Good Engineering Schools w/ FA

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi everyone! I'm a rising senior just starting on the college application process. I moved from China less than four years ago and is currently a US permanent resident. I wish to pursue an engineering major (currently leaning towards civil/mechanical but may change later) ~ Some top schools I've pinned down include:</p>

<p>(Note: my family's financial capability is limited, EFC more than likely close to 0, though parents do have other financing options that could support a net cost of $15,000 and under)</p>

<p>MIT
Cornell (possibly ED)
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins</p>

<p>Other schools I'm considering: UMich, UIUC, U Wisconsin (hold reservations about these three since they are OOS public and I've heard some not so nice things about their FA), RPI, Purdue (same issue), Case Western; I will likely also consider Texas A&M if qualify for NMSF.</p>

<p>What are some other schools that have both respected engineering programs, especially to employers upon graduation, and reasonable FA/scholarship opportunities based on my situation? I'm also trying to decide on some safeties (not a big fan of the state flagship UT ^_^)</p>

<p>Stats:
State of Residence: TN
School: large public
SAT: 2140 - 690CR/800M/650W (will not send, as I bombed the essay :)
SAT II: Math II 800, taking Chemistry & Physics in Oct.
ACT: 34 - 35E/36M/31R/35S/8W (taking again in Sep.)
GPA: 4.0 UW
Rank: Top 10% (that's all my counselor could tell) out of ≈500
AP: Calculus BC (5), USH (5), Lit (4), Stats (5)
Awards: presumably NMSF, other state level Math awards, invited to AIME
EC (not my strong suit): Technology Student Association for two years, attended regional, state and national conferences with awards at each, also 15 hrs volunteer; FBLA for three years, held leadership positions for two; Earth club (which pretty much means picking up recycles after school) for two years, 50+hrs; NHS for one year, did some miscellaneous community projects; on the school Scholar's Bowl team (analogous to quiz bowl) that competed to regional top 8 (yeah, hoping to do better this year)
Other Volunteering, etc.: Chinese tutoring 30+hrs, working at school held STEM camp for kids 25+hrs, local library volunteer 50+hrs ongoing; completing a school sponsored internship next year at an engineering firm (120 hrs)</p>

<p>Thank you so much for assistance!</p>

2

<p>btw I’m Male Asian (unfortunately) w/ no hooks</p>

3

<p>Forget the OOS public ones like UIUC & U Michigan. They won’t meet your need and the very limited scholarships are super competitive. I think your best choices are your in-state public and the ones that offer full-tuition for NMSF. UT schools are all good for engineering & they are affordable. Why don’t you like them?</p>

<p>You can try Case EA to see what kind of FA package you will get (send in the CSS by the EA deadline, use 2013 tax info for estimate). Cornell will give you the best FA among the schools on your list if you are admitted. Do your best to apply.</p>

<p>“completing a school sponsored internship next year at an engineering firm (120 hrs)” This looks interesting. See what you can make out of this experience.</p>

4

<p>Need to bring up your score in CR and W sections of SAT to be competitive for the highest tier schools. Getting invited to AIME is nice. Make sure you highlight this in your application</p>

<p>Did you consider Duke?</p>

5

<p>Hi sgopal2, since I’m taking the SAT II’s in Oct. (and maybe Nov. depending on how I prepare/perform), I’m not sure if I have time to take the SAT again; focusing my efforts on ACT and essays right now; yes, I actually just got back from a visit to the Triangle area and a tour of the Duke campus ~ loved it, thinking of adding it as a reach school. Thanks for the comment!</p>

6

<p>Apply to UT-Knoxville as a safety. Really, with an EFC of 0, you’ll want at least one affordable safety.</p>

<p>You may want to look at Vanderbilt. They have a decent engineering program, and you can take (I think) advantage of TN’s HOPE scholarship. Plus Vanderbilt does a great job with FA, the FA package will not include any loans.</p>

<p>Also, check out the sticky threads in the Financial Aid & Scholarships forum. Lots of good information.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

7

<p>Your ACT scores look better. As a new immigrant in the US fro less than 4 years, your CR and Writing are respectable. I hope the admission staff will understand your situation. How many American students who moved to China for only 4 years will be able to get a decent score in the Chinese language test of the College Entrance Exam in China?</p>

8

<p>Bamboolong: thanks for the advice regarding OOS and Case EA. About UT, it looks like most graduates would stay in the Knoxville area, and this region does not seem to work for me particularly (other than my HS which I loved) or my parents</p>

9

<p>Rice has strong engineering programs and very good FA. I think MIT does not lack AIME qualifiers in their applicants.</p>

10

<p>Please get your parents to help you run the net price calculators. They will give you the best estimate of what your parents will be expected to contribute. Sometimes it’s hard to get parents to contribute this financial information, but they will have to do so when filling out the financial aid forms. So help them to understand that you need this info a few months earlier so that you can choose schools wisely. </p>

<p>You have a couple relatively inexpensive CivE and MechE options in Tennessee publics that you might be able to afford. Perhaps they could act as academic safeties.</p>

<p>I don’t see the need to re-take any tests. The 36 in ACT M and the 800 in SATII MII should satisfy.</p>

<p>The OOS publics, in general, are not going to offer you a lot of money. However, one important exception is UAlabama where you will automatically qualify for a full tuition scholarship and may be eligible for more, leaving you with a residual of 5-10K or less. You can learn more about the automatic and competitive full tuition/ride scholarships here:</p>

<p><a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;

<p><a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;

<p>The lesser merit scholarships of 10-30K are going to leave you with a much higher residual and so are of little use. Many of the full tuition/ride schools will be private schools. And your other source of large financial aid will be the meets-100%-need schools, some of which you have on your list of prestigious schools:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>So do some research. Your stats have given you extraordinary opportunities, and they can enable you to attend a four-year college. Take your favorites and run the net price calculators.</p>

11

<p>Thanks jkeil911! I’ll keep my options open.</p>

12

<p>@kuan9611 lol, you remind me of myself last year. Add Duke, Vandy, & Rice. Take off RPI</p>

13

<p>In addition to the automatic and competitive full tuition to full ride scholarship lists linked to in post #9, you may also want to check the National Merit scholarship list at <a href=“http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/”>http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/&lt;/a&gt; if you qualify.</p>

<p>Note that, even without National Merit, your stats will get you full ride merit scholarships at the following schools with engineering, as listed at <a href=“http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/”>http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/&lt;/a&gt; :</p>

<p>Alabama - Huntsville
Howard (limited number of scholarships awarded on a first come first served basis)
Louisiana Tech
Prairie View A&M
Tuskegee</p>

<p>(However, full ride schools may still have residual costs of up to $5,000 or so per year.)</p>

<p>If you and your parents can afford a $15,000 per year residual cost, the following full tuition scholarships may be suitable:</p>

<p>Alabama
Florida A&M
Temple
Utah State</p>

<p>You may want to apply to at least one of the above schools with automatic scholarships as a safety.</p>

14

<p>I know a little bit about U Tennessee-Knoxville’s engineering school because I am acquainted with a professor whom earned a PhD from UTK. Usually UTK is not compared to other engineering departments that have a national reputation, but UTK engineering is very good. Moreover, the physical plant of the Engineering school has received significant investments and upgrades lately. If you’re a Tennessee resident you should not overlook UTK engineering. And the City of Knoxville has its charms. </p>

15

<p>I have to also recommend (even though typing this causes me physical pain…someone make them stop playing Rocking Top!!), UTK as a safety. It also has one of the best Nuclear Engineering programs in the country. </p>

16

<p>Arizona State University and University of Arizona both have fairly high ranked engineering programs and both have close to full ride scholarships for NMF. I have relatives who have attended these programs and felt that it was a great education. They also have scholarship estimators on their web sites where you can input your scores and get an estimate of likely merit offers with your scores.</p>

17

<p>I know several engineering students attending or recently attended Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). It’s a “hands on” engineering school, students love going there, and they offer good financial aid. </p>

18

<p>In addition to your home state flagship in Tennessee, an excellent engineering education can be had for low cost at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Your GPA might earn you scholarship money from SDSM&T, but even omitting substantial scholasrhip money, the place is a real bargain.</p>

19

<p>Other in-state public schools in Tennessee with engineering include:</p>

<p>Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
The University of Memphis
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga </p>

20

<p>The only other engineering department in Tennessee that comes close (but doesn’t really match) UTK’s resources is TTU. And the difference between UTK and TTU is significant.</p>