<p>Hey CC people! My parents have really been pushing me for the past few days to maybe add one or two HIGH reaches to my list (they feel like I won't have the real college experience if I'm not denied somewhere). The issue is most "higher" engineering schools have a requirement for two SAT II (I only have 1) or I'm just turned off by the location and the size of the school (not looking for a large school at all). Anyone have any recommendations for additions?</p>
<p>GPA - 3.56/4
SAT - 2020 (740m 630cr 650w)
SAT II - Math 2 - 740</p>
<p>EC - Strong
Recommendations - Great
Essays - Pretty generic</p>
<p>Current College list</p>
<p>Lafayette
Bucknell
Syracuse
Case Western
BU
Union
Rutgers - Admitted </p>
<p>I'm really looking for a small school in a "liberal arty" environment that has a great engineering program. At one point I was thinking of adding Swarthmore or Washington U but they seem more like unrealistic reaches than high reaches.</p>
<p>The issue is most “higher” engineering schools have a requirement for two SAT II (I only have 1) or I’m just turned off by the location and the size of the school (not looking for a large school at all).</p>
<p>Does RPI require 2 SATIIs???</p>
<p>What locations turn you off (so we don’t recommend similar locations).</p>
<p>What turns you off about larger schools. Larger schools have a LOT of pluses - INCLUDING the likelyhood of having more than one prof teaching the same course. This can be a LIFESAVER if you don’t like one prof; you can take the other prof. At smaller schools, if there is a prof you hate, you’re stuck taking him for any required classes that he teaches. That can be a fate worse than death. LOL</p>
<p>Also, larger schools often have more eating venues, better recreation facilities, more housing choices, etc. Larger schools can often offer more “creature comforts” that can make your 4 years more enjoyable. :)</p>
<p>BTW…is money no object? Can your parents pay for any school? If so, that can give you a big edge at “need aware” schools like Villanova.</p>
<p>Are you only interested in NE schools? What about the West?? What about USC?</p>
<p>“What locations turn you off (so we don’t recommend similar locations).”</p>
<p>Well… it more smaller superficial things I’m talking about. Like I visited Lehigh and hated that the campus was on a hill.</p>
<p>What turns you off about larger schools.</p>
<p>It’s nothing really specific…</p>
<p>I just don’t want to be lost in the shuffle of a larger school. My HS right now is pretty small and I feel like at a smaller college I’ll be more socially and academical comfortable. </p>
<p>… I’ll look into any school posted in this thread though… (so if you got any large schools that look like a good reach based off my stats… throw em at me!)</p>
<p>“BTW…is money no object? Can your parents pay for any school?”</p>
<p>Money is not an issue… no financial aid will be needed!</p>
<p>Are you only interested in NE schools? What about the West?? What about USC?</p>
<p>I’m open to the west! I think my list just naturally gravitated towards the north east because I live in NJ.</p>
<p>I was actually thinking about adding USC to my list a few days ago.</p>
<p>@ ghostbuster -</p>
<p>I visited Lehigh a few months back, but as I said above the campus was a turn off… maybe I’ll add it back on</p>
<p>cornell might be a super reach for you, but I think with reallyyyy good essays/recs you might have a shot its engineering program is reallyyy good, from what i hear</p>
<p>*I just don’t want to be lost in the shuffle of a larger school. My HS right now is pretty small and I feel like at a smaller college I’ll be more socially and academical comfortable. *</p>
<p>Ahh…I understand…Consider this…both of my kids went to a small Catholic high school (less than 400 kids), so I can understand your apprehensions. However, my kids don’t feel “lost” at their big school (about 28,000 students).</p>
<p>Most large schools have “ice breaker” activities that happen the week before classes begin to orient yourself to the campus, meet new friends, etc. These weeks are often called Week of Welcome or some other name. It’s a time to attend all kinds of fun activities that really make you feel “at home” before classes start. :)</p>
<p>Also, many colleges are laid out in a “clumping” way - so all the science/engineering classes are in one area of campus - to prevent a lot of schlepping across campus. Also, many larger schools designate certain dorms for engineers, or honors kids, or whatever to further “shrink” the school. </p>
<p>Furthermore…schools with Honors Colleges also help give that “small school in a big school” feel. Honors classes are often smaller.</p>
<p>My kids have been invited to their profs homes for dinner, parties, etc. So, it can depend on the school. :)</p>
<p>If you’ll consider some bigger schools, then…</p>
<p>Santa Clara (not big, but a reach)
U Mich
U Ill Urbana Champaign
Johns Hopkins
Duke
USC (already mentioned)
Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Also, many colleges are laid out in a “clumping” way - so all the science/engineering classes are in one area of campus - to prevent a lot of schlepping across campus. Also, many larger schools designate certain dorms for engineers, or honors kids, or whatever to further “shrink” the school.</p>
<h2>That’s another problem I have with larger schools though. I want the opportunity to socialize with people other than those who are in the engineering program. My “interests” are more diverse than simple math and science… and while I’m sure you can argue that a large school would have more diversity in the academic interests of the students, there just would not be the same type of interaction that would occur at a smaller school.</h2>
<p>Anyways… now I’m considering adding about two of the following reach schools now:
USC
UPenn (triple legacy)
Northwestern
Duke
(would WashU or Swarthmore make sense?)
I would add John Hopkins (got a legacy there too) but their engineering program requires two SAT II :(</p>
<p>Any other recommendations would be nice… I got to finalize this list tonight if I’m gonna have time to tackle those supplements!</p>
<p>I think UPenn, Duke, and NW are all going to be reaches for you because of your GPA. If you can afford the application fees, then by all means, go for it. But I think you should also realize that your chances of getting into them are small, because they’re hiighly competitive schools.</p>
<p>“I think UPenn, Duke, and NW are all going to be reaches for you because of your GPA. If you can afford the application fees, then by all means, go for it. But I think you should also realize that your chances of getting into them are small, because they’re hiighly competitive schools.”</p>
<p>I completely understand this… I don’t expect to get into any of the schools in this thread… there’s a reason why I asked for **reaches<a href=“applying%20to%20one%20or%20two%20of%20them%20can’t%20hurt…”>/b</a></p>
<p>My apologies if anyone has already addressed this issue, but I’d like to point out that assuming you don’t want to retake your SAT I in January, most colleges with Jan 1 deadlines will still accept a score mailed to them directly from the January SAT test date. In other words, if you want to apply to a school requiring two or three SAT II tests, then you could still sign up for whatever tests you need to take in January, and send them directly to the college(s) you applied to that need them.</p>
<p>So, don’t let that be a factor in your decision, unless you feel unprepared to do well on the other test(s).</p>
<p>^^ … unless you feel unprepared to do well on the other test(s).</p>
<p>Bingo! Math II was the only subject test I really felt confident about… Science would be an obvious SAT II to take for engineering, but my HS hasn’t exposed me to enough knowledge to perform well on those tests…</p>
<p>I did take the ACT in December though and should have the scores within the next few days… (kind of annoying that that will be after most deadlines have pasted)</p>
<p>*My quote: Also, many colleges are laid out in a “clumping” way - so all the science/engineering classes are in one area of campus - to prevent a lot of schlepping across campus. Also, many larger schools designate certain dorms for engineers, or honors kids, or whatever to further “shrink” the school.</p>
<p>OP quote: That’s another problem I have with larger schools though. I want the opportunity to socialize with people other than those who are in the engineering program. My “interests” are more diverse than simple math and science… and while I’m sure you can argue that a large school would have more diversity in the academic interests of the students, there just would not be the same type of interaction that would occur at a smaller school.*</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to imply that larger schools FORCE anyone to be housed with those in their major. I don’t think any schools do that. What I meant is that many larger schools offer that as a CHOICE. My kids are in mixed dorms - kids have all majors and co-ed. But, if they WANTED, they could choose an engineering dorm or a German dorm or whatever. :)</p>
<p>Once a person is in upper division (300/400 level) classes, they will mostly only be with students in their majors - no matter where they go to school. A French Lit major is not likely going to find Math or Biology majors in her upper division classes. However, during the first 2 years, students are usually taking “core curriculum/general ed” classes. In those classes, you’ll find a mix of everyone. :)</p>
<p>Before you completely write off larger schools, I encourage you to go on a few campus tours. You’ll see that not all of them are overwhelming. Although, I’ll grant you that some can be overwhelming because they weren’t planned out very well - but that can also be the case with some smaller schools. lol</p>
At smaller schools, if there is a prof you hate, you’re stuck taking him for any required classes that he teaches. 
That can be a fate worse than death. LOL</p>
However, during the first 2 years, students are usually taking “core curriculum/general ed” classes. In those classes, you’ll find a mix of everyone. :)</p>