Finding, not choosing, a college

College Search & Selection
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<p>USAFA’s admissions are very holistic. You need to be involved in ECs, sports, have great grades and scores, have good recommendations, etc. Getting a nod from your HS GC and Liaison officer don’t mean much. You need a nomination from your congressman.</p>

<p>OP, I would look here for some alternatives: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt; You can cross check those schools with ABET accreditation to make sure you can get a rigorous engineering program. [Accredited</a> Program Search](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx)</p>

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<p>Lehigh is very well know for its great engineering programs</p>

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<p>USAFA’s admissions are very holistic. You need to be involved in ECs, sports, have great grades and scores, have good recommendations, etc. Getting a nod from your HS GC and Liaison officer don’t mean much. You need a nomination from your congressman.</p>

<p>I agree. I was scratching my head when the OP wrote that these folks had indicated that he had a good chance.</p>

<p>Getting into military academies can be tough competition. Getting nominations from congresspeople is no small feat…especially if you live in an area where a good number of kids are seeking those nominations. </p>

<p>In my area, there are many kids seeking such nominations. It’s not unusual that those who get nominated are the children of West Point grads, Annapolis grads, etc. They have been carefully guided through the process by parents who know the ropes. Virtually every higher ranking officer that I know has or had a child at an academy. (I live within 5 miles of a major army base…There are 2 generals, 4 full-bird colonels and and 2 Army doctors on my street.)</p>

<p>This student cannot count on getting a nomination, especially if they haven’t done all the things that are expected of a nominee. </p>

<p>Since money is an issue, this student needs a careful strategy that creates a list of schools that will be affordable.</p>

<p>If he can, he needs to determine what his EFC would be. I’m not sure if he’s beyond Pell grants or not.</p>

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<p>You really CAN’T be an engineering major without being surrounded by geeks. Including at Michigan Tech, but it really comes with the territory. And no matter what they say, the USAFA is not a match for ANYBODY, it is always a reach. And you have U of Mich as a match… but it is bigger than the size you said was your top limit (27,000 undergrad enrollment).</p>

<p>Have you considered going ROTC? Given your financial situation (and that you are willing to consider a service academy), that is one way to get your education paid for. </p>

<p>Just realized I am cross posting with ucbalumnus – actually, I agree with UCB’s entire post. :)</p>

<p>I suggest you get yourself a copy of Fiske’s Guide to Colleges and look through at all the colleges in it. It seems like your list is made right now on location and name brands… best do to your own research and thinking (not just relying on the kindness of strangers on the internet to help you build a list).</p>

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<p>Look at Cornell. It fits your criteria pretty well and has great financial aid for income under 60K.</p>

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<p>You already are in at Michigan Tech, where tuition, fees, r&b run about $22K/year. Between federal loans and student employment, you probably can’t cover more than about half that cost (max). Can your family afford the rest (minus aid, if any)? If so, and you’d be happy to attend this school, then your safety already is assured. If not, then you may need to find a more affordable safety that is close enough to commute from home.</p>

<p>The University of Michigan is one of the few need-blind, full-need public universities. It has highly regarded engineering programs and is located in a nice college town. So if you’re a Michigan resident, that would make a good “target” school.</p>

<p>Rice, Harvey Mudd, JHU, Northwestern, and Cornell are all need-blind, full-need schools with good engineering programs. If your family makes ~$55K/year and has no unusual assets, then you have a good chance of getting generous need-based from these schools, or from other need-blind full-need schools (if admitted, that is). In your situation, these schools (plus Michigan, plus Michigan Tech or a local commuter school if necessary) may be among your best options.<br>
[Need-blind</a> admission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission]Need-blind”>Need-blind admission - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>Stanford is a real long shot. If you’re trying to keep the number of applications down, that might be one to drop (along with Caltech, because it’s such a long shot too, and because of the issues cited above.) I’d also avoid OOS public universities unless they have guaranteed large merit scholarships (full ride or at least full tuition) for your stats. Absent that, few if any with strong engineering programs will be cheaper than Michigan Tech at in-state rates.</p>

<p>Private schools with good engineering programs that are in your “match” zone include Case Western and Rose-Hulman. However, these are not full-need schools. So even if you get in, they may not be affordable.</p>

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<p>What about Notre Dame? Name recognition, medium size, good male-female balance. Plus every dorm has its own football team (tackle football for the guys’ dorms)</p>

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<p>

Asians and geeks, and no football team whatsoever. Not even touching the Asian thing, but what about geeks can you quantify that you don’t want to be around? If you want to go to Caltech, many people would call you a geek. Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and most or all of the others have dozens or hundreds of non-math-and-science clubs to belong to. Do you want people who smile at others? Can hold a conversation without resorting to a calculator? Are coordinated enough to ride a skateboard or play sports? You’ll also find those at all schools. People who like politics? People who hate certain areas of science? Good-looking sexy people? Check to all of these as well.</p>

<p>But, just to answer your question, Caltech, Harvey Mudd, MIT, Rice, Case Western, Rose Hulman, ___ Institute of Technology.</p>

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<p>Thank you everyone for your help! I simply didn’t realize any of that information, so thank you.</p>

<p>as for USAFA- by counselor I mean my USAFA counselor, not HS GC.</p>