Hello! I am a high school senior entering the class of 2026. I am currently seeking college suggestions and recommendations and would appreciate any help.
Things About Me
Weather and location idc as much
Idc about selectivity
Idc about rankings or how well-known it is
GPA is 3.95
Tuition is not a big issue
I want to pursue engineering (possibly industrial or aerospace but open to any field).
I am considering applying to any honors program if the school has one
Questions
How friendly are the students? Professors?
Does the school care more about money or the students?
I know that engineering students are more stressed than average but out of ONLY the engineering students, are they more stressed than average engineering school?
How does this engineering school compare to a traditional engineering school in terms of giving the best engineering education possible? Is the program hands on?
Does the school go above and beyond to support students with learning differences?
Is the school LGBTQ+ friendly?
What is the political climate like? Is it a big influence on the school’s culture?
What is the Greek life like?
Are the mental health services good?
How well do minority students thrive? Are they supported?
Colleges I’m currently considering (no particular order)
Olin
Rice University
UCLA
Dartmouth
ASU
Northeastern
University of Florida
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
UConn
UIUC
Cal Poly-SLO
UMich -Ann Arbor
University of Houston
UC Merced
CU Boulder
Rochester Institute of Technology
NC State
Penn State
Washington State University
University of Washington - Seattle
University of Iowa
Colorado State University
Virginia Tech
UCSB
Rutgers University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michigan State
Should I remove any of these schools? Should I add any? Thanks!
You need to narrow down and focus on what’s important. Saying I don’t care about this and that. I might want this engineering but I’m open to any…is not good.
Florida State and Florida A&M share an engineering school. It’s well thought of. Will have URMs. How are the academics, etc I don’t know.
You need way more focus. Your list is just a bit over the top with no flow. I would do Az over ASU…nicer campus.
I think learning depends on the kid. Half of engineering students drop out. I’ll tell you both my kids come up with every excuse not to seek help when they struggle. If you don’t seek help it won’t find you.
Perhaps a smaller private school or public would work for you. A rose hulman. RPI. WPI. Florida tech. Embry Riddle. Uah. Missouri science and tech. Colorado school of mines,
I didn’t look at race breakout. But you’d likely have smaller classes. My son is a junior ME at Bama and still has large classes.
All schools will offer learning accomodations as long as you can provide the appropriate documentation. Are you looking for accomodations or services? Extended time or a support program?
From your list, RIT stands out for their support programs. VaTech is well known for mental health services. I’ve also heard about UConn’s services. You could try University of Arizona (SALT), UDenver, and UVM, all offer engineering plus support programs.
If you just need need accomodations, all colleges will support you.
Maybe you could look at: geographic area, major, size, urban/rural, etc.
I would add Northeastern and Auburn to the list of schools with both good engineering programs and formal learning support programs. I agree with others that your current list is all over the place. What is your home state? Have you talked with your parents about how much you can afford? I would start with finances and run the net price calculators and go from there.
Thanks for the response! I am from Texas. We’ve talked a little bit but now on depth. I’ve gotten a couple merit-based scholarships from my competitions and I’m currently in the process of calculating finances.
Also agree with the others who suggest nailing down your budget first and foremost. Run the NPCs and cull your list of the schools that aren’t affordable.
What do you mean by support services? Tutoring, help rooms, etc type stuff or supports for disabilities?
Do you want a co-op program like at Northeastern? If so, look at Cincinnati, Drexel, and Purdue.
If you want small like Olin, take a look at Rose Hulman.
I’d strike Dartmouth off the list if you are interested in engineering. If you want an Ivy reach, switch it out for Cornell.
Ok so support programs… there are different varieties. The best ones seem to be fee based, although likely worth it. You would have weekly check-ins, instruction related to executive functioning or specific LD, and trained helpers (rather than peer).
OP since you are from Texas, all the California UC’s will be full pay at $67K/year currently to attend. They offer no need-based financial aid for OOS students and very limited to no merit aid. Same can be said for Cal Poly SLO although price tag is lower than the UC’s at around $47K+/year.
Definitely figure out budget then you can eliminate schools from your list based on what you and your parents are willing to pay.
So any large school also has support services. I would make a list of services you need and contact some of your list once narrowed down and get a sense of what they provide to help you. Since your not stating (and that’s fine), of course larger schools will have busses to go to one area of campus VS another. If that’s too difficult on a daily basis maybe eliminate large schools. If it’s a learning disability, almost all school would have help in that but some just do a better job then others. Smaller is not always better.
So, I would narrow down this first then pick the school from that list. Many engineering students come in as undecided. Some schools make you pick by major but some let you transfer into another major easily and some not.
The U of Arizona has awesome merit and the Honors dorm has a gym and mental health center adjacent. Not sure if it offers academic support but certainly support.
Most colleges have academic and emotional support but you have to seek it out. Too many kids don’t.
The University of Arizona’s SALT center is one of the top academic support programs for LD students in the country. All around great school suggestion for this student.
How do you suggest that I narrow down my list? Do you mean the factors or the colleges? Or both?