Looking for input both financially and academically and really anything anyone would like to add. Cons that come to mind are that UAH and ND would be far away. Northeastern is urban and that would be a new experience! RPI, Clarkson and NU may be too $$. I ran the NPC for ND and it came in around 16k. I think we would qualify for Excelsior for SUNY.
Thanks!
^^^ I agree. Normally the most helpful comments on CC encourage students to look to more matches and safeties. In this case, though, the stats are very strong and some of the most competitive schools are also the wealthiest (like Harvard). So applying to a couple of these, which are good fits, might result in a possibility that is also affordable.
You can google “colleges that meet full financial need.” They might come up short of that claim, but it’s a start. Looking quickly, Cornell, Tufts, and UVA seem like possibilities that are on this list. UVA might not work well financially as an OOS but worth a look. Cornell and Tufts definitely though, if they appeal. Rochester too.
Have you looked at WPI? We loved that one the best of all the STEM schools up in the Northeast, but maybe that’s just us. He’d be in line for merit aid at WPI, though I’m not sure it would be enough. Good luck!
Thank you! WPI was on the radar - will revisit that idea. Should have mentioned he was turned down by Cornell ED so I think he feels defeated to apply to other ivies. Lafayette or Lehigh look like possibilities. Thanks everyone for your input.
It’s disappointing to receive a rejection letter. I hope he keeps in mind that it really is a numbers game at an Ivy like Cornell. We visited a tip-top LAC a few years ago. At info session, they said 70% of applicants were fully qualified and they thought they would succeed in every respect if accepted. At the time, the school accepted 14%, so 4 in 5 fully qualified students were not accepted. Just many more qualified applicants at 50-100 schools than they can accommodate, Cornell among them.
Northeastern looks more like a match than a reach. If he is top 10% in his grade, free tuition at SUNY schools for STEM majors should still be a possibility if you don’t qualify for Excelsior. Google “STEM Incentive Scholarship 2018”. We’ve interviewed/hired a number of excellent EEs from Binghamton. UVA would be a similar reach to Cornell/Tufts but meets 100% of need. I’d also look at Clemson, NC State and Virginia Tech - great engineering schools that, while they don’t meet 100% of need, have lower OOS tuition than public schools like UVA or UM. I’d also add Delaware to the list - a safety school with an honors program, good merit aid and a reputable engineering program.
Perhaps apply to SUNY Buffalo Honors?
I second Lafayette, Lehigh, URochester, WPI, and agree Northeastern is more of a match than a reach.
What about Union?
He could try for a long shot and Yale Engineering.