College Suggestions for Engineering/Science and Music

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Need help finding schools to consider for my Jr Son! He is interested in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Music (vocal). He doesn't want to major in Music but would like the opportunity to join a choir and sing at the University level.</p>

<p>He has a 33 ACT (36-Math, 33-English, 33-Reading, 31-Science) and a 4.07W/3.5UW GPA. He'll have lots of AP credits by the time he is done (AP Euro, AP USH, AP Eng, AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Calc BC, also PLTW and Calc III)</p>

<p>He is currently in the Varsity Choir in H.S. and is trying out and hoping to make the IL Music Education Association (IMEA) district/state choir as a Junior. Our school district has an award winning music program (Grammy Signature School semifinalists and multiple Grammy awards) and I think he has the skills needed for a university choir.</p>

<p>He also plays Rugby and would love to continue that in college (club level).</p>

<p>Schools we've been considering: Purdue, Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon (reach), Penn State, Georgia Tech, Alabama.</p>

<p>So far our list mostly includes big schools with Engineering. What else is out there? Any good LAC's with good engineering and music programs? Or other big schools with engineering and music programs?</p>

<p>Any schools that will offer scholarships to sing if it's not your major? We are hoping for some merit-based scholarships as he won't qualify for need-based.</p>

<p>Although we're from IL, he would really like to go east, northeast or southeast for college, as he's kind of done with midwest. Somehow he agreed to put Purdue on the list (I think because it's my alma mater). </p>

<p>We're not looking for top-tier ivy-league type schools (is Carnegie-Mellon considered ivy? It made the list because it's a well known but smaller school and the student body description, "utopia for nerds", in the Princeton Review sounds like an exact match for my son's personality!).</p>

<p>He might be willing to consider others in the midwest if they offer him an opportunity to sing and play rugby (and perhaps money).</p>

<p>Suggestions???</p>

2

<p>You can look into University of Rochester and Villanova which are both mid-sized universities.</p>

<p>(And Carnegie Mellon is a fine school but it is Ivy League – the Ivy League is a sports league which includes 8 schools – there are many other wonderful colleges and universities out there that are not Ivy League)</p>

3

<p>Are you prepared to pay the OOS costs at those schools? I think you’ll be full pay at Purdue and Penn St. I think all large schools will have some type of music available as well as engineering. </p>

<p>And Happy1 meant to say CMU is NOT Ivy League though it is a fine school.</p>

4

<p>Consider a STEM school such as Case Western, RPI, or WPI. Might get some merit aid from them and they have everything he seems to be looking for.</p>

5

<p>OOS tuition is not a roadblock coming from Illinois where IS tuition at U of I is close to $20K/yr (for engineering students).</p>

<p>If he can qualify for even just a little merit money OOS tuition isn’t a big leap. Many engineering students from our area go elsewhere and end up paying less at an OOS school than IS at U of I. It’s crazy. We call it the brain drain ;)</p>

6

<p>U of Rochester has merit money and the Eastman School of Music. And a lot of snow. If he’s applying this fall, and wants a shot at the merit money, the deadline is fast approaching. I think you need to apply by the Priority deadline, Dec. 1.</p>

<p>Most LACs are known for their a capella groups, and it kind of becomes a running joke on college tours how many mention it. (Glee effect?) But most LACs don’t have engineering programs, though many do have 3-2 programs that offer engineering though an affiliated school, some very prestigious. (Bowdoin-Dartmouth, Haverford-UPenn or Caltech) No merit money if you go this route though, need-based only.</p>

<p>Alabama should give him a pretty good merit-package. But the problem you will encounter overall is, the better the school, the less likely merit-aid exists. There is only a narrow band where the quality/ranking is high and merit is possible, unless you have higher scores than your son has. And at the highest levels, it doesn’t exist at all, and we’re not talking Ivy.</p>

7

<p>While UIUC has relative expensive in-state tuition and poor in-state financial aid, the undiscounted out-of-state tuition at many other public schools is higher. A few public schools with lower out-of-state tuition include Iowa State, Minnesota, SUNYs, NCSU, and Virginia Tech.</p>