What about RIT? Could be a fit socially and not a stretch in terms of admissions.
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Great suggestions! Thanks!
What is her UW GPA? Does she have any AP scores that might strengthen her application in lieu of the ACT?
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This is why I mention UAH (solid, city-ish), smaller…and WPI although both have Greek life. Florida Tech could work as well.
The reality is with a 4.3 weighted, even TO, Brown, Vandy and RPI are not going to happen. Cal Tech…no way.
I would say about large colleges - today you have Honors Colleges - and don’t forget, you can go to a big school (say Pitt) and still have it be small. The same can’t be said for a small school - you can’t make it big.
Even without an Honors College, you can find your people at all schools.
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Well, I did say major reach. If they are applying to 15 schools and it is the biggest reach (and the student is in love with the school) then I don’t see that it is a problem.
I do agree with your last post for the most part though. If the list has Brown, Vandy, Cal Tech and several other real competitive schools then that is not being realistic.
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Yes, I agree to have reaches is smart - but the initial list provided was Vandy and Brown - and you can be the perfect student and denied there.
Then people were listing Case and Rochester - I just don’t see it - but that’s my opinion.
So when you threw out Cal Tech - that was the other way.
My concern is that the OP does not have a realistic list - and should be including schools, like it was mentioned - RIT or Drexel or Pitt or UAH or others that are small near a city.
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I think we mostly agree. I just said Cal Tech because it fit all the stated boxes.
I agree with others that the schools you mentioned are mostly very high reaches, and that we need to know the UW gpa and which AP classes(and what scores) has she had. Since it is a private prep school, what does the college counselor say? Do they have Naviance or similar, so she can see realistically where her Gpa and ACT fit with regard to her school’s admission track record? A good counselor can be very helpful in creating a well -balanced list with realistic expectations, and then she can spend some time researching matches and safeties and finding fits in that group.
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Is she currently attending the prep school? If so, what does her counselor there say? That would provide a much clearer picture on colleges that admit students from your daughter’s high school with her stats.
Has she toured any schools?
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If she’s open to women’s colleges look at Agnes Scott. She’d get merit.
You could look at NC State or VA Tech or UNC-Asheville. They have a program where you go to UNC-A for the first two years of engineering and then transfer to NC State.
Just curious, what does the math and science portion of her ACT look like? Is she high there and low in English and Reading? My D22 has an unbalanced 28 ACT but in the other direction with high reading (36) and English (32) and low math (18) and middling’ science (24) but she is not looking for prestige and wants to major in creative writing. She’d be delighted to never take another math class in her life!
What state are you in? That might help with her options.
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Look at Drexel, WPI, and RIT.
Definitely schedule a meeting with the schools’ college counselor to get a read on the range for matches and big reaches and her likelihood of acceptance. This time of year there is always a lot of talk. The reality is prestige fades as seniors figure out more about fit and the reality of how elusive some of the top schools are to get into. She needs to apply to a range of colleges. If she applies Test optional she will need to have other things to help her stand out at selective or highly selective colleges.
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Maybe Smith? Engineering | Smith College It isn’t near a large city, but the presence of 5 colleges in the area make it much livelier than you might expect.
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Here is a list of test optional schools:
FairTest | The National Center for Fair and Open Testing
She might want to look at the Colleges that Change Lives website for ideas.
Regarding prestige, she needs to know that the focus should not be on where she gets in, but instead on the experience once there.
How do you explain a gap between the ACT and her grades? Does she have test anxiety? Does she have an unrecognized need for accommodations? Is a rigorous workload stressful for her?
We don’t know anything about her except for stats. For schools she seems interested in, extracurriculars may be an important factor.
For engineering she might like Olin. It is very selective, on a par with MIT. Near Boston, small, project-based and on the test optional list.
No college is going to be full of reserved low key kids. And yes most college students stay on campus most of the time. As a parent I would do everything possible to counter the school culture, which emphasizes brand names. In other words: she might want to revise her criteria.
Would she be interested in an all-girls’ school? Smith was mentioned…
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Maybe I’m in the minority here but I think your D needs to aim a little lower. A few reaches are good but she would most likely be in the lowest quartile based on ACT. Engineering is tough. Is that a recipe for success? What are her math and science ACT scores?
Drexel and Temple in Philly. Maybe Pitt. Cincinnati? If she would consider other sciences, math or CS maybe DePaul in Chicago. Both sons liked the school and loved Chicago.
Adding Dayton and St. Louis U. Some of these are Catholic but that shouldn’t be a put off. Most are middle to liberal, especially Jesuit schools.
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I wouldn’t put RPI in the same “no way” category, especially for a girl. My daughter got more than 20K/year in merit from RPI with a 4.34 and a 1480/32. Whether it’s a fit or not is another question (OP’s D is only “considering” engineering), but I think it’s a possible admit.
Agree that Vandy, Brown, Caltech are all wildly unlikely. Tulane wants ED applications and doesn’t seem like it fits the desired social profile at all.
Smith was my first thought, too. Their house system could be a great fit for a low-key kid who doesn’t want Greek life. STEM is strong, including engineering. Checks the prestige box.
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Seconding Smith!
Beside engineering, is she interested in physics? Math (applied?) Data Science ? CS?
Also, keep in mind listing college names everyone has heard of is just… a sign her peers haven’t researched colleges very much. It’s easy to list colleges everyone has heard of, it’s much harder to find good fits, as your title implies, so you’re on the right track. 
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I also Vote for RIT. Rochester is not a huge city, but is a city. Very little Greek life, Strong Engineering , and has a great co-op program. Its not prestige , in that they have a high admissions rate, but the classwork is extremely challenging once there. They offer an engineering exploration track
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Sorry. Not sure how I equalized RPI. Especially as a female there is a chance. My bad. Thx for correcting.
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We’ll said! The fit means everything to me as a parent.
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