Help!....Sifting through the massive amounts of choices

College Search & Selection
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<p>Lately it has just been a complete swamp on trying to figure out what major would be best, what colleges would be worth applying to, etc. etc. etc.</p>

<p>With many EA deadlines coming up, and with some colleges having their majority of merit-based scholarship money at that date it's been a real stress. </p>

<p>A little bit about my search:</p>

<p>I intend to go into engineering, more specifically renewable energy technologies (designing, researching new ways to harness, make our processes more efficient, storage, etc.). Choosing a major had been a big worry, but now I have kind of narrowed it down to ME, EE, materialsE, and some similar (any other suggestions to look into?)
My next point I guess is my achievements. Coming from a small town I'm different than the average student looking into this type of route, but I have a 4.0, 35 act with a 9 writing, first in my class, and am super involved with FBLA, XC and Track (the last two I am interested in continuing in college, but that's beside the point). </p>

<p>Money isn't a super huge factor. Obviously getting the best deal on a college is important, and paying 45000+ a year is out of question. My family is middle class so I would likely get some financial aid to assist, I just don't know how much. </p>

<p>Some other preferences I guess would be a larger setting, preferably 4000+ enrollment (I want to diversify a bit), and I'd be up for anywhere: Southwest, West, Northeast, east, Midwest.
I'm from Nebraska, and will be/have applied to UNL, Iowa State, Colorado school of mines, and also MIT. </p>

<p>I don't want to limit myself to those four though, as two are pretty selective. </p>

<p>The amount of different options available really is overwhelming. So I could use some help. What are some recommendations for the route I am proposing?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>With number like that, you should track down every top engineering program that offers merit. Off the top of my head, that would start with Ohio State, Alabama, Case Western, and Rochester. There’s even Olin or Cooper Union, though I’m not sure how they would fit in with your career goals and they are rather small, but low cost. I’m sure there are other that will be reported shortly. Some of those merit deadlines are Nov. 1 (Ohio State), so you’re going to have to move quickly, but you should certainly be able to get the deal you are seeking. </p>

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<p>Actually, money is a factor. You are applying to OOS publics who will expect your family to pay. They won’t care what your EFC is. They don’t meet need, especially for OOS students. </p>

<p>OOS publics charge high rates for a reason…your parents don’t pay taxes there. It doesn’t make sense for them to charge high prices and then have to dig into their small FA wallet and hand out a bunch of money to cover those high costs. They expect OOS students to pay those costs. Their state residents aren’t going to pay your way.</p>

<p>However, some schools will give you merit for your stats if they’re high enough for those schools. Iowa St will likely give you some merit. Don’t know how much they’ll give you. Don’t know if UNL gives much. </p>

<p>With your stats, Alabama would give you FREE tuition plus 2500 per year. Your family or you would have to cover the rest…about $12k per year. Alabama would be a good safety for you. Alabama has ABET-accredited programs in all of your listed E disciplines. But you must apply before the Dec deadline. Alabama has a beautiful and state of the art new Science and Engineering Complex. </p>

<p>you need to ask your parents how much they’ll pay. That will largely determine where you should apply. </p>

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<p>As @mom2collegekids‌ says, the University of Alabama is any excellent choice. At a minimum it is a fantastic safety, both financially and academically. Probably would cost your family far less than UNL.
<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Otherwise, it is better to apply to private universities instead of publics because privates are far more likely to give merit scholarships. Take a look at:

  • Johns Hopkins in Maryland
  • Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh
  • Northwestern University near Chicago</p>

<p>With scholarships, some of these might cost about the same as UNL or less.</p>

<p>Since you are interested MIT, take a look also at their rival Cal Tech. Look into Harvey Mudd, also in California. They might be smaller than you are interested in but both are elite tech schools. Harvey Mudd is part of the Claremont Consortium, which would make the school seem larger than it appears.</p>

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<p>For need-based financial aid, go to each college’s web site and search for the net price calculator to get an estimate of financial aid from that school. Do not expect a lot of financial aid from out-of-state public schools, although some, like Minnesota, Iowa State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, SUNYs, and CSUs including the Cal Polys, have out-of-state list prices significantly below $45,000 per year. If you like small engineering focused schools like Colorado Mines, the ones in New Mexico and South Dakota are much lower cost.</p>

<p>There are also large merit scholarships, up to full rides, at some colleges. You can check the lists liked to from here:
<a href=“Links to Popular Threads on Scholarships and Lower-Cost Colleges - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;