U Scranton (EE), U Dayton (pretty complete offereings) - both are good for hard-working B/B+ students. You could look at Saint Louis University, too.
@myos1634 I will add these to the list. Hopefully, after our tours in March, he will have a better idea of what he’s looking for in a school. Size, location etc. I appreciate the recommendations!
Yep… a first set of college should help refine preferences. Enjoy!
Finally got his ACT writing score. It’s an 8, which puts him in the top 14% of test takers. His combined English/writing score is 29. We got in some of the ACT and SAT study materials this week and plan on working every night to increase his ACT score and prepare for the SAT.
He also signed up for his classes next year:
AP Calculus AB
AP Computer Science
AP Comparative Government
Honors English
Astronomy
AP Psychology
For some reason, I cannot remember his 7th class. Entrepreneurship?
ANy thoughts on his schedule?
Engineering schools may expect him to have taken BC Calc if it’s offered. If not, his schedule looks fine. Your HS doesn’t suggest a foreign language for senior year??? If it does- I’d dump the psych.
@blossom He cannot take BC because he did not take Honors Pre calc/Trig. The catalog has this: Prerequisite: PreCalculus with Trigonometry with Honors or AP Calculus
AB
Also, he has 3 years of Spanish and does not want to take another year. I wish he would take it or that his GC would suggest it. He is supposed to set up a meeting with his GC this week. I hope she can offer some scheduling advice.
Thanks so much!
@threeredheads, AP Calc AB is fine for many engineering schools, especially if you’re not aiming for the top 25 or 35. Seriously. From what math professors and one engineering professors tell me, they’d rather have very well-prepared students with “only” Calc AB than students with a weak understanding of calculus after taking through BC in high school.
Are you considering James Madison? Your son is close to (or at) the 75 percentile for ACT.
@SlackerMomMD Yes, JMU is on his list. We adjusted the list based on many of the posts in this thread!
I am concerned that he’s taking so many AP courses, but I’m a mom, we worry!
His 7th class is Philosophy, not Entrepreneurship. I have no idea where I came up with that class as his last class.
This site and all who responded to this thread have made such an impression on us. We feel as though we have direction. He talked to his GC today and she suggested a few tweaks to his schedule and actually offered good advice.
Thank you all!!
If it were me, I’d suggest to your son that he identify now a back up class that will work for his schedule (time and block-wise) in case he needs to adjust the workload downward.
My kids weren’t planners so they never took my advice. But knowing NOW what he’ll be able to take if he needs to drop Psych or if Government is too much writing or whatever… will help stave off the panic next September. He doesn’t want to walk into the GC’s office and learn that if he drops AP Government he’s got to take a civics class designed for ESL kids/new Americans since that’s the only class that meets at the same time. Or that he’ll be eating lunch at 9:45 am every day in order to make the schedule work.
JMU’s engineering department is fairly new and small but it has become ABET accredited. It enrolled it’s first class in 2008. We looked at it for my younger son who started school in 2009(also looked at the Integrated Science and Technology program there). He probably would have gone to JMU if he had not been accepted to VT. We know lots of kids who went to JMU and they all seemed to have really enjoyed their time there. We also looked at GMU and the engineering department is good but it was my son’s third choice.
And agree that your son should be fine without taking BC calculus. My son refused to even take calculus at all in high school even though he was on track to do so but ended up acing calculus in college. Other son took AB and BC in high school and did very well in college calculus also. But my younger son really did not seem to have been disadvantaged by not taking calculus in high school.
@blossom I totally agree with him having a back up class!! I’ll have him look at the catalog and pick a back up class. Excellent advice!
@sevmom I’m so glad you posted the info about JMU. How did your son like VT? GMU is on my son’s list also.
He loved VT. It’s a beautiful campus, great school spirit, great food, great job recruiting and placement (you can find all the post grad surveys about where their graduates go on their Career Services website). GMU’s Volgenau School of Engineering is very good. He didn’t dislike GMU but he just liked VT and JMU more. He only applied to VT, JMU, and GMU.
Why Astronomy? Did he run out Physics / Chem options? Most engineers would be taking AP Physics, AP Chem, or AP Bio (or IB equivalents) in senior year, if available.
My DS only took 3 years of a foreign language in high school and I don’t think it affected his admissions chances at all, given that he was going for engineering. He filled the hole with math/science/tech classes that interested him much more than a foreign language.
And he took AP Psych as a senior, scored well, and is using the credit to place out of some humanities requirements in college. He’s double majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace engineering and doesn’t need a foreign language at all, and the AP credits in humanities have given him great flexibility. I am not saying that foreign languages are not useful, only that it’s not a deal breaker.
Also, my DS took Astronomy, and not AP Physics, AP Chem, or AP Bio (and his HS is an academically rigorous STEM magnet in the OP’s neck of the woods). He is doing just fine as an engineering student.
AP Physics is great prep for engineering, but not required at most colleges. If available, it is a good idea. It often helps hs students make a first pass assessment whether they’d like engineering courses in college.
@colorado_mom He decided not to take the AP science courses because of what he’s heard about the teachers. He didn’t go into much detail. I do know he talked to several seniors on the robotics team and they gave him insight into the various course offerings.
He’s done a little research into the various major options and is leaning towards CS or something in the computer field, perhaps Computer Engineering. There are so many options. I read on the VT UniversityStudies page that on average, students change their major three times!! If he applies to Tech, this may be an option for him until he figures out which direction he wants to go. Heck, I changed my major three times in college. 
@2014novamom Great info! Where does/did you son go to school?
My son’s situation with grades is similar, although it’s mostly a few low grades pulling his GPA down. When I say low, I mean D’s. He’s in a magnet math/science program, so the math classes have been difficult. He’s mostly made A’s in those, however. I’m hoping high test scores will help him pull in some merit aid (he scored 224 on the PSAT). I don’t know how much his GPA will keep him from getting merit aid from Maryland schools; they seem to want higher GPA. He’s thinking he’ll probably do engineering or math, with a minor in film studies if it’s available. Like his parents, he doesn’t like the idea of loans. They may be necessary, though. We’re trying to keep them to a minimum. Since we have another son two years behind him, we’re not going to be able to contribute a huge amount.
@mstomper Those PSAT scores are great! I wish him the best. Fingers crossed that he can get some merit scholarships.
Mstomper, suggest to him that a year or two of community college with a high GPA might be a good course of action. Also, investigate the private engineering universities. Finally, there are lower cost options with very good engineering reputations. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is one low cost option. Great engineering departments at SDSM&T and very good career placement not just in the Midwest.
I too found SDSM&T during search for good value. It is a great school… but SD is not everybody’s cup of tea - visit before accepting. A few years ago there was a student that went sight unseen - not good