<p>I'm looking to find a good reach school for Engineering that would both be a bit out of my range but also worth my time, effort, and application fees to apply to. I'm a Junior who has taken the ACT 3 times, but only the first has been reported so far (Math 36, English 33, Reading 33, Science 31) and also have a GPA of 3.53 unweighted and a 4.11 weighted. My extracurriculars include choir, rugby, Tri-M volunteering committee-chairman, Vacation Bible School volunteering, and one theatrical performance (Shrek the Musical).</p>
<p>Currently my Safety school is University of Alabama because of their perfectly adequate Engineering School and because of my automatic scholarship acceptance because of my GPA/Test Scores. My mid-range school is Purdue and then I also have been looking at Georgia Tech as a combination of both a reach school and a mid-range school, not thinking it would be to hard to get into but also knowing that I'm not guaranteed to get in.</p>
<p>Because I have only a semi-reach school, I've been looking around for a reach school that would give me a hard time getting in, but still a chance. My parents pointed me to Princeton, but I believe that is too far of a reach for me. A few of the other colleges I've been looking at include Carnegie Mellon and Vanderbilt, but I was not sure if they are the correct range for me to look at. What do you think would be an acceptable reach school for my scores and extra-curriculars?</p>
<p>Have you checked the net price calculator at Purdue and GT to make sure that they are affordable? If not affordable on need-based aid, then you would be aiming for large-enough merit scholarships, which may push them into the reach category (or even out-of-reach).</p>
<p>The other question is, are there any schools you prefer over Alabama? If Alabama is your first choice (or third choice after Purdue and GT), then there may not be any reason to apply to any other school.</p>
<p>Money, while important, is not an issue. I’ve checked with my Parents and Purdue is right smack dab in the perfect money range, while GT is at a point where I might have to take a bit of a college loan if I don’t get any scholarships.</p>
<p>Also, while I do like Alabama and its academics, there are certainly places that I could see myself fitting in better. For example, when I went to see Georgia Tech and talked with the student guides, they seemed more like the… nerds… that I would better fit in than at Alabama. However, that does not mean that I won’t make friends at Alabama.</p>
<p>GT’s $43,000 out-of-state list price is not the highest possible list price among out-of-state public schools, and private schools can be as much as $20,000 higher in list price. If GT’s list price is near your limit, you may have to do some careful cost checking (including running net price calculators for financial aid estimates) for many other schools.</p>
<p>Which school characteristics are you looking for (besides having your major and being affordable)?</p>
<p>Big Co-Op and Internship programs have interested me a lot; that’s one of the ways I hope to mitigate the costs for college. I want someone bigger than 2500+ but that does not necessarily mean biggest is best. A good choral program that does not need a major is not a necessity, but is appreciated. I’m also looking for somewhere that is not out of the way. I don’t want to go to somewhere in the middle of no-where. Middle of City like GT as well as inside a town like Purdue or Alabama are both acceptable. Also, having a Geek/Nerd (not Greek) culture is a plus, but not a negative if the college does not have it.</p>
<p>This means that you probably want to be at a “match” school, rather than a “reach” school or a “safety” school, although you should be aware that engineering students may have a different range from the overall school (engineering students are often at the higher end of the range, especially after the first year at less selective schools when the weaker students change majors out of engineering because it is too hard).</p>
<p>Lots of schools’ career centers have co-op programs – search for “[name of school] engineering co-op” on the web.</p>
<p>UIUC- they have everything you’ve mentioned and your ACT will get you looked at for possible James Honors, which lets you take any class throughout the college and make it an Honors class, with pre-recs waved.(If you aren’t asked as an incoming freshman, you may apply of you have over a 3.3GPA) They have a great Study Abroad, too, if that interests you. Unfortunately Purdue’s Study Abroad is weak. And their honors only lets you take courses they choose- there is a catalog to chose from.Also- UIIC is ranked 5 for engineering, had a vibrant town, is a big 10, strong Co-op and Internships. Search out Research as a Professor Assistant. </p>
<p>Biggest advice: Apply to GA Tech, UIUC and Purdue Early Action. The % of acceptances is way higher. This will mean getting everything together for the first few weeks of Senior year- asking for referrals, etc. Be ready by Nov 1- it also gets you considered for merit scholarships. Look at all your schools deadlines and admit rules! Good luck!</p>
<p>I don’t see why you shouldn’t add either MIT or CalTech as super-reaches, with the understanding that they routinely reject loads of students with perfect SAT/ACT Math scores. </p>
<p>You would be best served by searching for a school where you would be comfortable, challenged and happy. The term “reach” is irrelevant if you will be miserable there. As for internships, these days getting an internship is beginning to resume college admissions; a 3.0 GPA gets your foot in the door but doesn’t guarantee a sale.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add some more colleges to apply to. However, I wouldn’t suggest to add super-reaches like MIT and CalTech or Princeton, but instead to find schools with good merit aid. How about Northeastern (since you mention co-op) and Case Western and RPI? Carnegie Mellon would be a good reach, but you would be unlikely to get merit aid there.</p>