Some great questions have been raised. My daughter has higher
Highest ACT math 27, science 27, reading 34 and English 31
Lots of engineering in the family. Father owned and sold an engineering business —brother is majoring in engineering. Her natural abilities are in writing and calc ab is very tough this year. She wants to make a good living and help the environment. Trying to figure out the fit in many areas. Based on these facts if you have other ideas please let me know. I will keep working with the college advisors. My daughter rejected their safety schools so was looking for other ideas. Many thanks! Btw we are in the south.
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Look at UVM-- a LOT of environmentally oriented/make a difference kids there. Burlington is not a big city but it’s very walkable, has cute restaurants and a nice “urban but not crowded” feel to it.
What are the rejected safety schools? that might prompt some other ideas…
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Did your DD consider schools such as RPI, Virginia Tech, Vassar (used to have a dual degree program), Bryn Mars College (has partnered with other colleges for engineering and applied science), Wellesley partners with Olin College of Engineering.
Budget would also be helpful.
What is your state?
If she’s struggling with calc AB maybe she needs to reevaluate.
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The schools under discussion are not safety schools. What schools did your D reject and why?
I think you need a reset on this process. Instead of thinking about reach schools your D needs to get realistic and practical. Focus should be on two safeties and 3-4 match schools. Tours should be for those schools.
Is your daughter truly excited about an engineering degree? Will her application support that? Does she have relevant ECs?
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So family culture and worries about making a living are driving the idea of engineering. Sorry, I think an engineering program may be a disaster for her. There is nothing wrong with majoring in humanities- English, history, American studies etc. etc. or maybe she could do a BA in something environmental- but stay away from the science side.
How about College of the Atlantic? College of the Atlantic (coa.edu)
Has she considered Clark U. IN Worcester?
She seems like a kid who might benefit from entering a school undecided and doing some academic exploration. Humanities students are still getting jobs!
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What is her unweighted GPA? What AP classes did she take? What engineering if she’s not a math kid? My dad graduated Princeton with a chemical engineering degree, my sister and I were English majors (and my kids are very math/science). Maybe that’s the fit problem?
It sounds like your daughter is a bright student who is feeling some peer pressure about prestigious schools. I’d let her apply to whatever reach schools she wants to making sure she knows it is a reach, but there’s no point in just dashing her dreams. Let her have them and warn her that they might not work out, but it’s okay to dream.
Then I would concentrate on finding some true safeties that she is definitely likely to get in and affordable for you that she loves.
UNC-Asheville could be a good match. They have little Greek presence (no houses, 2 frats, 2 sororities that meet in the student union). I wouldn’t say the students there are reserved, but they are pretty chill. Asheville is a fun city. UNC-A does have that program with NC State college of Engineering. 2+2 Engineering Program - Engineering
Agnes Scott could be another good match if she’s open to a women’s college. They have dual degree engineering programs with Georgia Tech and Emory. Engineering (Dual Degree) | Majors | Agnes Scott College
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UNC Wilmington? USF in Tampa. Maybe Rollins or Trinity in Texas.
Disagree. Why spend time on applying to schools where she is not a fit and has almost no chance of acceptance?
The best way to spend time is to find schools where she will thrive and can be truly excited about.
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Or worse. Gets accepted and is in over her head.
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Because if they are affordable and she has the time and energy to apply to them then why not? As long as you have a good list of safeties and targets too and get those apps in what’s the harm? You are honoring her desires and listening to her. Seems to me that is more valuable than squashing her dreams. Who knows, she might get in test optional!
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Perhaps she listed Engineering because of the family environment - h
How about a major in environmental science + minor in public policy? (matches)
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https://wp.stolaf.edu/environmental-studies/
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https://wp.stolaf.edu/encon/
U Vermont would be a good match, too. Some prestige due to its being chosen by prep school students. Costs are high though.
Or Information Technology? (reach, match, safety)
If highest math ACT is 27 and Calc AB is “very tough”, suggestions such as Vandy, Brown, Caltech, Tulane are neither good fits nor reachable reaches. Engineering is possible but at selective but supportive institutions (like Smith) or at less competitive universities.
Seconding College of the Atlantic (safety), UNC Asheville (match), Agnes Scott (match).
The first 2 schools your daughter needs to find are the safety schools: she must want to go there so they must share some characteristics with her favorite schools, be sure things (ie., admit 50% applicants, ACT 28 is at/above top 25% threshold), and be affordable (run the NPC).
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If set on engineering look at schools with environmental engineering degrees. Also maybe consider other degrees like environmental sustainability, conservation, environmental chemistry, renewable energy management, environmental design, environmental science etc.
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Love this! Thank you!
Have you taken a look at the Brown application? I have. To do these applications well takes a lot of time and research.
This is a young adult who will need to learn that just because a friend applies to a school it doesn’t mean they should. The real heartache will come when the student hasn’t developed a solid list of schools to get truly excited about and is faced with few options.
This kind of advice, to romanticize the process, is a true disservice. Please OP, recalibrate your thinking. What is truly exciting is to watch your child find a real fit school.
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So many helpful ideas!! Thank you! I feel encouraged!
Agreed that there are likely many ways to “make a difference” to the environment without being an engineer.
With the ACT math and science scores listed, and the struggle with Calc AB, I think she is heading for a miserable time in college if she enters an Engineering program, and that is not going to make for a fulfilling career. Work with her strengths!
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In addition to reading/writing, is she also strong in visual-spatial areas (ranging from visual arts to more technical forms of visual representation such as maps, charts, and other forms of data representation)?
There are lots of opportunities for environmentally-oriented people who can acquire a useful STEM skill-set without going to the extreme of a full-blown engineering program. Studying landscape architecture is one example. Adding a strong GIS specialization to an environmental studies/science degree is another. There are also general data science/analytics majors that are designed to pair the data analytics skills with a specialization in another academic area of the student’s choice, and environmental science/studies is one possible focus.
From your description, she really doesn’t sound to me like someone who’s going to end up in a traditional engineering major… and that’s not the only way to gain marketable skills. I agree that UVM is a great place for a lot of the possibilities I mentioned above. Denison is great for data analytics, and is just outside Columbus. Allegheny is also terrific for all things environmental and also has an Integrative Informatics major that pairs well with environmental studies. (More remote than she wants though, location-wise.)
I agree that CWRU could be a great fit if she wants urban+prestige+flexibility (open door policy in terms of majors).
If you’re interested in west coast, my daughter had similar interests, attended Scripps College and majored in environmental analysis (off-campus major through Pomona, although there are more and more EA classes being offered through Scripps because of growing interest). There are many classes taught by landscape architects and GIS specialists, and Scripps has developed a data science minor that would be a great complement as well.
The U of Colorado Boulder school of Environmental Design is worth a look. It’s a small school within the large university - great intimate and supportive program. All first-years take the same foundational courses, and then they branch off into their track of choice - architecture, landscape architecture, environmental product design, or sustainable planning and urban design. This was another program my daughter considered, and she later met a friend at a summer arch intensive who attended there and spoke highly of the program. There are related living-learning programs that allow students to live with others who share their interests.
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