Engineering schools - how's our list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>First off, thanks for all the help you've given me as a lurker . . . if it weren't for this site, we would have never known about the PSAT/NMS or the University of Alabama scholarship and much, much more. I only wish I would have started reading sooner! </p>

<p>My S is a Junior and we're trying to come up with a list of schools so we can start making visits over the next year. His dream would be a school like MIT, but he's practical, so $35K+/year IF he could get in (based on the calculators) at MIT vs. $6K+/year at Bama is a no brainer assuming he'd be in an honors program and living with other serious students. He's a very easy-going kid-- I really can't see him being unhappy anywhere. He's spent time at Ohio State, University of Michigan, and the Naval Academy, plus he's been to local schools like Kent State, U of Akron, Oberlin, and Walsh. He's also seen Johns Hopkins. The most I can get from him is that the Naval Academy is the nicest campus, he liked Ohio State's campus better than Michigan's, he loved being surrounded by other brainiacs at U of M, he loved the cultural diversity at MITE, and he'd prefer warm weather but not a deal-breaker. He's interested in Physics/Engineering/Computer Science -- a good school that offers a foundation for grad school acceptance and/or heavy recruitment. We'd like to find a list of schools that could potentially offer full tuition+. </p>

<p>His stats so far:
GPA: 3.9uw/4.12w (on at 95% scale -- he'd be a 4.0 uw at neighboring schools) --the most difficult schedule offered, with the exception of Honors English which never seems to fit (9th: English I, H Geometry, H Physical Sci, World History, ArtI, Gym, Spanish; 10th: English II, H Algebra II, H Biology, APUSH, Art II, Health, Spanish II; 11th: English III, H/College credit Pre-Cal, AP Physics, H Chemistry, AP Euro, College Credit Computer Sci, AP/College credit Art History; 12th: AP English IV, AP Calc, AP Chem, H Econ/H Government, AP Computer Sci, Art III or Spanish III)
Rank: Top 5%
ACT: 32c (33m/33s/31r/29e) taken mid-sophmore year (the only study he did was the one practice book test) -- PLAN predicted 32-35, so I'm assuming he'll do better later this year if he does a little prep -- he said who/whom killed him on English lol
AP's: APUSH (5) -the only one offered to sophs (none offered to freshman)
SAT: decided to take only if he does well on PSAT . . . he's only taken the one online practice SAT and got around 2100 -- hopefully he'll improve by Oct PSAT; he'll likely take Physics and Math II SAT IIs this May to piggyback off AP studying
ECs so far: 2 years Varsity Swimteam; 6 years YMCA swimteam; 6 years YMCA Teen Community service group (projects like Habitat for Humanity, Hammer and Nails, Special Olympics, Human Society, Akron Childrens Hospital, Park clean-ups, etc.); School Mentor; he's planning on NHS; he's also planning on peer tutoring when swim is over; no math or science clubs at the school, but he'd like to get one started although he's spread thin as it is
Work: 8-12hrs/week at YMCA as teen room monitor; will also lifeguard at some point
Summers: 2011 STEM at the Naval Academy; 2011 MITE at University of Michigan; will be applying to other science programs/research internships for summer 2012
Other: He's not URM or first generation</p>

<p>From reading these forums, these are the schools that seem to have real potential for tuition+, especially for NMS (really crossing fingers for that one):
-University of Alabama - full tuition, plus $2500 engineering scholarship for his ACT score; more for NMS
-Texas A&M (concerned that only 3% are OOS though)
-University of Minnesota
-Arizona State
-Auburn
-Northeastern
-University of Pittsburgh
-Clemson</p>

<p>So my questions . . .
First, are we on target with the schools listed above, or have financials changed and they're no longer as generous? Which other good engineering schools are we missing that are known for full tuition+ for his stats or NMS?</p>

<p>Secondly, which are some possible reach schools that offer a good number of competitive scholarships (not need-based and not just 1-2 for Siemens winners) for which he would be a contender? (ie, Georgia Tech - low odds, but possible to get full ride) . . . we'd like to add a few of those. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!</p>

2

<p>Wash U in St. Louis
<strong>Lehigh</strong>
JHU
Caltech
Columbia (Fu School)</p>

3

<p>^ none of the above offer the full ride the OP seeks.</p>

<p>What are the asterisks for with Lehigh?</p>

4

<p>*Which other good engineering schools are we missing that are known for full tuition+ for his stats or NMS?</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I don’t think he’d get “full tuition” at Clemson…Clemson would likely give him a scholarship that would mean that you would end up paying the same as instate COA…about $26k per year is the instate COA…so he wouldn’t pay the higher OOS COA.</p>

<p>========================</p>

<p>Auburn has changed its scholarship…even for NMFs…</p>

<p>For an ACT 32, he’d get …</p>

<p>Heritage Scholarship </p>

<p>Requires a 31-33 ACT or 1360-1480 SAT score and a minimum 3.5 high school GPA for consideration.<br>
Awarded at $40,000 over four years ($10,000 per year). </p>

<p>So, the above is now only for Half-Tuition…so COA would be about $26k per year.</p>

<p>Auburn’s NMF scholarship has also changed…</p>

<p>For OOS it is now competitive…and no longer full tuition…it’s now 2/3 tuition…and you have to pay a 1300 per year upcharge to be in the honors dorms. </p>

<p>=======================</p>

<p>You’ll need to check ASU, they have changed their scholarships several times…not sure what they are giving out these days. </p>

<p>===============</p>

<p>If your son does make NMF, then Bama would still give him the 2500 per year on top of the NMF scholarship…that’s a great deal. And, as you mentioned, he already qualifies for the free tuition and 2500 per year. </p>

<p>Good luck on future tests… Who and whom are tricky…so are idioms…</p>

5

<p>My daughter has a full tuition OOS scholarship to Pitt and a $4000/year engineering departmental scholarship. From what I’ve been told, you really need a minimum of 33 on the ACT to be eligible for those (they only look at the Math and English sections of the ACT) or a 1450 SAT. Remember those are minimums - many people with those stats were only offered the $10,000 OOS scholarships, not the full-tuition scholarships. I would have your son retake the ACT and shoot for a higher score if he’s at all interested in attending Pitt on a full scholarship.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the replies!</p>

<p>@southmom . . . he will definitely be testing again; in fact, he needs to since he never took the writing. He only took it as a mid-sophmore so he could take college credit classes this year, and they didn’t require writing. I’m assuming he’ll do better when he takes it “for real”, now that he’s had trig, and knows the difference between who and whom. :slight_smile: I understand Pitt isn’t a sure thing, but am I wrong in thinking that they are a real possibility (not a real long shot)?</p>

<p>@mom2ck . . . I suspected the packages would be getting smaller, as state budgets decrease. I’m hoping Alabama doesn’t follow suit, in the next year at least! So how many kids have you “recruited”? . . . I’m certain I learned UA’s generous aid from one of your past threads! S is very excited to visit Tuscaloosa (as am I) . . . I’m thinking of taking him when we’re waist deep in snow here!</p>

<p>@shimmer . . . are those schools that have a large number of full tuition+ scholarships (competitive)?</p>

7

<p>It’s going to be hard to get into but there’s always the possibility of being selected to the National Scholars Program at Clemson ([Selection</a> Criteria : Clemson University](<a href=“http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/national-scholars/selection/index.html]Selection”>http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/national-scholars/selection/index.html)) though it does say that usually people selected were valedictorians and had an ACT of 34 (full tuition scholarship, basically everything is paid for, even a laptop and study abroad experience).</p>

<p>Otherwise, you’ll definitely get in-state tuition from Clemson and I think you’ll get a smaller scholarship as well in addition because of your son’s excellent stats. The Calhoun Honors College is fantastic at Clemson so even though you most likely will have to pay some tuition to Clemson, I think it’s still worth it!</p>

<p>Definitely let me know if you have any questions about Clemson!</p>

8

<p>Do you know how many of those full ride scholarships Clemson gives? </p>

<p>“•between 2000 and 2009, the nearly 400 finalists for the NSP have presented an average SAT of 1500 (verbal/critical reading and math) or an average ACT of 34, and a class rank in the top 1% (47% were ranked #1 in their high school class);”</p>

<p>It looks like 40 finalists are selected each year from a large number of qualified applicants. Then the 40 go to an interview weekend, and then some are selected. Do you know how many are selected each year? </p>

<p>Selection to the NSP is highly competitive. A successful candidate will present, through his or her written record, personal interview and participation in other National Scholars Weekend activities:</p>

<p>•a documented record of academic excellence, as reflected in SAT or ACT scores and the high school transcript,
•between 2000 and 2009, the nearly 400 finalists for the NSP have presented an average SAT of 1500 (verbal/critical reading and math) or an average ACT of 34, and a class rank in the top 1% (47% were ranked #1 in their high school class);
•a documented record of intellectual curiosity and engagement;
•a detailed record of the depth and significance of his or her most meaningful extra- and co-curricular activities, including leadership, service and research experiences;
•meaningful and thoughtful responses to essay and interview questions;
•outstanding and detailed letters of recommendation.
Due to the small size of the National Scholars Program, the selection committee must make difficult choices from among many highly qualified candidates at both the Finalist and Scholar stages of the process.</p>

9

<p>not many, looks like 8-10 are selected every year so it’s very competitive.</p>

10

<p>Clemson still has it National Scholars Program. It is an exceptional opportunity for any student that is fortunate enough to be selected. It is highly competitive. Check out their website for more info
[More</a> Than Just a Scholarship : Clemson University](<a href=“http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/national-scholars/]More”>National Scholars Program)</p>

11

<p>Very reachy, but if he decides that he is set on mechanical engineering, he can apply for the full ride Drake Scholarship at Berkeley. If he wants biomedical, civil, electrical and computer, or mechanical engineering, he can apply for the full ride Robertson Scholarship at Duke (or UNC-CH, but UNC-CH does not have engineering, although it does have CS).</p>

<p>But he’ll want safeties, like Alabama with Presidential Scholarship + engineering extra scholarship and UAB with Blazer Elite Scholarship. How is Ohio State in-state net cost looking?</p>

<p>Cooper Union gives every student a full tuition scholarship, but living expenses in NYC are around $20,000 per year (there may be additional financial aid).</p>

<p>USNA? A perfect fit for a student who wants to be an officer in the Navy; completely inappropriate otherwise.</p>

12

<p>I’m from Ohio too and I’m looking at University of Dayton. Its a catholic private school.The campus is super nice and the kids are really friendly. Full tuition would probably happen, but they give ridiculous amounts of merit aid, and based on the stats he could get a lot of money to really cut the cost down of private school down. Granted it may not end up being as cheap as you would like since it is private, but it is worth a look into. Plus he’s guaranteed admission to the honors college.</p>

13

<p>Thanks for all the replies. I missed most of them! </p>

<p>@ucbalumnus - Ohio State isn’t known for giving much aid. There are a handful of Ohio engineering schools that he could probably get full tuition+ from (OU, Cleveland State, Akron, Cinncinnati?), but none are schools that S would choose over Alabama. S is really loving Physics this year and the applications to mechanical engineering, but I still think he’s leaning toward CS. I’ve read the bios for the kids that were selected for the Robertson Scholarship – I would put them in the superhuman category!</p>

<p>S was at the Naval Academy this summer for an intro to engineering program. He loved the Academy and the kids/midshipmen. He felt like it was a good academic fit, but felt a little inferior athletically. He listened to them screaming at the rising seniors every morning to get out of bed, yet he still came home thinking that he would apply. However, after being at UMich for a month and having a lot of freedom, he decided the military academies weren’t for him!</p>

14

<p>oops didn’t reply to this but the National Scholars Program at Clemson is very competitive, only about 8 people per year. I do know in the past Clemson has given out scholarships for National Merit Finalists but how much I do not know (may be a question to ask admissions and financial aid).</p>

<p>Here’s an overview (doesn’t include all scholarships) of how Clemson distributes scholarships: <a href=“Office of Student Financial Aid | Clemson University”>Office of Student Financial Aid | Clemson University;

15

<p>*@mom2ck . . . I suspected the packages would be getting smaller, as state budgets decrease. I’m hoping Alabama doesn’t follow suit, in the next year at least! So how many kids have you “recruited”? . . . I’m certain I learned UA’s generous aid from one of your past threads! S is very excited to visit Tuscaloosa (as am I) . . . I’m thinking of taking him when we’re waist deep in snow here!</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>I think I cost the university millions of dollars every year…but they seem to be fine with that. ha ha.</p>

<p>Anyway…from what I’ve heard, Bama will be continuing its generous scholarships for at least a few more years. It has the donors/funding in place to cover the costs. Bama enrolled 182 frosh NMFs and 30 NAs…this last fall…new records for both. :slight_smile: Bama does NOT have the money issues that some other schools are facing. </p>

<p>When it comes time to visit Bama, do this…</p>

<p>Set up a campus tour time online…try for the early morning one on a WEEK DAY that is not a Bama holiday. The faculty and profs are not on campus on weekends or holidays, so coming on those days are not advised if you’re interested in meeting with some dept heads and such.</p>

<p>If time is precious, only set up the campus tour and not the info session. The info at the info session can easily be found on the Bama forum (or by asking in a thread). If time is precious, then by only scheduling the campus tour, that will give Allison more time to schedule meetings with faculty and such earlier in the day.<br>
[Campus</a> Visits - Undergraduate Admissions - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://gobama.ua.edu/visits/]Campus”>Visit)</p>

<p>send an email to Allison Verhine in the Honors College </p>

<p>In the email, include:</p>

<p>tour time and date
student name & contact info
test scores and GPA
(if a likely NMF, indicate so)
intended major
professional interests (pre-med, pre-law, pre-dental, etc)
interest in Computer Based Honors program and/or University Fellows Program (if desired)
Also, include any thing else that interests you about the school…such as touring the new Science and Engineering Complex and Shelby Hall. </p>

<p>Allison will arrange the rest of the day…meeting with dept heads, honors faculty, touring honors dorms, etc.</p>

<p>Allison Verhine - Honor College Recruitment Coordinator
269 Nott Hall
205-348-5534
<a href=“mailto:allison.verhine@ua.edu”>allison.verhine@ua.edu</a></p>

<p>Special Note!
Allison works very hard on these arrangements and often “hits the ground running” everyday meeting with prospective students/families, so it may take her a few days to respond. However, if you don’t get a response within a few days, resend AND call her. Sometimes mail goes to her SPAM folder and she doesn’t see it.</p>

<p>This is a video about College of Arts and Sciences…It does show a bit of Phase I of the new mega-sized Science and Engineering Complex. When you see the Shelby building, that’s Phase I. There are 4 phases. The first 3 are complete. The 4th phase completes in about 16 months.</p>

<p>[The</a> University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences “This is How College is Meant to Be” - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>

<p>and, here’s the link to the Honors College.</p>

<p>[Honors</a> College - Home](<a href=“http://honors.ua.edu/]Honors”>http://honors.ua.edu/)</p>

<p>Here’s a thread about the 4 very different programs in the Honors College.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/804961-honors-colleges-4-different-programs-app-process.html?highlight=honors[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/804961-honors-colleges-4-different-programs-app-process.html?highlight=honors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Look at some of the other http:theaitu.org schools (besides MIT). There are often some very good scholarships available. At my school, Illinois Tech, there are the Camras and Duchossois Scholarships </p>

<p>[IIT</a> Undergraduate Admission | Camras Scholars Program](<a href=“http://www.iit.edu/undergrad_admission/apply/camras.shtml]IIT”>http://www.iit.edu/undergrad_admission/apply/camras.shtml)</p>

<p>[IIT</a> Undergraduate Admission | The Duchossois Leadership Scholars Program](<a href=“http://www.iit.edu/undergrad_admission/apply/duchossois.shtml]IIT”>http://www.iit.edu/undergrad_admission/apply/duchossois.shtml)</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

17

<p>Univ of FL has a great engineering dept and not big $$ OOS </p>

<p>Union, RPI offer good FA and excellent engineering</p>

<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC App</p>