<p>Electrical/Computer Engineering has caught my eye for a while now. I live near Philadelphia. Med (slight tendency to low?) income family. Federal aid is a no-go. Instate tuition is likely but not guaranteed (don't ask ugh). Commuting from home would save a lot on housing. I've got a car so if that opens some further commuting possibilities..? On campus living is an open discussion though!</p>
<p>Just trying to get the best for the money...</p>
<p>1900 SAT (1270 M+CR)
3.7 UW GPA
not a lot of honors/AP in my early HS days. By the time I got to my senses it was kind of too late to make a huge bump. 2 "easy" APs right now, 1 hnrs. Not exactly too impressing. But at least now it's pretty fun and I like the challenge!</p>
<p>Visited 2 schools so far... I should probably check out a lot more :\
- Drexel. Really easy commute, and it's a school that has a huge public focus on engineering... but I really didn't like it. Prior, I thought it would be great. Maybe I was setting my expectations too high? The tour was horrible. They made the school seem too easy. I had a bad vibe with all the administrative/professor presenters. It felt all gimmicky. Plus side is that I am a huge fan of the idea of the co-op program. Seems really applicable to getting a jump start on a career. Not not crazy about paying 5 yrs of private tuition though lol.
Temple was actually really nice. I went there just to check it out. But.. I would automatically qualify for a decent merit aid (a better one with 30 more M+CR points!). A big middle finger to me since their engineering program is almost nonexistant I hear.</p>
<p>Any suggestions? Currently looking into Penn.</p>
<p>If you are planning to commute to college then you’re perhaps setting too high a standard for the vibe at Drexel, or perhaps admissions had a bad day when you visited. Drexel is well regarded as a mid-level university. The computer science program at Drexel is very good and through ongoing investment by Drexel it continues to improve. I encourage you to revisit. But this time attend 3-4 classes. My sense is that you won’t find them “too” easy.</p>
<p>Given your stats Penn is a very high reach for you. You may want to attend a class or two there to see whether or not you’ll thrive there. The Penn Engineering program is very rigorous, and for many quite difficult.</p>
<p>Although Temple may not have the best engineering program in the Philadelphia area, its civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs, as well as some engineering technology programs are ABET accredited (check the ABET website).</p>
<p>OP, with your stats, I think Penn is highly unlikely. </p>
<p>Drexel is VERY expensive unless you get lucky with merit money, but their engineering grads do VERY well. My niece graduated with a degree in computer science and has done very well for herself. Nonetheless, I, too, would recommend Temple. I had a friend in high school who was rejected from Penn and ended up at Temple, where he studied electrical engineering; he had a job the day he graduated and has been gainfully employed for 35 years with no interruptions. And Temple is a much better school today than it was when I was a student. Don’t be discouraged!</p>
<p>[mom2collegekids, it sounds like OP may have undocumented status.]</p>
<p>Oops, I meant Penn State, not Penn as in UPenn.*</p>
<p>The commute I think is more of a financial issue… but if I can get anything decent from an ~ok~ further school I’m all for it. My parents actually want me to have a full college experience like they did, but I really want to keep the costs conservative.</p>
<p>Some google searches later, I think I’m going to revisit Drexel. “Easy” wasn’t a good word for me to use, but I felt that the presenters at Drexel did a VERY VERY light touch on academics and just jumped into the “fun” stuff. It all just didn’t seem serious to me…</p>
<p>Currently looking into PSU, PSU Brandywine 2yr branch to main campus, Pitt, Drexel, and 2yr CC to Drexel transfer. I can offset some cost if I do 2 years commuting and then transfer.</p>
<p>D (in HS now) did an engineering program at Temple this past summer, from what I saw the facilities were very nice. You already qualify for some merit, if you can bring the SAT up as you say, then more:</p>
<p>When you revisit, see if you can talk to some professors to learn more about why their program would be good for you. Remember that admissions presentations tend to focus on selling the school to teenagers, and sadly, many of them focus on superficial things. Also delve more deeply into the engineering department’s website and course catalog. Do they have engineering specific tours? Those are great for giving a different perspective.</p>
<p>OP, sounds like you have a very reasonable–and wise–game plan. PSU is a great school for engineering but is TERRIBLE re financial aid. I actually live within a few miles of their Brandywine campus, so if that’s a viable option, that might be a really good way to go. Check out some of the PASSHE schools too; I believe some (Bloomsburg possibly?) also offer engineering. Because these schools get more funding from the state than PSU, Temple and Pitt, they may be more affordable options. Good luck!</p>
<p>What do you mean by “federal aid is a no-go”? </p>
<p>Are you an int’l student? </p>
<p>The commute I think is more of a financial issue… but if I can get anything decent from an ~ok~ further school I’m all for it. My parents actually want me to have a full college experience like they did, but I really want to keep the costs conservative.</p>
<p>How much are your parents willing to spend each year?</p>