Help me find a good enough engineering college (aerospace) and scholarships [CT resident, 3.42 UW, 1330 SAT]

College Majors Engineering Majors
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I wouldn’t say I’m the average engineering student on this site. My GPA is pretty mediocre 3.42 with a mix of honors, regular, and AP classes and my SAT is a 1330 with a 700 in math and 630 in English.

I’ve taken math, chemistry, French, history, and English honors in 9th grade, dropped to only honors in English + AP European history for sophomore year. Did AP psych (which I hated) in 11th and AP calc, honors English, and AP physics 1 and 2 this year. Normally honors students switch to AP Bio in sophomore year and AP physics in junior year and take AP chem or AP Physics C in senior year but I really didn’t want to risk my AP bio/AP physics grade and take it unprepared. I did struggle with the fast pace of honors/AP classes which is why I didn’t really wanna take them so I have Bs, B-, C’s in pretty much all of them. Got a 4 on my AP euro exam and didn’t wanna do my AP psych exam

But these are my grades for my science/math courses:

Honors chem (9th): C+
Regular Biology (10th): A- (this was an ez class tbh but I struggled with bio un 6th grade so much)
Regular physics (11th): B+
AP physics so far: C+

Honors Algebra 1 (8th grade): A
Honors Geometry (9th): C+
Algebra II: B+
Precalc: B
AP calc AB: D

Yes I’m aware that this isnt the best scores for an engineering student but I have no other option since I have no real experience with athletics or visual/performance arts. Terrible at writing in general (liberal arts majors), bad memorization skills (biology) and hated chemistry. Law and economics are a no go for me too, I’ve prepped math and physics for my whole life and took a ton of STEM electives.

I also have very average EC’s nothing too extrardinary:
-is a tennis coach and do tennis recreationally (I’m average at this sport so I was teaching beginners)
-did art recreationally and attended art club at my school. Also volunteered at an art camp, I’m not artistic mastermind so my art skills are very average.
-robotics club in 9th grade
-got in NHS but that’s all
-worked as a volunteer at vacation bible school for 1 summer
-tutored special needs kids at a behavior school

I need a good engineering college that will give me a good paying job (since I am planning on living single) Preferably on the east coast or southwest. My parents made me sign up for Purdue Engineering even though it’s almost as competitive as Ivy League engineering. My Counselor told me NC state and Virginia tech would be good despite those being very competitive too.I’ve pretty much settled @ Rutgers and Texas A&M being my target schools and Embry Riddle and University of Arizona being safety schools. I’m considering University of Central Florida too (but I heard it’s kind of competitive).

And yes Umass and UConn are available but they don’t have aerospace engineering, my parents say if I get into UConn/Umass do Computer science but I have no coding experience besides scratch :confused:

I can’t even find good scholarships bcuz the cut off is 3.5 GPA and my family makes more than 100k per year.

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There’s a lot of stuff to address in this post. But I’ll ask some questions that are important for us to know in order to help you.

  1. What state do you live in?

  2. How much can your parents contribute per year for your college education?

  3. Forget for a moment about what everyone else wants and your limitations – what careers are appealing to you?

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With those stats, there’s not “good enough” - there’s just good. What you need is ABET accreditation - not a name. And you can do MechE like my kid and still get aero - my kid had two offers. Your parents are wrong about the name part - and I’d go to Arizona vs. those you mentioned - and I don’t think Rutgers or A&M are necessarily targets.

Schools like Alabama, UAH, MIss State, W Michigan, WVU, Florida Tech, Iowa State are wonderful, Arizona - but yes, your GPA is too low for scholarships. My kid turned down Purdue for Bama and works with Michigan, Purdue, Case Western grads. Wichita State is another good one. I do worry - engineering has a high fail rate and if you struggle at math, it will be hard.

What’s your budget?

Here are the ABET aero schools.

School Name
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama
Auburn University
Tuskegee University
Arizona State University
The University of Arizona
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State University, Long Beach
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
Naval Postgraduate School
San Diego State University
San Jose State University
University of Southern California
University of Southern California
University of Colorado Boulder
United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
University of Central Florida
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Florida Institute of Technology
University of Florida
University of Miami
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Illinois Institute of Technology
University of Notre Dame
Purdue University at West Lafayette
Iowa State University of Science and Technology
The University of Kansas
Wichita State University
Capitol Technology University
University of Maryland College Park
United States Naval Academy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Michigan
Western Michigan University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Mississippi State University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Saint Louis University
Southern New Hampshire University
Princeton University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Mexico State University
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Clarkson University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Syracuse University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Air Force Institute of Technology
Air Force Institute of Technology
The University of Akron
Case Western Reserve University
University of Cincinnati
Kent State University
The Ohio State University
Oklahoma State University
University of Oklahoma
Pennsylvania State University
University of South Carolina
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Texas A&M University
The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
University of Virginia
University of Washington
West Virginia University

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Hi, I live in CT, both my parents work in IT and we get a salary of 120k I think I’ll be able to pay off loans with the help of my parents but I do need scholarships. As for my career, aerospace engineering seemed the most interesting because I love designing things and have an interest in space travel. I also want a shot at going to space someday and making space travel a more everyday thing

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So will your parents be able to contribute any money for college, or are you planning on financing it 100% with scholarships and loans?

Depending on the details of your parents’ finances, you may qualify for some need-based aid, but it is unlikely to cover everything. You are only allowed to take out $27K in loans for your entire degree, which is ~$6500 per year.

Are you interested in aviation in general? Do you like to work with your hands on things or do you prefer more desk work?

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What have your parents told you they can contribute annually to your college costs?

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My parents want me to find as much scholarships that are available to me as possible, but in the case I can’t find any they will pay all the money. I do prefer hands on jobs over desk work but desk work won’t kill me if it means I get paid more. I am pretty good at hands on design and manufacturing my only issue is that it doesn’t pay as well. And no, I don’t have interest in aviation in general, mainly aerospace and adapting to extreme climates

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They said that I should aim to find as much scholarships that I could get but in the case that I don’t find any or too little money, they will pay off the loan for me.

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Are you currently a senior?

It’s pretty important to get at least an approximate number from them. You need to find out ASAP if they will be paying ANY of your bills during college or not. If all they can contribute is to pay off your loans later, you’ll be limited to a budget of $6500/year plus whatever you can earn working during breaks.

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Who is going to take out the loan? As an example, you can take $5500 in federally funded Direct Loans for your freshman year. Any loans in excess of that will either require your parents to co-sign, or take out themselves. Will they do that?

If you fully fund a public university at $35,000 a year (and that would be your instate public if it costs about that), you would have $140,000 in loans after four years. Payments would be in excess of $1400 a month. Your parents should not have to do that.

If they think they can fund $1400 a month, they should start putting that money aside every month and see if that is sustainable.

What year are you in high school?

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That’s not a answer - find more scholarships.

So you need a #.

Can they and are they willing to pay $30,000 a year?

$40,000

$50,000

You can either earn scholarships - or attend a lower priced school to begin with.

For example, for tuition, room and board, UAH, which is strong in aero is $37,000.

You would get $13,670 in merit - so your cost would be under $24,000.

You can’t say - they tell me to get scholarships. You need a budget - and then can find schools to fit the budget.

UAH - Admission & Aid - Freshman Out-of-State Academic Scholarships

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Senior year, my parents have been saving a lot of money for my college tuition but yet to get an answer on how much they will pay since I’m still early in the application process. I’m hoping they can pay at least 45% of the tuition since that’s the average

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Haven’t decided on the total budget but anything less than 35k is fine as for finding schools that’s the hard part… engineering is a competitive major and I want to attend a well known university so at least when I graduate college I will get employed immediately… issue is that my high school performance is very average and even if I wanted to switch majors I have no experience in art school, the visual arts, athletics… , liberal arts I despise writing essays and bad with literature and struggled with my honors English and AP history classes. Law and business are too extroverted for me. Only other options I can think of is computer science/engineering (which might be a W for me since u can work from anywhere) but I don’t have any experience in programming. As for medicine, I dropped that off back in middle school when I struggled with biology

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You need to find a school that is a giis fit for you not a name brand. You make the school not vice versa. It seems there are many classes you don’t like and don’t do great in it plus you haven’t done great in math classes. Get extra help with your teachers and see if your parents can afford a tutor for you now. College regardless where you go will be much harder then what your doing now in school. Schools like Iowa State are great for engineering but not easy by any means.

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I have a tutor that preps me before unit exams, study around 4-5 hours before a test and still do poorly, however I tend to cram since it’s hard to keep up with AP paces.

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Setting aside admissions chances, the estimated yearly cost of attendance at the schools on your list are too high for everything except U Conn, which is $35K if you live on campus. Maybe UCF could be close.

The name doesn’t really matter in engineering. You don’t need an aero major – just do mechanical engineering if aero isn’t available. The most important things are:

  1. is it within your budget?
  2. is the program accredited by ABET?
  3. is the school a good fit for you? (don’t worry about name recognition)

This is all without addressing whether or not engineering is the best choice of major for you.

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You don’t have to graduate from a “well known university” to get a job when you graduate. You need to do well, get some decent internships or co-op opportunities. And attend an ABET accredited program if possible…and pass your FIE exam so that you can get your PE if necessary. There are some jobs where this is required. Not bad to plan to do this even if you don’t think you will need it…because your plans might change.

Hoping some other person will chime in…but I think aerospace engineering doesn’t have to be your focus in undergrad school to get a job in that engineering field. I hope others will clarify this.

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UCONN will be cheap, I live right near Hartford only issue is that it doesn’t have my major. I will think of UCF, my aunt works near Orlando and could hook me up with some off campus housing and UCF has a tuition around 20k + a pretty good aerospace program. Also orlando seems like a lovely place to live In as I need warm weather to function. Only issue is that 36% acceptance rate but I heard a 1340 will guarantee u a place in their engineering program and 1330 is pretty close

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I think you are missing what I and others have said.

This is not correct. What you need is:

  1. ABET accreditation - and i gave you a list above.

  2. Hustle - you, not a school, will be responsible for getting a job.

I mentioned UAH a few times. Great school and in Huntsville, which is NASAs second city - and lots of space and defense there.

btw - you added schools like Texas A&M - you won’t be close to budget.

Western Michigan - very good track record. My son works with students from there- as well as Michigan and Purdue - back to the point that you need ABET - not a name. It’s all in under $35K.

Run the West Virginia scholarship estimator.

Wichita State is about $35K.

Kent State is $35K.

Mississippi State mid 20s.

You have lots of options.

These schools will all graduate successful engineers.

Your math grade is concerning - engineering is math, math and more math.

Good luck.

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UConn has mechanical engineering.

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