<p>Ok so im a current high school junior who is looking at colleges with strong engineering programs, aerospace or mechanical. Right now I have VTech, UC Boulder, and Colorado School of Mines but they all seem more like safety schools for me. I was wondering what other colleges there are that may be a good fit or even a reach: here are my stats:</p>
<p>SAT (this was after little to no studying and Im taking it again in may with more studying: goal score is high 700s for math and around 700 for the other 2 give or take 20) </p>
<p>Am also taking Math 2 and Physics subject tests next fall</p>
<p>Varsity Track, Indoor track, and Cross country athlete (ive qualified multiple times for Penn Relays and Nationals)</p>
<p>2nd place at science Olympiad states in an individual event and also 3 all region performances(the events I primarily do are engineering related if that matters)</p>
<p>9 APs by graduation; passing all of them with most being a 4 or 5</p>
<p>a lot of volunteer hours with a local youth track league I used to be a part of where I was named one of the most influential people in the past 50 years</p>
<p>National Honor Society Member</p>
<p>Also will have killer Teacher recommendations and decent essays(not super amazing but pretty darn good)</p>
<p>So what would be other colleges that I could apply to as matches and maybe reaches? Vanderbilt? Cornell? Duke? </p>
<p>price isnt a big issue right now. My parents are willing to pay if the college is truly worth it(something special or unique opportunities). VTech is in state for me so its really cheap relatively and I am also pretty pleased with it. Im trying to find a list of other options that may be acceptable and there’s always a chance I get money for something. </p>
<p>the main focus here is just to find a college with an outdoorsy feel and good engineering program, please just ignore all other factors for now, I know the money is important but I need to look at what the options are without the financial restriction as a sort of comparison to cheaper schools.</p>
<p>a college that is close to mountains or trails for activities such as hiking, running, and skiing. Where a lot of students will go to the mountains are weekends every now and then. </p>
<p>Cornell and Stanford come to mind, but they’re probably not worth the extra money over VT. Save that money for grad school or starting your adult life. You should consider yourself lucky. You have a premium engineering school that meets all your criteria at in-state pricing. Why look elsewhere? You may consider it a safety, and it probably is, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an excellent choice.</p>
<p>Granted, this would be considered a safety for you, but Embry-Riddle Prescott should definitely be on your short list. The outdoor vibe there is simply phenomenal, with excellent weather year-round, beautiful scenery, and some of the best hiking/biking/climbing terrain in the US (not to mention skiing/snowboarding nearby, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, etc. etc…).</p>
<p>I agree with Chardo. VT is a good match for you. There are plenty of kids there in engineering with 1350+ SAT’s. Every year there are instate students , especially from northern Virginia, that don’t get into UVa or VT’s engineering school, despite good grades and SAT’s. Of course, if you can get merit elswehere or have a low EFC,go for it.</p>
<p>You might consider Harvey Mudd College - even though it’s close to LA, it’s also right at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. My DH graduated from Mudd (went on to get a PhD in Physics at Caltech) and ran XC/Track (good DIII program that is easy to manage with school). We were constantly running/hiking up Mt. Baldy. We now live 5 minutes from School of Mines and it’s awesome for the outdoor/active lifestyle, but HMC is worth considering</p>
<p>Ya i admit that Tech is probably a perfect match I was just looking around to see if there are any other schools that would also fit me. I am from Northern Virginia so its going to be competitive for me but Im in the top 10 or so students in my class with one of the hardest schedules at my highly ranked school so I think I should be fine to get into their engineering school but there’s always a chance which is why Im taking my SATs again. Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>You should be fine for admission. My son was initially waitlisted (got off waitlist) with 1350+ SAT’s , very strong EC’s and was an AP Scholar with Distinction but his high school grades were not as good as yours. If you research other schools and end up thinking VT is your best bet, you could consider applying ED. </p>
<p>How does Virginia Tech meet your criteria of outdoorsy school though? I just don’t see it… It’s a pretty standard east/northeast college with I’m sure some outdoor clubs and activities available to students. </p>
<p>I would hardly call it an outdoorsy school though.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech is surrounded by forests and hills. It’s a great place for hiking, biking, and possibly kayaking as a river is near it. Not everyone enjoys exposed rock formations with only a bit of scrub covering it. </p>
<p>Yeah but you could say that 90% of the schools in the entire east/northeast region meet those basic criteria. These things alone don’t qualify a school as being “outdoorsy” IMO.</p>
<p>I do think there is a big difference between what people east of the Missouri consider “outdoorsy” and what people here out west consider “outdoorsy”.</p>
<p>Outdoorsy means that a significant portion of the student body is interested in engaging in physically strenuous outdoors pursuits. If there are at least a few active clubs dedicated to such pursuits I don’t think it matters how outdoorsy the general student body is (especially true at larger schools), as long as a certain portion of them regularly go hiking or whatever on the weekends. By the way, I almost took a job offer in Virginia over one in Arizona because of the presence of trees (ended up choosing a completely different state). For myself the East is far superior than the Southwest for outdoors pursuits.</p>
<p>Agree with Harvey Mudd. Also if you are looking for good fit or reach you might be surprised by Wash U in St Louis. Large Wilderness Program - check out their website. They do a Pre-O program of either backpacking or rock climbing, which is great fun and lets you connect with kids with similar interests. They have equipment to rent/borrow and outings on a regular basis throughout the school year. Engineering school is excellent. Yes, before all you other posters harp at me, I know VT in-state hard to beat tuition-wise, but the student seems to understand that and wants to explore other options too. </p>
<p>I have looked at harvey mudd and I don’t know how to explain it but it just doesn’t seem like the right fit for me. And fractlmaster, ive been to tech and trust me, its outdoorsy . whenhen, I agree virginia is amazing for outdoor recreation, though I do say personally colorado has every other state beat(except maybe Alaska but that’s pretty obvious)</p>