College Suggestions for Engineering/Science

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello! Up until now, I have had a few colleges in mind that I would love to attend, and have not really looked at any others. After discussing post-high school plans with my senior advisor, he recommended that I also apply to a few more selective schools. If you have any advice to give to me it would be greatly appreciated! With that, here I am on paper:</p>

<p>ACT:
33 Composite
31 English
35 Math
34 Reading
31 Science</p>

<p>SAT: Just took it last weekend, and hopefully they'll match up to my ACT scores.</p>

<p>I have not taken any SAT II Subject Tests, but I'd be willing to take them ( probably in November).</p>

<p>GPA Cumulative Unweighted: 3.95
Weighted: 4.0</p>

<p>Key Classes: Adv. Lit 10, Adv. Chemistry, AP Lang & Comp (4), AP Calculus AB (in progress), Adv. Biology (in progress)</p>

<p>My school is one of the best in the state (when comparing test scores and difficulty of a class here when compared to a class of the same name elsewhere), I run XC and Track year round, and I am deeply involved in certain extracurriculars. Taking handfuls of AP classes in combination with the other activities would mean staying up until 12:00 every night, which is not beneficial for my health. I am hoping that colleges understand this when they see what I am involved in.</p>

<p>Some Activites:
-Student Intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory (paid)
-High Ranking Staff Officer in NJROTC
-3 Year Varsity Cross Country and Track&Field Athlete (done very well at state)
-NHS Member (3 years)
-(and other various activities that have no relevance for this particular question)</p>

<p>Here are the colleges that I like and have researched in depth:</p>

<p>-Colorado School of Mines (out of state, but nearby)
-Colorado State University ( " " )</p>

<p>Here are the colleges that I recently found interest in:
-Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
-Rice University
-UC Schools (For special reasons I get in-state tuition here, even though I am not in-state)</p>

<p>I would like to hear what you recommend:</p>

<p>I am looking for a college strong in Engineering or Natural Sciences (like Biology), that either does not cost too much or would likely give me a sizable scholarship. Ideally it should not be a large school (or at least it should have a small feel - like CSU). Location does not really matter, but a nice environment (Rocky Mountains, great town, etc) holds a good bit of sway for me. If you would like more specifications, please inform me and I would be happy to oblige.</p>

<pre><code> Thank you!
</code></pre>

2

<p>You might get money from RPI. Rice is a little less costly than many schools, but will still cost quite a bit unless you get financial aid. However, Rice is strong in engineering and natural sciences. Colorado School of Mines seems like a good option. You might look at Rose-Hulman. Of the UC’s your best bet is UCSD or Cal Poly. Cal Poly has a nice environment, but the town is small. UCSD is great if you like the beach.</p>

3

<p>I took some classes at the school of mines when I was a high school student. The campus is small and dominated by males. I think at the time, 80 percent of students were male. Take that for what you will.</p>

<p>The disciplines offered at Mines were somewhat limited (of course they offer courses in everything but the depth of their faculty is limited to engineering and finance). I loved Golden and the proximity to the mountains and Denver. The quality of the academics in math and engineering were unquestionably top notch.</p>

<p>I spent a lot of time around CSU while working for a biotech in the area. First off, CSU is a real state university with a substantial offering of departments and opportunities. I am continually impressed by the quality of their biological (infectious disease and veterinary pathology) faculty. The CDC arbovirus center is located right near the university and offers a lot in the way of biological research. The veterinary school is among the top in the country as well.</p>

<p>I also loved Ft Collins. The town is big enough to offer a lot of entertainment options, but nobody would mistake it for a city. It doesn’t have traffic, crime is limited, apartments are cheap etc. It would be hard to imagine going wrong with CSU.</p>

<p>Perhaps I am showing my bias here but if you have in state tuition status at UC system schools and you are interested in natural sciences, the choice should be clear. Go west young man. UCSD, UCLA, UCB are some of the very best universities in the world, particularly for biological sciences. Maybe you should consider them.</p>

4

<p>When you say UC schools…do you mean UColorado? </p>

<p>If you mean U of Califs, then are you sure that you would get instate rates? WHY? Do you have a parent that is a UC employee?</p>

<p>I am looking for a college strong in Engineering or Natural Sciences (like Biology), that either does not cost too much or would likely give me a sizable scholarship.</p>

<p>Are you needing merit aid? </p>

<p>how much will your parents pay?</p>

<p>Your financial situation and how much your parents will pay is going to have a significant influence on where you should apply.</p>

<p>a college strong in Engineering or Natural Sciences (like Biology),</p>

<p>What is your intended career?</p>

5

<p>I mean UC as in University of California. I get in-state rates because one of my parents works at “their” national lab. </p>

<p>Merit aid would be really nice, but I have around 70k in my college account, which I will probably be supplement with a job.</p>

<p>I do not have a specific career in mind, but I am interested in Biology (any), Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science/Engneering…and whatever I see at college that looks to be a good fit for me. It all depends on how much I like what I am doing. I do not really know much about these majors and their professions however, so I am hoping to wait until I can get a taste of what they truly are.</p>

6

<p>the UCs have a COA of about $28k-30k per year for instate rates, so your college fund would cover about 2 years.</p>

<p>Are your parents going to contribute in addition to your college fund? If so, how much will they contribute?</p>

<p>Obviously, you can’t supplement (pay for with a job) the 2 years of college that your college fund won’t cover at a UC. </p>

<p>*.and whatever I see at college that looks to be a good fit for me. *</p>

<p>Try…Santa Clara, LMU, Gonzaga, Purdue, and some other states’ publics that give ASSURED good merit for stats…</p>

<p>ASSURED SCHOLARSHIPS…$$$ CC Important links to Merit Scholarships given for stats… </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>“the UCs have a COA of about $28k-30k per year for instate rates, so your college fund would cover about 2 years”</p>

<p>I don’t think that that is correct…</p>

<p>According to Naviance, for UCSD:</p>

<p>Instate tuition is ~$6,900 a year
Room and board+Additional Costs+Books is ~$14,300</p>

<p>$21,200 total per year. That is a good deal less expensive that the numbers you put forward. Perhaps there are other reasons for them which you did not explain?</p>

<p>Student loans are acceptable to me if the quality of education is worth the temporary debt. ROTC in any military branch, which would cover full tuition for many schools in return for 4-5 years of return service, is another option I am not above considering.</p>

8

<p>momof2collegekids is right about the costs of UC’s. There are additional fees above the $6900 in tuition. The figures I have heard quoted by parents with children at the schools is around $33K. CSU’s are less. That’s why Cal Poly is a good choice.</p>

9

<p>I think you should apply to MIT</p>

10

<p>*“the UCs have a COA of about $28k-30k per year for instate rates, so your college fund would cover about 2 years”</p>

<p>I don’t think that that is correct…</p>

<p>According to Naviance, for UCSD:</p>

<p>Instate tuition is ~$6,900 a year
Room and board+Additional Costs+Books is ~$14,300</p>

<p>$21,200 total per year. That is a good deal less expensive that the numbers you put forward. Perhaps there are other reasons for them which you did not explain?*</p>

<p>**
Naviance must have some OLD info… **</p>

<p>And…you need to figure annual increases. Every year the costs go up. The above is for this current year…next year and the following years will be higher.</p>

<p>From Collegeboard…UCLA</p>

<p>In-state tuition and fees:… $10,781 (UC’s go up to $12,500)
Room and board: … $13,734 </p>

<h2>Books and supplies: …$1,608 </h2>

<p>Direct costs…about…$27,000</p>

<p>Plus…below costs…<br>
Estimated personal expenses: .$1,560<br>
Transportation expense: …$912 </p>

<p>so, about $28k - $30k (keep in mind that the transportation estimate is for Calif residents. Those who are coming from OOS will have higher transportation costs.)</p>

11

<p>If you want to go east, UCONN is known among Connecticut engineering companies for its Materials Science and metallurgy programs. UMASS is respected for its chemical engineering as well as U Delaware. UCONN has the Nutmeg scholarship (not sure if available to OOS) - check it out. UCONN has other scholarshipships for high stats students. UCONN is in the rolling hill and farmland of CT - not much nearby. UMASS is in a nice flat valley area with the small eclectic city of Northhampton close by. U Delaware is in a fairly urban location but a really attractive campus.</p>

12

<p>Just adding that UCONN, UMASS and UDEL are fairly large schools but tend to have ‘close-knit’ engineering/science departments.</p>