College plan for non traditional student

<p>Hello. I'm currently 18. I did less than decent in high school due to a lack of effort but got straight A's in my engineering program. I then went onto a great college (somehow) for aeronautical engineering. At the time I did horrible there the first semester and slightly better the second semester but withdrew. This was all due to health and family concerns. I was doing great in my engineering classes and my math and physics/ chemistry right up until I started having to leave and go home allot. Recently I've started a job in assembly and testing working with engineers. I love the people but I'm always on the outside of these conversations and I don't want to be stuck like this forever. I would like to go back to college for aerospace or astronautical engineering very soon but not just any college; a great college like I used to attend (Specifically MIT because it's close, but I'm not hell bent on it.). Does anyone have any advice to help me set up a multi year plan to get back in the game?</p>

<p>Post script: I have been working on the medical issues and have taken care of the family Issues.</p>

<p>Have you considered applying for readmission to MIT (or whichever school it was you attended and withdrew from)?
[MIT</a> Student Support Services: Withdrawals and Readmission](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/uaap/s3/withdrawals/]MIT”>http://web.mit.edu/uaap/s3/withdrawals/)</p>

<p>I have thought about it but I’d rather not. It was embarrassing dropping out and I wouldn’t like to go back and have to see all my old professors and classmates again. I also would like to go to a larger school closer to home. The school I used to go to had a class size of 300 and was a few states away. Furthermore the program that I wanted to study wasn’t available there. I’d like to major in astronautical engineering or aerospace but was instead enrolled in aeronautical engineering although I hear they are all very similar courses. I’m wondering what steps I might need to take. Go to community college or would that hurt my chances? Take online classes? Get an online degree and apply as a graduate student? What activities or organizations should i get into? Skills that I should learn? I’m helplessly lost.</p>

<p>Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering may just be different names for the same thing. Check the ABET accreditation listings for the school to be sure.
[Accredited</a> Program Search](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramSearch.aspx/AccreditationSearch.aspx]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramSearch.aspx/AccreditationSearch.aspx)</p>

<p>Realistically, it is likely easier to be readmitted to your old school than it is to transfer to a new school if your academic record was not good (but not failing either). And it is unlikely that your old classmates who are now a year or few ahead of you in course work will notice your absence and return, nor will your professors if you had only been taking 300 student classes before you left.</p>

<p>Most transfer-friendly schools are state universities, most of whom prefer transfers at the junior level. This means that if you do not go back to your old school, it may be better to complete the first two years of the aerospace engineering curriculum at a community college (doing well there, of course) and apply to transfer to enter as a junior.</p>

<p>I looked into the ABET school listings and found three within the state. MIT, WPI and Boston University. All Three are equally distanced and all three have a good reputation although MIT and WPI seem to be better known for their engineering programs. Do you think trying to get into WPI for aerospace, doing great and doing allot of extracurriculars, then transferring over to MIT for astronautical would be the best plan of action? If so do you think I would have a good chance of Getting accepted into MIT? What might be some ways to increase those chances?</p>