<p>@consolation:
tufts is definitely a reach for me, but right now it’s my top school, i loved it. Lehigh and bucknell are on my list too; I’m a bit concerned about the large greek scene at those colleges, i’m not planning on joining, and would prefer drinking/“partying” with a small group of friends rather than a large group of strangers. Wesleyan looks good, but I’d like to go to a school that at least offers engineering to keep my options open.
what’s “a significant FA”?</p>
<p>Significant financial aid.</p>
<p>Greek scenes do not mean that you are partying with large groups of strangers; if anything, for most people it means that you are partying with a more consistent group of people and you know them. I have seen both pros and cons to Greek life. It varies VERY widely from campus to campus and even from house to house, and you should keep an open mind and investigate the differences before making any decisions about school selection and/or possible pledging.</p>
<p>It’s all part of keeping your options open, which I agree is an excellent goal. :)</p>
<p>BTW, you might want to look into Clark in Massachusetts, too. They have a 3/2 engineering program with Columbia, and it seems like a school that might suit you. I think they would be a safety for you, unless the 3/2 program has separate admissions.</p>
<p>my parents are willing to pay up to 50,000 or so, but preferably much less. I think they’d pay for college anywhere where they think the price is worth the quality.
the 3/2 engineering program looks pretty good, and opens up a lot of colleges that I’d otherwise cross off. it seems that I’d have to do the work of 4 years in 3 years, however… would the 3/2 engineering program be more intense than a traditional 4 year program? also, I’d be worried about not getting the “college” experience as well with this type of program
Thank you!!</p>
<p>can’t edit twice, sorry for double post.
my gpa is 3.8 unweighted, and my courseload is full of the AP’s and honors academic classes that the majority of “smart” people take, while the overachievers (said lovingly) take two AP sciences junior/senior year, but they are in the minority; I think only 2 people out of 250-ish did that.</p>
<p>My S1 is a freshman at Tufts now. He loves it!</p>
<p>He had many intense schools on his list (Cornell is super intense, JHU, CMU, Penn, etc.) However the one school that was laid back that we also loved was URochester. The kids that we spoke to were all really friendly and down to earth. The professors that we had meetings with were awesome. It’s in a very pretty area, right by the water. However it does get really cold, there, but they do have underground tunnels for wintertime.</p>
<p>Check it out! It’s supposed to be great for engineering and related areas!</p>
<p>I think you should look into Bucknell. It is a bit smaller in student body than you wanted (about 3500), yet has a very highly ranked engineering program. (Top 10 ranked in US by USNews for undergrad engineering for schools with an undergraduate emphasis.) It also has another professional major (business) and is still a top ranked LAC.</p>
<p>It is greek heavy. But you can thrive as an independent. My D is doing so.</p>
<p>Definitely look at Rochester! Great school, strong over a broad range of academic and artistic areas.</p>
<p>BTW, Rochester reportedly likes to feel the love. Try to either visit, or interview with one of their traveling adcoms this fall. You can find their schedules on the Rochester web site. And Rochester does give merit aid as well as need-based, so you may have a chance of getting some $$ even if your family makes too much to qualify for need-based aid.</p>
<p>My S was accepted, but never visisted.</p>