check out The Cooper Union. One of the TOP engineering programs in the entire country and the BEST financial aid package in the country for those lucky enough to get in. Everyone gets a 50% scholarship plus you can qualify for aid so the overall package may be workable.
They do have Molecular Engineering, but it is s new major and small department. I wouldn’t go there if engineering is really your interest.
I think applying to 10 schools is a good number
Reach
Princeton
MIT
UPenn
Dartmouth
Match
Boston College
Carnegie Mellon
Colgate
Northeastern
George Washington University
Wesleyan
Safeties
Drexel
RIT
Ren Poly
Good Luck!
Drexel is your safety and that’s my dream lol( I hope I get accepted there)
ALWAYS run the Net Price Calculator - a safety that isn’t affordable is no safety at all
(that’s especially true for Drexel, which considerably “gaps” its admits).
“Ren Poly” should be considered a reach due to its high selectivity, except by MIT-level students who’ve expressed considerable interest.
For STEM students, the flagship or public stem school should always be on the list.
Comp Sci at CMU is no match.
^CS at CMU has a 5% admit rate, roughly that of Stanford.