<p>Hey so I have been looking for schools for myself to apply to next fall for an engineering major, probably mechanical but maybe aerospace. I live in Virginia so Virginia Tech is high on my list right now and if I could go anywhere it would be Harvey Mudd. I want to know what other schools you think I should apply to. I have a 2020 on my SAT and plan to take it again and am looking for a 2200 give or take 50. I also have a 3.98 unweighted GPA and a 4.4 weighted GPA with 9 APs by graduation. I also would prefer a school that is not in a big city like Boston or New York. Good undergraduate programs are important to me(as opposed to schools where the professors only care about graduates and have TAs teach all of your classes) and also a school with good research opportunities. Any opinions would be helpful, Thanks!</p>
<p>also what can i do to improve my chance of getting into Harvey Mudd? </p>
<p>Lehigh University! It’s a mid-sized research university. I don’t know about the mechanical engineering labs but i was just at the civil engineering lab yesterday and its so amazing! It is primarily undergraduate institution and as many of the profs were telling my group undergrads just have to ask with profs to do research. The campus is stunning, they are known for its engineering program. Before their mascot was the mountainhawks, it was the engineers. It’s division I and just all around awesome.</p>
<p>Ok thanks, ill look into it. My dad went there so I kind of looked at it but not too seriously</p>
<p>Lehigh’s campus may be stunning, but it’s not for everyone. It was literally built on the side of a mountain. Huge uphill and upstairs walks are a daily part of life for students. Great school, though.</p>
<p>Your stats are competitive for most good engineering schools. Some undergrad-focused choices not in big cities include RPI, Union, Lafayette, Bucknell, Rose-Hulman, Auburn, Alabama, and Miami (Ohio).</p>
<p>RPI is a top engineering school situated in a very urban location. The population density in Troy NY is not large as Boston or New York City but Troy is nevertheless urban area. If you’re looking at RPI or Lafayette you might as well consider WPI in Worcester also.</p>
<p>If suburban or semi-rural schools with small to medium undergraduate populations interest you, then add South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and Colorado School of Mines to your list. Both are excellent engineering universities. At SDSM&T undergraduates can participate in a lot of research opportunities. There’s also…</p>
<p>Texas Tech University
Clemson University</p>
<p>For aerospace, Emery Riddle in Daytona Beach, FL or Florida Tech in Melbourne.</p>
<p>You could also consider a few of the Catholic universities like Villanova. They may not be ranked quite as highly but often are more known for their teaching. It is also in a suburb. There are others. </p>
<p>There are quite a few engineering schools which meet your broad criteria. If you give us some additional preferences, we can help cut the list down.</p>
<p>-Small or large school?
-Location?
-Private or Public?
-Party or study atmosphere?
-Surrounding area? (city, small town, mountains, ocean, desert?)
-Campus architecture? (historical/old, modern, low-key?)
-Outdoorsy? </p>
<p>Be sure to discuss the college and travel budget with your parents when considering some of these private and out of state public schools. Many may gap in terms of need so I’d be sure of your budget and sure your parents are willing to pay if you’re admitted. If you don’t want to stay in Virginia, you may also want to look at some of the schools known for merit aid. But in addition to Virginia Tech, you might want to check out UVa since it is instate for you. It is a much smaller program than Virginia Tech’s but produces successful graduates as does Virginia Tech . </p>
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<p>No need to go to the gym to use the stair machine. :)</p>
<p>Yes, as noted above, having the money talk with your parents before you make your application list is critical. You need to know the price limit you are working with, and whether schools’ need based aid (or low list price in the case of the SD and NM Mine schools and the like) makes them affordable, or if you will need to target large merit scholarships.</p>
<p>I recommend adding University of Rochester to your list. Outstanding engineering school, in a medium size city. Also, since Virginia Tech is your in-state school, I would not recommend putting much effort into looking at other state universities. Among other reasons, typically they do not offer much in the way of merit aid to out of state students. The University of Alabama is a major exception to this, and I do recommend that you apply there. UA has outstanding scholarships for out of state students and also has an excellent engineering school. See more on 'Bama scholarships here:
<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html</a>
(by the way, the University of Rochester is private, although it sounds like it might be a state school)</p>
<p>Personally, I only know about Harvey Mudd by its reputation and have no connection to it. However, such small schools always notice it when you visit and do an interview in person, on campus. This definitely gives you an edge; especially if you fly all the way across the country to do so. This shows them that you are serious, and they will take you more seriously too.</p>
<p>Also, normally I do not recommend “early decision” but doing so with Harvey Mudd might really help you. Just make absolutely certain that you can pay for Harvey Mudd, before choosing this route. ED requires that you go there if they accept you. Talk to your parents about this! Take a look at this webpage at HM:
<a href=“http://newwww.hmc.edu/admission/apply/first-year-students/early-decision-vs-regular-decision/”>http://newwww.hmc.edu/admission/apply/first-year-students/early-decision-vs-regular-decision/</a></p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you guys for your advice. I have talked about the price of college with my parents and they are willing to pay for a more expensive school out of state where I would help pay for it if this school has something to offer that is highly important to me, but If VTech covers the same need then I would go there. Also on the more information for my ideal college: I dont want to go to the south and I really like mountains and outdoorsy stuff so Mines is an option that Im more seriously considering (though i dont think they have an aerospace engineering program). As for the atmosphere of the college I want a place that is somewhere in between a party and a complete study school to where little drugs are used but alcohol is fine just not to the point where I would have to participate to fit in. On the other hand I wouldn’t want a school where the students only study and parties never occur at all. Also I dont plan on joining a frat so a campus where people dont have to be on a frat to have fun or fell involved. Definatley closer to the study end of the spectrum but not to the extreme if that makes sense. Also I am 100% certain I wouldn’t feel “homesick” if I were to go to a school far away so that’s not an issue (ive done multiple trips for lengthy periods before). After looking into Harvey Mudd a little bit I think it may not be the best fit as they seem like they are super involved in there academics and less of the sporty types, plus my high school has more than 4,000 kids cause we are a secondary school and each class is around 700-800 kids so Id prefer my college to be larger. </p>
<p>Everything you’re saying points to Virginia Tech. </p>
<p>If you meant Colo. School of Mines, I do not think they have aerospace. CU Boulder does (many astronauts grad from CU), and CU is 45 minutes north of Mines. Mines has a party atmosphere from 5 pm on Friday until Sunday morning, then it is all business again until Friday. However, much of those parties are at frats. CU is more the traditional split of frat/no frat partying, big D-1 sports. Both have an outdoor/recreation feel.</p>
<p>If you like the outdoors and are looking at aerospace, also consider Embry-Riddle Prescott. Excellent aerospace program, located in great town, sunny weather most of the year, beautiful scenery… perfect for outdoorsy/active students.</p>
<p>currently Im thinking Tech Mines, and CU Boulder are 1 2 and 3 and Chardo I think Tech is definatley the best II was just checking to see if there was some other school that Ive been missing. Thanks again for all the help guys!</p>
<p>also how does Tech compare to boulder for aerospace/mechanical engineering?</p>
<p>While the SD School of Mines & Technology doesn’t have an Aerospace Engineering department per se, Mechanical Engineering, the largest department at SDSM&T, is very broad in its application. SDSM&T has placed its students and alumni in internships and jobs with the likes of Boeing, General Electric and NASA. Aerospace firms hire a lot of Mechanical Engineers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, some top AE departments, like the U of Washington, only offer a graduate degree in AE, not undergraduate studies.</p>