Under the box that says “enter your GPA” is a link to the calculator. It has directions, but if you;re confused @Gumbymom is a whiz. Also, make sure you’ve met the a-g requirements. Many students miss out on the visual/performing arts one. You have to meet the minimum eligibility.
Colorado School of Mines may be a match/low match. OOS cost 58k including books/personal expenses; billed costs about 55k
Try Stevens Institute of Technology. My son graduated from there last year and they gave him quite a bit of merit with similar stats as yours. Our billed costs ended up to be less than 55k. Good engineering school, probably similar to WPI.
1 Like
Just to be clear, you mean that you do not have US permanent residency (“green card”) either, but are on some kind of non-immigrant visa?
Note that Florida public schools will waive out-of-state tuition (but not give you in-state financial aid) if you graduated from a Florida high school after three years of attendance. See Florida Statutes 1009.26(12)(a) at Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine
MIT, Princeton, Columbia, and Cornell do not offer merit scholarships. If not affordable on their need-based aid, then you may want to remove them from your list. Big merit scholarships at Vanderbilt and UCB would be very high reach.
Oxford will want AP Calc BC, and at least 1 AP Physics for engineering, plus you will have to take the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT). Here’s a little info on the PAT:
and some past papers:
and here is the math syllabus you need to have covered ahead of time:
No permanent residency, my dad is on an H-1 visa. We applied for a green card 10 years ago but due to the sheer number of appliers from India, I doubt we’re gonna get one soon.
I qualify for bright futures due to my AICE Diploma and if I go to a Florida college, bright futures (if lawmakers don’t change anything) will allow me to go to any Florida college for free. I’ve also lived in Florida for most of my life, so even if Bright futures gets edited, I won’t have to pay out-of-state tuition(I have proof of Florida residence).
I put those colleges on my list mostly because of how respected they are for engineering. My new list will definitely be more grounded based on my budget and stats.
For Vanderbilt I was referring to the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, but I’m not sure if they would award that to me.
Thanks for letting me know. Next year I am taking Calc BC and AP Physics, so I should be covered there. For the PAT, should I start self studying and take it in the fall so I have the score available to put on my application?
The PAT is offered on 1 date each year- this year it is Nov 3- and is used as a major part of screening for interview invitations. It is not too soon to start figuring out where you will take it (I think FL has 3 test sites- Ft Lauderdale, Gainesville, Miami Beach). It is 100% on you to get registered on time and get yourself there.
I found a site that administers PAT near me, so that is really good. I’ll email the test center when admissions open so I can be registered. Thank you!
1 Like
super- now use your summer well to study. The PAT is hard and not having done any of the AP physics classes yet puts you on the back foot. (I’m assuming you have already done regular HS physics).
1 Like
Dig deeper. Columbia and Princeton aren’t actually that respected for undergraduate engineering. They’re not bad, but there are LOTS of schools as good or better, your state flagship for instance. Look not a “reputation,” but rather what your experience as a student will be like. How big will your classes be? Who will teach discussions and labs? What are lab facilities like? How robust are course projects and senior/capstone projects? How are the clubs? TResearch, if you’re interested? Then there are other intangibles. Do you care about location? Weather? Athletics? Support fo your hobbies, especially if they are outdoor pursuits. In short, try to figure out everything that YOU want in your experience. Engineering is VERY egalitarian. Good luck!
1 Like
@Dunshire Work on your math as well. Your UK competition will likely have maths & further maths at A level. Which AP Physics are you taking next year - Physics C or 1/2? If you do well on the PAT and get shortlisted for interview next December, you will only have one semester of Calc BC and Physics under your belt. That could prove challenging during interview, so you need to be prepared.
1 Like
Congrats on starting early.
You might consider some Canadian schools like Toronto, McGill, UBC, Waterloo. Those, or other international locations, will be (relatively) budget friendly.
Good luck.
1 Like
Next year I have a choice, on my tentative schedule I have AP Physics C currently. What is the interview like? Is it more about academics and less about extra curriculars? Thank you for helping me out.
Thanks for everything! Developing a new college list is going to be tough, but I’ll be sure to look at more than just overall rating.
2 Likes
The interview is like a cross between an exam and a lesson. For example, they will give you problems to do that are outside what you are expected to already know and see how you pull together what you do know to try and solve it. ECs are unlikely to come up .
1 Like
In order to understand rankings, you have to look at the methodology. This is what the USNWR ranking is based on: “The U.S. News & World Report Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty at peer institutions.” Those opinions are almost exclusively based on the graduate research and publications they produce. They are 100% subjective and don’t answer any of the questions I’d want to know when vetting a program. Other than the crazy rise in prices, I think they’ve been the worst thing to happen to the college search process.
2 Likes
Wow. Sounds very intense. Seems like the interview for Oxford plays a much bigger role in admissions than interviews for US colleges. I looked at a few sample interview questions and they seem very varied. Other than a thorough understanding of concepts, is there anything I can really do to prepare?