<p>Hello friends. I am finalizing my list, since the common app is coming up very soon. I would like some feedback or any other suggestions on what I should do.</p>
<p>ACT: 32 (33 superscore)
GPA: 3.67 UW/3.8 W
Class rank: 20%ile
Major: Chemical engineering (or optics/optical engineering at Rochester!)
Extracirriculars: Member of a few honors societies, founder and elected member of one of them, member of an award-winning environmental action team, peer teaching. I will have also had a part-time job working 16-20 hours a week for 4 months by the time I apply.
Will have 7 AP taken by end of year (AP Gov/Comp Politics, English(Literature & Language), Environmental Science, </p>
<p>Reach:
Tufts University
Washington University in St. Louis
Rice University
Carnegie Mellon University</p>
<p>Match:
University of Rochester
Tulane University
Syracuse University
Case Western University</p>
<p>Safety:
Saint Louis University
Missouri University of Science & Technology (in-state)</p>
<p>The net price calculators say that Tufts, WashU, Rice, CMU, & Rochester would be affordable. I would be relying on a significant merit scholarship at Tulane, Syracuse, & Case Western. I have a family connection at SLU that gets me a big discount, and MOS&T is in-state.</p>
<p>I really like the supposed atmosphere at Rice. I don't like "greek life", I like a beautiful campus, I like nerdier/more intellectual vibe. A good study abroad program is a plus. I love the idea of a LAC, but unfortunately most don't offer engineering. Wherever I can combine a LAC vibe like Reed or Grinnell with a research university would be ideal.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help you guys have been in the last few months. I'm excited to start applying.</p>
<p>Wow, it sounds like Swarthmore was made for you. BEAUTIFUL campus, no crazy Greek life, the students are pretty nerdy and intellectual. Plus, it’s a LAC with engineering, and a very strong engineering program and research facilities. It’s a reach, but a classmate of mine with your scores got in ED II.</p>
<p>i have actually looked at Lafayette. However I generally have been steering away from LACs with engineering in general just because they generally don’t have the resources that larger departments have at research universities… idk, I want to have as much of a “LAC” feel as I can without going to a lac.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have come up with a very well balanced and great fit schools. Even more, you have already run the net price calculators to know that you will be able to afford them. A+ for the effort.</p>
<p>You have some great medium sized universities on your list, which is what I think is what you are looking for. I was going to suggest Rochester or Tufts, but you already have them there. Alternatively, if in the neighborhood, you might want to take a look at Bucknell or Lehigh. They are LACs with engineering, but they are quite good at what they do. What sort of resources are you looking for?</p>
<p>I’m worried about LAC engineering because I would like for as many different courses to be avialable to me, even the higher - level ones, and research opportunities not being as widely available than at a larger research university. I want to keep options available to me, which may include getting a PhD one day. However, if these are myths then I would gladly consider LACs like Lafayette or Bucknell. I don’t want to apply to any more than 10 schools though, so I would have to make some room. (likely by removing Case, Syracuse, or CMU/Tufts).</p>
<p>I also have looked at Lehigh however it looks like there are a lot of members in fraternities and sororities and I have heard of the prevalence of alcohol on campus. While it would be an issue wherever I go, I don’t know if I could be around those kinds of distracting pressures. I’ve never visited though, so I can’t say first-hand.</p>
<p>I have also looked at RPI, RIT, and WPI. However, I don’t like really techy schools that have very large percentages of male students. At least at CMU and Case the difference isn’t that wide.</p>
<p>Lehigh University I also have heard has frats and sororities, and when I visited they definitely were there. However, it was not Animal House, they were more like families rather than drinking buddies. The frats and sororities are held by strict standards by the school, and do not own their frat houses the school does. There is also clean housing to really avoid it.</p>
<p>After a bit more thinking I think i may want to apply to Lafayette instead of CMU. This being because I don’t really know much about CMU and I’d like to have a school that isn’t quite as hard to get into - my ACT score is above the 75th percentile for Lafayette, and they offer ABET-accredited chemical engineering. I think Lehigh is a good idea too!</p>
<p>Are there any LACs that offer chemical engineering that also don’t have greek life? Among the ones that do that I know of (Bucknell, Union, Lafayette), they do. I wish Reed or Grinnell had chem eng! lol</p>
<p>Northeastern should be a match. If you want an LAC with engineering, take a look at Harvey Mudd. They have a pretty solid engineering program and being around LA, you should be able to find internships.</p>
<p>I do like Harvey Mudd, but I feel it might be a bit of a stretch. Additionally they have some pretty rigid application requirements (2 SAT II’s, Rec letters from math/science and humanities teacher), seems like a lot of work to go through for an almost guaranteed rejection.</p>
<p>Between WashU and Rochester, which are you more excited about if you knew nothing about rankings? BTW, by alumni outcomes (American Leaders, PhDs produced, and student awards), the two are about the same. Rochester should have a much higher ED admission rate (but check that). Is WashU no loans for you, though?</p>
<p>I’d rate both above Northeastern, which isn’t great with aid anyway. Are you in the top quartile scores-wise at Tulane and CWRU? You may want to consider UPitt, Maryland, and UMiami instead for merit aid. USC could be a reach, but they are full-need and need-blind. Have you run the numbers for them?</p>
<p>To be honest I’m not 100% sure. If like to ve able to visit before I apply ED, but from what Ive read and their website Rochester really appeals to me. My 32 ACT is on the 25% quartile for Tulane and CWRU. Ive never had Upitt or Maryland brought up. Would they be good with aid for me?</p>
<p>I’m thinking that you may have a shot at the full-tuition merit awards at Pitt and UMD. Also, while, not in the same league as many schools you are looking at, you could get full-tuition at Miami(OH). The thing with Case is that, while they may give you merit, they’re unlikely to give you anything close to full-tuition. The need-blind full-need schools that you can get in to are probably the best for you, so I would apply to both Lehigh and Lafayette (would they be no-loans for you?). </p>
<p>Also, wasn’t 'Bama going to be a safety? Too Greek?</p>