<p>Techy233 / static75 - He is taking Physics C, Multi Var Calc, AP Bio this year. Not taken his SAT yet. He has kept learning guitar continuously for a few years now. Thats the only EC he has been involved with till now. I am little concerned about his EC. No sure if they are enough.</p>
<p>Rellielou / siusplau I am also thinking that either Olin or CMU would be a good fit if he can get in. They are our top choices. Rice and Cooper look good too. </p>
<p>Are there any small LAC’s with top notch engineering that I need to consider?</p>
<p>Rice is a great school and while I’m sure this doesn’t apply to all the students, but the campus is notoriously known as being wet and might not be the best match for a young student.</p>
<p>I’m sure this applies to almost any university but not to every individual on campus. However from my visits to friends at Rice there is an active drinking culture, with a bar on campus, Night of Decadence or Beer Bikes. Like always, visit the campus before making any decisions.</p>
<p>That helps. There is only so much I could do once he is enrolled in a college. But I could use valuable inputs like these to narrow down schools. He is a very science / math kids and is not very keen on liberal arts. So his list is limited to technical schools. Any inputs on Caltech, HMC and RHIT? I am not sure if I can visit all the schools, may be 3 or 4 top choices.</p>
<p>I think you should worry about your son not burning out too. Because even the people who are generally good students suffer immensely under the work. Maybe he can handle those level math classes - and good for him, by the way but CalTech, Harvey Mudd, etc. are very true workaholic schools. There shan’t be time for him to do real ECs, assuming he does get in. </p>
<p>Basically, I think your son should go to a college where he WILL have the time to explore his interests, expand his horizons, try new things etc… so. I think. that. maybe. he shouldn’t apply to very hard core undergrad programs. If anything, he can go to a normal undergrad and go for his more serious MS (he seems like the type to be interested in this) to a top-notch grad school. Maybe you need to talk to him and see what he wants to do with his time at college and what he wants to do while there – I think these seemingly insignificant details (most people think only the name and degree matter) will make all the difference in his life/future.</p>
<p>hmm, interesting. I pretend to be a TA when I sneak into the lectures late. I act like the TAs are supposed to know me (“heyyy, how are things lately?”), so then they think they do haha.</p>
<p>static75 said <<i think=“” you=“” should=“” worry=“” about=“” your=“” son=“” not=“” burning=“” out=“” too.=“”>> That was very thoughtful. There is more than enough on his plate right now. </i></p><i think=“” you=“” should=“” worry=“” about=“” your=“” son=“” not=“” burning=“” out=“” too.=“”>
<p><< I think your son should go to a college where he WILL have the time to explore his interests, expand his horizons, try new things etc…>>></p>
<p>So , which engineering colleges would offer such a learning environment. Can he choose to take a lighter load during his freshman year, get a hang of the rigor of courses and then increase his load? I have read on this forum that Stanford is one place where the pace is relatively more relaxed. I would rather have him go a reasonably good college and be able to handle his course work rather than go to a great place and drop out. I am sure that he will stick with science / math stream where ever he enrolls.</p>
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<p>That’s really hard to say. Depends on the courseload he’s used to, e.g. in high school. It sounds like he’s breezing right on through it - but is that because the curriculum isn’t challenging or the grading particularly strict? I’m just saying that I’m a straight A student – or I was in high school. But between commuting, working, extracurrics (4+ serious ones already - ahh!), I have no life. Like, Halloween night, I am studying. Also, in addition to having no life, I got totally destroyed in Chemistry. Not because of laziness, but because of showing up late to lab…resulting in multiple zeroes. Yikes. College can be a pressure cooker, and my college is supposedly not as competitive as several other engineering colleges.</p>
<p>It just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting a breeze. Engineering, from any perspective, is a lot of work. Blood, sweat, and tears haha</p>
<p>Dude, relax, I wasn’t serious. Poly has a terrible bureaucracy {including many student complaints about the TAs}, you’ll find that that’s why the school has such a low approval rate. I don’t need to be spoon-fed. My grades have been fine. I do, however, demand TAs that 1) Know what they’re talking about/explaining. 2) Can answer a question about something they’ve just explained, 3) Don’t minus 25 points because I did not include my Lab section on a paper. I petitioned this, and received the points back, but there have been complaints. </p>
<p>Poly is disorganized, many of the TAs do not know what they’re doing.</p>
<p>I am not asking to be spoon-fed, but if money is being paid for me to go to a school that costs upwards of 40,000, I demand competence from those in charge of my grades. I can only do so much reading/learning myself. TAs and teachers aren’t only in a classroom to supervise me. They should be able to answer some basic questions, and the ones I’ve encountered, have been terribly mediocre.</p>
<p>yeah, in all fairness greenvison…I’m positive that there must’ve been at least one TA that you hated when you were a freshman. same feelings of resentment. it’s only natural, like an inevitable part of the engineering college life</p>
<p>though I disagree with you, techy. Many of the TAs do know what they’re doing extremely well. and if they don’t know, then they find out for you. maybe it’s just your bad luck to get whatever TA(s) you have.</p>
but CalTech, Harvey Mudd, etc. are very true workaholic schools. There shan’t be time for him to do real ECs, assuming he does get in. </p>
TAs are actually my biggest Poly complaint.</p>