<p>My son is a rising HS senior interested in Engineering and considering Penn State, Maryland, Northeastern and Delaware Penn State's Engineering program seems to be highly rated, and I was wondering his chances of acceptance as an out of state applicant. He has taken Honors classes and will be in 3 AP courses his senior year. 3.9 gpa (weighted), 1950 SAT (720 math). I think he will get in, but any comments or advice is welcomed. Any other suggestions of programs in Northeast/MidAtlantic are welcome as well</p>
<p>SAT is around 75th percentile. Definitely in. </p>
<p>University of Maryland- College Park is comparable to PSU for engineering. Choose whichever gives more money.</p>
<p>Thanks. Going to see both of them this summer. I can only hope that we have that choice to make.</p>
<p>All three of those programs are great.</p>
<p>With Penn States size there are many and varied research projects to get involved with.</p>
<p>He will have to find an engineering internship away from Penn State though.</p>
<p>Engineering hiring is very regional. If he knows where he may want to live in the future he might go to the college closer to that area. He will be getting internships for the summer and often students get a job offer from these internships.</p>
<p>I know this thinking is a few years out but it is something to take into consideration.</p>
<p>Penn state is starting to give more scholarships ( from few to a few more). However it may end up being pretty expensive. One thing to remember is that many colleges award scholarships after freshman year to those students who do well. Often times they have to be aware and apply for these by a deadline but they exist.</p>
<p>Your son should read the entire web pages of these departments to really learn everything that programs have to offer.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>We are very impressed with the Penn State engineering program. S has received a great education, lots of research experience and it set him up for a great internship with NASA. He also was accepted into U of MD and 4 other programs. MD gave him only $5,000 a year, which was nothing for the out-of-state tuition price. Believe it or not, he got the most money from Penn State (full tuition) so you never know. He never expected that kind of money from them, and almost didn’t apply due to the price. Apply away - and wait to see where he’s accepted AND where he receives money. Good luck.</p>
<p>How regional hiring is depends in part on the department. PSU’s aero department is ranked 10th (USNWR). Obviously those students are getting jobs (and coops and internships) in Seattle, Alabama, Florida, Texas. My son (in Architectural Engineering) had a job offer in San Jose, though he chose a position in the northeast.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great input. We are going to see the school this week and set up info sessions for general engineering, mechanical and Schreyer, which is probably a long shot. Now to get through the application process and sweat out the wait…it’s a shame that the extreme cost and financial climate will put much of this generation behind the 8 ball before they even start. I guess it’s not too late to buy lottery tickets.</p>
<p>Don’t count out Schreyers. They are more about community involvement and leadership than scores.</p>
<p>My son graduated in 2010 with electrical engineering and physics degrees. He was fully funded for top phd programs and ended up at a great job.</p>
<p>You can go anywhere with a PSU engineering degree.</p>
<p>D2’s mechanical engineering boyfriend (rising senior) has had internships for the past two summers. One was with the US DOE (which included a full security clearance) and the other was with a major (Top 5) engineering firm. He was also offered a fully-funded semester-long co-op in Australia last year. His chemical engineering roommate (also a rising senior) is currently in an internship for an energy company in the Houston, TX area.</p>
<p>Engineering at Penn State is quite well known and rather highly regarded.</p>
<p>Another nice thing about PSU engineering is that, wherever you go, chances are you’ll find other PSU grads. (I heard a nice story from a recent grad who took a job in Texas. Someone in her apartment complex saw her PSU license plate holder and left a note on her windshield.) Also, two of my son’s three job offers were from PSU grads.</p>
<p>Adding to what Sax said, if your stats are in the ballpark, Schreyer applications are about the rest of the package. Have him really spend some time on his essays.</p>
<p>An engineering degree from Penn State is very valuable: highly regarded among employers, good internship opportunities, etc. (And a fabulous college experience). However, they don’t do a great job of communicating this fact to incoming students: One is accepted into the College of Engineering, but not necessarily into the major of one’s choice. Some, e.g. ChemE, have limited enrollment, and one must apply, typically at the end of sophomore year, for entry into the major. Numbers are limited and not all applicants are accepted, so some must choose a different area of engineering. If your son has a specific engineering field in mind, be sure to check into the requirements for entry to major. (It’s GPA based) It sounds like he’s a great student and it shouldn’t be a concern, but it’s best to have all the info.</p>
<p>Information about entrance to major, including links to which programs have enrollment caps and GPAs required for guaranteed enrollment, is available here–
[Penn</a> State COE: Entrance to Major](<a href=“http://www.engr.psu.edu/AdvisingCenter/EntranceToMajor.aspx]Penn”>http://www.engr.psu.edu/AdvisingCenter/EntranceToMajor.aspx)</p>
<p>The College of Engineering Undergraduate Program Guide is a useful document if you are looking to understand the entrance to major requirements. <a href=“http://www.engr.psu.edu/AdvisingCenter/ProgramsGuide/2013-14/InformationSection.pdf[/url]”>http://www.engr.psu.edu/AdvisingCenter/ProgramsGuide/2013-14/InformationSection.pdf</a></p>
<p>Another important thing to know about entrance to major requirements for the majors under enrollment cap is found in the above document - </p>
<p>“Qualified students whose cumulative GPA at the beginning of their Pool semester is
at least 3.30 for BIOE, or 3.00 for AERSP, A E, CH E, C E, I E, and M E are guaranteed admission to these majors.” Page 13, #4</p>
<p>So as long as he keeps a GPA of 3.0 or higher your son will get into the major he wants.</p>
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<p>Not exactly. Following is from p. 12 of the document you linked:
</li>
</ol>
<p>AN interesting note on this is that when we were at Penn State last week and attended a mechanical engineering info session the professor noted that Mechanical is the most popular major and had the most stringent entrance requirements because of this. In fact, I got the impression that the other engineering majors had minmal entrance requirements for juniors who have completed the first two years of the engineering program.</p>