nov, and got this invitation mid-Nov. He was quite impressed with MSOE when he visited, and would have been happy to attend there, but he’d already gotten other offers he was more excited about, so he didn’t apply to this scholarship.
I would like to invite you to apply to our Presidential Scholarship. The MSOE Presidential Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition, room and board scholarship. This scholarship opportunity is awarded to a select number of students every year and is a competitive and prestigious honor. If you would like to apply, please submit an essay of 500 words with the prompt “Why should I be a MSOE presidential scholar?” to your admissions counselor by January 16th, 2023
One other thing. You mention that you attend a very competitive high school; so I presume that this high school will have some very knowledgeable guidance counselors. Have you met with any of the GCs? If not, then you need to make an effort to spend some quality time with a GC to discuss your goals for college; they may have some good suggestions for you, also.
@GeneratorDude ,Yes, talk to your guidance counselor. They may feel you could potentially get into Virginia Tech engineering . So, might be worth applying to, even if it could be a reach (primarily because of your GPA and ranking in your class). Also, just the sheer number of very high SAT and GPA kids from Virginia that might also be applying to engineering can make it a tough admit these days. And they admit lots of OOS kids to engineering as well.
Is your family able to help you at all with college expenses?
Given your high SAT, did you do well enough in your PSAT to qualify as an NMSF in Virginia? If so, you may attend a number of “NMSF/NMF schools” for free or at very low cost. Schools like Tulsa, Maine, Alabama, Oklahoma, Washington State, to name just a few. There are lots of info on CC about such schools.
Good suggestions here and I’ll look into them all hard the next couple of days. I had been thinking about UAlabama if I’d gotten NMSF or better on PSAT, but I’d forgotten about them. Had never thought about either Miami Ohio or U Cincinnati, so thanks very much. I already planned to visit CWR because I will be in Cleveland anyway; unfortunately, they’re posting a NPC bottom line that’s very similar to my FAFSA NFC, so that might be a non-starter. I hadn’t seriously thought about Olin because it looks like it’s more competitive than schools that people here have said are super reaches – should I give it a shot anyway?
Thanks as well for pointing out YSU. Even if it’s a super safety from your perspective, it’s great to know it’s out there. Appreciate your help and time!
That’s a great data point and testimonial. I learned about it when researching small engineering schools. I have plans to visit and will be talking to a professor who specializes in RF engineering (also an area of interest – I’m taking the test for an entry-level ham license soon.) Will definitely apply to the Presidential Scholarship. Thanks!
@gandalf78, thank you for continuing to participate in this thread. It means a lot. I didn’t get a lot of engagement from my GC last year, but maybe that just means I have to try harder to pique her interest. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to talk to a different one. I appreciate the encouragement.
You’re right, Olin is super competitive, but all students who make the 1st cut are then invited on campus (all expenses paid fly in) for a weekend to see how they fit with the culture, like the food, the dorms, other students. There are 2 exercises to be completed in teams – problem solving activities, one if which is evaluative (did you work well with your team, were you crearive, helpful, productive, etc.) All students who are selected get a half tuition scholarship then they can get financial aid. Therefore I thought it might be a favorable environment to demonstrate your skills and could be affordable, too.
But you’re right, it’s super selective.
