Engineering Programs/School Suggestions for Female Athlete, dual-enrollment student

College Search & Selection
1

Hello: looking to build a list of Engineering schools for my kid to start exploring online. (In 2018-19, we toured some school areas casually while in other states for sports competitions, but haven’t toured schools officially yet.)

Mechanical Engineering is a well-suited interest; kid enjoys practical math and building. Open to other suggestions within the engineering discipline.

Currently in Junior year on Semester system (graduating June 2024 - age 17), CA resident
(female URM but this shouldn’t define the kid)
attempting to finish a dual-enrollment Community College Math Associate’s Degree (concurrent with HS diploma - not many students have done this here, most do APs off-campus at another local school)
Independent Study Public School, small
(APs offered: Bio; Eng Lang/Comp; Eng Lit; Enviro; Euro; German; Psychology; Spanish; APUSH)

Grades have been all As
except for a high B in Calc 3 DE Semester 1 this past fall term (a class the prof said almost no one would get an “A” in)

Math Completed: Integrated Math 1, 2, 3, (all high school); dual-enrollment community college courses: Calc w/ Analytic Geometry 1; 2; 3 (B grade); Linear Algebra; Discrete Mathematics.

Taking Differential Equations this Semester; Elementary Statistics fall 2023. (Spring 2024 choosing between CISC 186 Visual Basic or CISC 187 Data Structures in C++ or CISC 190 Java Programming or CISC 192 C/C++ Programming. Don’t know which is best to suggest.)

English Completed: Grades 9, 10 high school; English 101 de (Semester 1), English 205 de (this Semester - both composition-based). Will do two Literature courses senior year.

Science: Advanced Bio, Chemistry Honors, Physics (Grade 9 high school); Python Programming de; Geography 101 de; Astronomy 101 de (this Semester).

Not able to currently fit AP Bio, or another Chem or Physics class into the schedule (due to sports training and missing labs). Would like to suggest a self-study option for Chem or Physics but don’t know what is best for this.)

Social Science: World History high school; Government de; Economics de; US History 1 de; US History 2 de (summer Semester).

Foreign Language: 2 years French (middle school); finished AP Spanish in Grade 10 (5 on exam)

VAPA: Photography high school; Art History 111 de; Art History 110 de; Engineering Drawing de.

Scheduled AP tests in May: Calc BC; Eng Lang/Comp; Psychology; Art History

No SAT/ACT testing yet
PSAT: 1400 (700/700) NMSC Selection Index 210 (in CA this misses the cut-off)

Over 10 years in chosen sport; nationally-ranked this year after a very long building phase; non-recruitable for schools. Biggest EC by far.

Some volunteer hours over the years, no standard leadership activities thus far due to sports involvement.

Engineering list to look at so far: (applied to the MUDD Wistem program; not sure of any others out there).

In-State: UCSD; UC Irvine; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Likely: ?
Match: ?
Reach: Mudd, MIT, CMU, UMich, Purdue

Although we have a budget in mind, I’d prefer to start with a list of schools to explore and understand possibilities in course selection. Our strategy is to apply widely, keep options open, attempt scholarship applications, then base acceptances on financially-viable options. (The kid is familiar with living within a family budget’s means, whatever they will be in 1.5 years. Not afraid to do some Hail Mary reach applications but understands that these are akin to buying lottery tickets to the PowerBall when it’s over $1Billion USD.)

Would also like to consider out-of-CA-state schools that have Honors programs that might attract a student like my kid.

Looking for any and all suggestions right now. Thanks!

2

The test score won’t matter on CA state schools.

MechE can be done at schools from the ‘high ranked’ to the not so high ranked and as long as they are ABET certified they are good.

Do you want large or small, city, suburb or rural. Lots of factors matter and do you want x$ or y$.

Where you go will matter less career wise than most think.

So figure out what you want in a school and we can go from there.

2 Likes
3

This is the first stage of getting them actively engaged in their application, so I’m hoping for a broad list of engaging engineering schools first. My kid is going to school to learn first and foremost and is coming from such an insanely humble public school that literally any bells/whistles will be fine. Engineering is so busy a program anyway that the kid will bloom where planted.

My kid doesn’t care as much about size of a city as the ability to learn from teachers that teach. This past math semester of teaching one’s self was do-able, but less enjoyable than having teachers that were more engaged in students learning, even if the grading is still tough.

At this stage of tossing out school names, I don’t want to limit my kid’s exploration. Does that help? It’s especially important because my kid doesn’t necessarily “present” as STEM-Y, and that has denied her opportunities in the past.

4

I’d suggest digging deeper into what she wants her experience to be like. HMC, MIT, CMU, Michigan and Purdue are all good programs, but will be very different experiences.

HMC only offers general engineering if that matters.

Our son chose Cal Poly from out of state because he wanted a “typical college experience,” but have small classes with an emphasis on application of theory. Plus, San Luis Obispo is pretty idyllic. His opportunities have been very good since. Feel free to PM with questions.

Once she does the “what do I want” exercise, then posters can help refine a list.

Just tossing out names will create an overwhelming list. I’ve been there and done that. There are over 400 ABET accredited ME programs and many of them are very good.

2 Likes
5

Will all California public universities be affordable for sure? (8 UCs and 13 CSUs have mechanical engineering)

Be careful with Michigan – it is relatively stingy with transfer credit and may require the student to repeat many of the completed college courses. You can check whether completed college courses are likely to be accepted or rejected at https://transfercredit.ugadmiss.umich.edu/ .

3 Likes
6

Let’s see: she is not a competitive math person (doesn’t sit around doing proofs); is more into math for practical purposes. Automotive design, industrial design applications would be good. (She has sewn for charity in the past.) But the possibility of doing math and then a business MBA could suit.

Ultra-small schools aren’t really on the radar unless the program is good (is that Olin, perhaps?); medium-to-large schools are okay. However, super-overcrowded classes aren’t a draw unless absolutely necessary. Open to any state.

7

California tuition should be affordable; will supplement work to do so, and our kid will contribute with summer work.

8

Then she really needs to look into class size at any public she considers. Engineering is, to no surprise, math & science intensive. As a lower division student she will be taking the intro classes in those areas (at least the ones she hasn’t placed out of). For UC schools they typically have 200-400 students per class. You can look at the Schedule of Classes online for many colleges such as UCI and look up class size.

As others have said, any ABET program will do a fine job of teaching engineering. There may be some twists here or there that may be worth looking for when making a final decision. But I’d start by focusing on fit along the lines of what @tsbna44 suggested.

1 Like
9

Looks like the student could place out of all lower level math courses for engineering majors if the college accepts then ones taken for subject credit (UCs and CSUs very likely – see http://www.assist.org ; Michigan more problematic as noted above).

However, it does not look like the student will have transferable courses or AP credit for chemistry or physics, so those will have to be taken at the college matriculated to.

1 Like
10

Funny that you brought up Olin. When I read your post Olin popped into my head. A friend’s daughter is a senior there and she has had a wonderful experience (Covid and all!). She is also an athlete and continues to play her sport (but not competitively).

Another thing that stood out in your post, other than your daughter’s great potential, is the lack of Physics and higher level Chemistry. As an applicant to Engineering (particularly Mechanical Engineering) I think that might weaken her otherwise strong application. Just something to be aware of. I would suggest she take a calculus-based physics class and either AP chemistry or DE Chemistry. Just an idea.

1 Like
11

Yep, large 300-500 student classes was her other parent’s experience back in the day at a large engineering school, within a very large university. Not much choice in CA on that matter, so it’s a “learn to deal with it” situation that will just have to be handled with TAs, study groups and office hours.

General thoughts on school vibe: co-ed school preferred; decent dorms that aren’t moldy; not planning on participating in Greek life; greatly prefers hockey games to football/baseball but not really planning on attending on all that many; decent gym facilities (but not deluxe/over-equipped necessary); near an ice rink would be great; not a skier; open to practical clubs (building/creating); decent food options that are flexible; not necessarily planning on studying abroad but open to it; will work/intern in some fashion during summers and perhaps later on during school terms depending on how grades/club experiences go.

Location should ideally be accessible enough to withstand weather commuting craziness (ie. not in the middle of nowhere, unless it’s a great program); urban schools with recent student attacks are not high on the list; no particularly restrictive rules for students; ABET-accredited and well-regarded academically (really, a given); interesting internship opportunities.

Narrowing things down here.

12

Alabama has the STEM to MBA although I believe in work experience b4 grad school.

The south is now auto country.

You have schools like Kettering that are traditionally auto focused.
There are schools with ecoCAR teams and Formula SAE teams.

It’s what @eyemgh said - you can have a list of hundreds of schools. What weather. Sport, no sports? Greek ? Specialized like an RHIT (ok likely too small) Or RPI or flagship with Honors which doesn’t mean most classes will be Honors btw?

Have you taken your student to local campuses ? Go to a small, a mid size, a large. Go to one in a city, in the boonies etc.

They don’t need to offer engineering. See if she has a comfort for one or disdain for another.

And yes we need the GPA and yes you need a budget because if you don’t qualify for need aid and want to spend $25k a year the list will look different than if you want to spend $50k a year.

At this point your request is basically every ABET school for MECHE in America short of small ones and you can simply download that list. Most schools will have mold less dorms…I hope. They may cost more !!

Ps - if she’s not a math person she’s likely going to be one of the 40-60% that don’t finish in engineering.

PPS - I work in automotive. Designers that I’m
aware of are creative types, not engineers.

PPPS - internships and co ops will depend on the kid far moreso than the school. They have to want it and to go get it. Sure it’ll be easier at Ga Tech than Iowa State but the kid’s hustle will still be integral.

2 Likes
13

Yeah, need to try and find an online option for Chemistry or Physics if possible, then schedule the AP test next May to verify course content mastery on the transcript.

14

This is a good list to start. But many also offer Formula SAE in addition. UCR and UCD are on the list. Alabama, Ms State, and WVU could also be good financially. Bama has the Randall Research and Blount Honors for smaller Honors cohorts.

I would think if your student isn’t strong at math a bigger school might be better bcuz it’s a strong possibility their major will change. Good luck.

1 Like
15

We have seen UDel, MIT, Harvard, UCSD, and a local community college in the past. MIT’s architecture wasn’t deemed the most attractive but in a case like that, the school coursework and experience counts for way more than the architecture.

The south is now auto country? Definitely intriguing and would like to hear more.

GPA was 4.0 - 4.75 until the B last semester, so hard to say what it is now.

Prefer to spend closer to $25k a year, but willing to entertain $50k if the program is a good fit with solid ROI for employment (I know it’s hard to predict hiring trends but within reason).

Kid is enough of a math person to be striving to get her Associate’s Degree in Math. But she tried math competitions and they weren’t her interest - nor was pure proof-based math. She is more into math and using it for physics and industrial design.

As far as being a designer, yes, they are creative types. So is my kid. Designs in fiber arts, and their sport is also creatively judged and artistic; kid just had an excellent season that will be wrapping up soon. I’d like to think that a designer with a strong foundation in math can industrial design a more aerodynamic curve in a vehicle, for example. (My kid trains over 20 hours a week in no-nonsense conditions in a very technical sport, then has to compete artistically in full costume in high-pressure conditions. Even if this has no obvious translation to engineering, it does help in school/work success - discipline, creativity, less fear of taking risks or failure, etc.)

Internships definitely are about “go-getters.” I had a dream internship myself between second and third year university simply by sending out a ton of mailers with my CV. Landed one all by myself at a top option at the time. Will encourage the kid to do the same outside of whatever the school suggests.

Again, if I wasn’t clear - my kid enjoys math, but didn’t enjoy math competitions or proofs. Sorry for any confusion.

16

A student who will complete calculus, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, discrete math, and differential equations in college before high school graduation is unlikely to find math to be a barrier to an engineering degree.

Not being into proofs and theory would suggest that the student is not going into pure math, but engineering work is mostly not that.

5 Likes
17

St. Louis University. Friends daughter is graduating there in Mech E and has loved it. She is headed to grad school in fall with full tuition paid and a stipend/salary for working in the lab.

1 Like
18

I was simply commenting on what OP said. Don’t forget, many kids struggle with the same college math they passed in hs years. I agree that OP kid on paper is far ahead…with computer programming too. But Engineering is hard, intense.

Meant to Include this list b4. If design is an interest.

2 Likes
19

Not a problem. Thanks so much for the links! Really hoping to get suggestions that we might miss if someone didn’t have personal anecdotes to share, like @2plustrio’s.

1 Like
20

@thealternative Another draw for SLU for my friends daughter was that she could go to SLU Madrid and stay on course with graduation for mech E (with a minor in Spanish).

2 Likes