Hello! My son really wants to major in engineering in college (with a minor in business) and has taken several immersive programs and a high school course load to reflect his deep passion for the subject. He is looking really only at colleges with engineering majors at this point. GPA 4.2, ACT (waiting but prob 33 ish), school club president, grant award winner. No FA needs. He really wants a college with both a great academic reputation, great school spirit (i.e., fun!), and outdoorsy pursuits. Interestingly, his verbal scores are higher than math scores on ACT, which makes me wonder whether a great school that has engineering but is not highly ranked in that discipline specifically could be good? What schools come to mind as great options? No geographic limitations!
Iowa State and Oregon State.
Purdue! ; ). And FWIW, the CoE likes to see strong English scores so I don’t think that’s a negative at all.
Purdue is awesome, and ticks many of the boxes OP mentioned, except for wanting a “school that has engineering but is not highly ranked for that discipline specifically.” It’s one of the most highly rated engineering programs in the country and super hard to get into for engineering (as you know!). I know multiple high achieving kids (UW GPA’s around a 4.0, very high test scores) who were deferred in EA and then waitlisted or rejected in the RD round this year. But it would be a great reach school!
Minnesota would be a good option - some of those same kids I mentioned that were deferred/rejected from Purdue got into MInnesota’s engineering program.
I saw the “not highly rated” too but I think the OP is selling her son short. But yes, it is now a reach for all applicants.
I would second Iowa State and Oregon State!
UMass! Engineering is tough to get into; it’s a great program. But there are plenty of outdoorsy activities in the area. It’s in a small town without being too remote. (Farm stands and Target, Trader Joe’s, etc.) I can’t speak specifically to that program, but D20 has been very happy there (psychology).
Utah would also tick a lot of boxes - good ABET accredited engineering programs and near lots of outdoorsy pursuits!
Was also thinking Oregon State!
UMD? Good at business and Engineering.
Unweighted GPA and a description of what coursework would be more helpful than weighted GPA in helping others suggest admission realistic colleges.
I wanted to add (since your name says “northeast”), make sure to have an official visit of UMass. In 2019, we were told that they expect local students to visit and not take them for granted or appear to use them for backup. I imagine it’s more true now as the programs/majors become even more competitive.
We attended a Junior Visit Day at George Mason University with their engineering department and it made a great impression on us and our DS24. Worth checking out with the interests and stats you mentioned.
There are some excellent Flagships with strong engineering in the Northeast. If home is in New England, the top Two schools rankings-wise nationally would be UMass (#54) and UConn (#69). But any of the flagships in the Northeast would provide a very good foundation. Engineering does not require a prestigious name brand for like 90% of graduates.
He really needs to be more specific about what he wants his experience to be like or the list will be overwhelming.
What does outdoorsy mean? Surfing? Skiing? Hiking? Mountain biking?
How much does big time athletics play into “school spirit?” There are lots of small schools with great school spirit that don’t have FCS football.
Big? Medium? Small? Tiny?
You’ll get a better list if he can clarify a bit more.
Virginia Tech
Santa Clara, CU Boulder, Drexel, Lehigh and Lafayette
Michigan Tech
Excellent Midwest/regional reputation for engineering.
Student body full of hikers, skiers, snowmobilers, hunters, rock climbers.
Must love cold, snowy winters. Good school camaraderie around Hockey team, winter festival.
Merit based on GPA and apply in September, admitted in October/November.
These are some schools that your family may want to consider:
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Bucknell (PA )
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Gonzaga (WA)
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Lafayette (PA )
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Lehigh (PA )
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Marquette (WI)
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Miami U. (OH)
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Southern Methodist (TX)
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Syracuse (NY)
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Union (NY)
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U. of Miami (FL)
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U. of Notre Dame (IN)
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Villanova (PA )
I echo the suggestion of @momofboiler1 regarding Purdue. If you are interested, here is a link to the Purdue’s interactive Data Digest which gives information about entering first-year students over time (under the “Student Enrollment” and the “Applications, Admits, and Matriculations” links): https://www.purdue.edu/datadigest/
I will also throw out the suggestion of the University of Tennessee’s Tickle College of Engineering, here: https://tickle.utk.edu/. Tickle has undertaken a lot of new building projects over the last 10-15 years, and has an impressive physical plant; and it also has several highly rated departments. Plus, there are lots of lakes and mountains in East Tennessee that your son could avail himself of.
Regarding the suggestion of @notahomemaker, I know someone who is studying engineering at UMass, and thinks highly of it.