<p>I agree with most of what previous posters have stated--however, keep in mind, that no matter where your student ends up, if he is majoring in engineering, those first two years are going to be tough. It is engineering and that is the nature of the beast.</p>
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I agree with most of what previous posters have stated--however, keep in mind, that no matter where your student ends up, if he is majoring in engineering, those first two years are going to be tough. It is engineering and that is the nature of the beast.
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<p>So true....so very true.</p>
<p>Just for reference, My D had higher test scores than the OP's son and was rejected by UC Berkeley for MatSE (we're OOS), supposedly one of the easier engineering majors to be admitted to. If he's from California, he might have a shot. </p>
<p>We're from Illinois. My D was accepted to UIUC's MatSE as a James Scholar (honors engineering) and with the department's Froberg Scholarship.</p>
<p>One thing to consider - many (I believe the last figure I heard was something like 50%) of students who start in engineering change to another field in the first 2 years (LOTS of explanations for this) so you might want to consider a school where there are many other options if you son or daughter decides political science, or business, or music, or whatever, is his/real real passion. </p>
<p>And I agree that larger universities have broader options for research. I think research experience, especially if it's available early on, is critical.</p>
<p>Several people have mentioned RPI. Another NY school with a good engineering program and all the sub-specialties is Syracuse Univ. My son graduated from there last may (aerospace eng.), loved his time there and got a great job (even had an offer before senior year started). Not huge but big enough (12 thousand or so undergrads) so a kid has the big campus experience but can't get lost in the engineering school. Lots of sports, activities, social life etc. Brand new science building under construction (just in case he changes his mind!) His stats should fit well there, I would think.</p>
<p>Do you know what kind of engineering in particular your son is interested in?</p>
<p>Consider looking at Miami University's School</a> of Engineering & Applied Science...his good grades would probably result in good merit aid.</p>
<p>Miami is ABET</a> accredited.</p>
<p>Okay, let's back up a bit. Need a little more information.</p>
<p>First is whether he already has targeted a type of Engineering, as asked just above.</p>
<p>Second is what else he is looking for in a school? From the list given in the OP, it appears to be small/medium universities which are NOT tech schools but have a full A&S curriculum. This can be wise if there is any chance that the student will fall out of love with Engineering. He can then move to another field without changing schools. Not so possible if he goes to a tech institute.</p>
<p>Since he doesn't mind going far geographically, realize that this can be an advantage in admissions/merit $. This factor will be little to no help in the uber-selective schools (most of the ones on the OP's first list, if not all) as they have no trouble getting whatever they want in geographic and every other type of representation. It can be an advantage at a Tulane/Lehigh/Lafayette/Santa Clara and so on and so forth.</p>
<p>Tulane discontinued several engineering majors post-Katrina, which is why my S is no longer there but at JHU. They retained Biomedical and Chem E, restructured the School of Science and Engineering. They have now brought in Engineering Physics and may bring other fields back; I don't know. If he is interested in those fields, he is a <em>possible</em> for merit aid at Tulane. Also at Santa Clara, as they have wanted to improve their M/F ratio last I knew.</p>
<p>His ACT score is quite strong; the SAT not so much (for the tippy top schools, including several on the OP list). Have you checked whether the schools of interest allow the ACT to sub for SATII tests?
If you can tell us more about his other criteria (if he knows them): size, atmosphere, urban/rural, tech school or no, level of Greek scene, level of sports scene... I and others could probably make more suggestions.</p>
<p>UNC does not have engineering. Engineering programs are located at NC State and NC A and T. </p>
<p>In Virginia you may want to consider Virginia Tech for engineering rather than UVA. It is substantially easier to get into OOS, and I have read on these boards, although I can't personally vouch for it, that Tech is better at it that than UVA.</p>
<p>and...Virginia Tech has a very nice campus.</p>
<p>Jiffsmom-
Congratulations to your D for being named a James Scholar and receiving the Froberg Scholarship at UIUC. UIUC has one of the top MatSE programs in the nation...and it's in-state. Good luck to her and, again, congratulations.</p>
<p>Emory doesn't have an engineering program. They do have an agreement with GA Tech, you go 3 years at Emory, 2 at GT and you come out with a dual degree. So if he doesn't like Tech in the first place or doesn't want to do 5 years, cross Emory off the list(but it is a GREAT school!!).</p>
<p>Don't forget the US Service Academies. They are top-tier engineering undergrad programs.</p>
<p>Good luck with the search!</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins University has a great engineering program.</p>
<p>Santa Clara University...beautiful location right in the middle of the Silicon Valley. Great college of engineering.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of Virginia Tech. With your son's stats he would most likely be assured of scholarship money to lure him there from OOS. It is a wonderful school full of high achievers (esp in the engineering field) and has so much of the other great attributes that make college so special: beautiful campus, great sports teams, alumni base that loves their school (if you have ever talked to a Hokie you know what I mean), and yes, to top it all off, the #1 (or 2, it varies a bit each year) food in the nation :) Good luck in your journey to find the best place for him!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all of the great suggestions. This board has answered so many questions for us. I will try to answer a couple of the questions posted earlier. He is ranked #20 of out of 347 in his class. The size of the school does not matter to him nor does whether it's urban or rural. He would prefer not to go to a tech school in case he did change his mind at a later date. Since starting high school he has always said that he was gong to major in math and go on to obtain his Ph.D. in it. Over the last few months he has talked more about maybe going into engineering first and then teaching at a latter point in his life. He is undecided about what field of engineering. He has always loved Math and Science and I think that's why he is now leaning toward Engineering. </p>
<p>He is a very mature, logical type of student with alot of common sense. When you say Greek scene I'm assuming that you mean the partying crowd. He does not run with the party crowd at his school and has no desire too. He's personally seen the effects of what drugs and alcohol can do to someone's life and I believe it has left a lasting impact on him.</p>
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<p>I'll pass that along - thanks! She's an amazing young woman - it's been a sheer joy to watch her go through the college app process. She's made some very wise choices. :) </p>
<p>We're thrilled that there are so many very good engineering schools right here in the Big 10!</p>
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UNC does not have engineering
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Oops, my bad.</p>
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I second the suggestion of Virginia Tech. With your son's stats he would most likely be assured of scholarship money to lure him there from OOS.
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I haven't heard of VT being very generous with merit money, or need-based aid for that matter. Great school, though--worth a visit.</p>
<p>Not to be a party pooper, but to give you some idea of the selectivity of different schools, the 25%/75% SATs of first-year students at several of the mentioned schools (out of 2400):</p>
<p>VT: 1630-1930
Case: 1780-2090 (ACT 26-31)
JHU: 1920-2230 (ACT 28-33)
Harvard: 2090-2380 (ACT 31-35)</p>
<p>Obviously test scores don't tell the whole story, but at 1870, your S may need to pull up the SAT or play the ACT game to be competitive at the most selective schools, but in the top-tier schools the competition for admission is brutal! Personally, I love VT and Case and think one has to overcome the desire for prestige and focus on finding a school that "fits" the student.</p>
<p>How about Stevens Institute of Technology, or Manhattan College - Princeton Review calls their engineering program "a hidden gem". I don't have any first-hand knowledge, just came across that comment.</p>