Looking for college fits please help.

College Search & Selection
1

Ok, so I am getting my common app completed for a few colleges on my list, but need to increase my list if possible.

I am looking for good fits.

I am interested in colleges with 8000+ students (the larger the better), near or in a city, with some nice areas of green lawns.

My abbreviated stats would be a composite ACT score of 31 and superscore of 32. My GPA is now up to a 3.8 UW with 12 AP classes and almost every other class being an honors level. My band and spanish classes were not honors until Junior year.

I have about 50+ hours of volunteering in our local hospital. My ECs are nothing like those that post on here usually, just average I would say. I also have played varsity tennis for four years.

I am from PA and have already applied to Pitt (accepted) and Penn State (not my favorite place, but in-state so applied).

I am looking for some OOS and in-state schools to apply to: public or private.

Currently thinking of engineering track and computer science. However, I also like the idea of animal science and political science. So I really am all over and undecided on majors.

Finances are always something you have to consider and my family’s income is around 100K and they feel about 25,000 - 30K is my max. Merit schools would be great if available.

I know that Alabama gives a very good scholarship, but concerned about their engineering ranking.

Also, Ohio State I am told is generous to OOS students with my stats. I will apply there as well before the November 1 EA deadline.

I have no hooks, so that is not an option for me.

Can you help me increase my list?

2

How about Northeastern?

3

^I had a cousin who went to Northeastern. She had nothing but good things to say.

4

I saw that you said you were looking at Alabama. If you are open to large schools in the South, I would take a look at Auburn. You said that you were concerned about Alabama’s engineering ranking. Alabama’s school is currently ranked 104, while Auburn’s is ranked 68. Auburn also has a strong agricultural and animal science background if you changed to an animal science major. My school, Mississippi State, is similar to Auburn, is known for agriculture and animal science, and has an engineering school ranked slightly higher than Alabama’s, but it’s pretty hard convincing people to move to Mississippi :). I know that Auburn waives out of state tuition for a 32 ACT score, but I am not sure if they count superscores or not. I would also look at Clemson. Unfortunately my suggestions are limited to one region.

5

Check out Minnesota – it’s in the Twin Cities yet has a nice campus with the Mississippi river running through it. Also strong in all the subjects you described, with some scholarships for OOS. You’d have the best chance at scholarships if you applied to the Animal Science program. Then you could minor in CS or look into other options to combine the interests.

6

Rankings mean nothing for engineering programs. A large company does not pay a different salary to an engineer from Pitt vs one from Bama (or Northwestern).

7

@“Erin’s Dad” yes, but companies recruit differently based off of ranking.

So ranking will definitely play a roll into what opportunities a graduate may have.

8

Recruiting is done nationally or locally. Large companies look at schools across the country and have open recruiting. Smaller companies tend to recruit locally. There are certain fields like IB that recruit at more select colleges. Otherwise no difference between an Alabama and whatever you perceive as a more prestigious school.

9

@“Erin’s Dad” So in your opinion and the others on CC, would Alabama give the same opportunity in engineering to all graduates that Georgia Tech and Penn State would give? The same employment rate and same wage rate?

10

Any other colleges others would suggest?

11

@superk25 The answer would be, “yes”…same employment and SAME wage. However, you wrote “all graduates”. All eng’g graduates of PSU and GT don’t have the “same” opps. Some Bama, GT and PSU grads will have very modest grades and few will want to hire any of them.


[QUOTE=""]
companies recruit differently based off of ranking.

[/QUOTE]

No, they don’t. Do you realize that most hiring managers probably have NO CLUE what the ranking is for most schools? And why would they care what some magazine has assigned as a ranking? Who died and made that mag the ranking god that others must bow to?

The point is…you don’t have to fear about opportunities. Before my H retired, he regularly interviewed Purdue grads, GT grads, Alabama grads, UAH grads, UTenn grads, Miss St grads, etc… He had no problems with any of them. When we lived in Calif, he interviewed, CSULB, CSUF, CPP, SLO, UCLA, Cal, Santa Clara, San Jose, etc, grads…and again, no problems with any of them.

eng’g rankings are rather meaningless. Recruiting is largely regional, and the state of Alabama is home to the second largest research park in the nation…Cummings Research Park. No problem for UA eng’g grads getting highly paid positions. Not at all.

The nice thing about engineering is that there are SO MANY very good programs in the US…well over 200!!

This country and each state has a vested interest in having several schools in virtually every state that have quality ABET-accredited eng’g programs.

The simple truth is that this country has such a high need for high-tech engineers that we can’t depend on only a handful of schools to produce them.

Heck, the state of Calif alone has over 25 schools with very good eng’g programs.

Virtually any established good school, particularly state schools, will have very good eng’g programs. They have to.

<<<
Finances are always something you have to consider and my family’s income is around 100K and they feel about 25,000 - 30K is my max.


[QUOTE=""]

[/QUOTE]

Unless your parents have a college fund for you, an income of around $25k per year probably cannot pay $25k-30 per year for 4 years. That is just too much of their “take home” pay unless they’re living rent-free somewhere.

Did your parents actually say that they will pay $25k-30k per year (without loans)? Please get clarification from them. Make sure that they’ve really considered this obligation. Do you have any younger siblings?

Ask your parents if they can pay $2500 a month for 48 straight months towards your college costs. If they say, “no”, then ask them how much they can pay EACH month for 48 months.

Unless your parents have a healthy college fund for you, I would be VERY leery about committing to a school that requires them to pay $20k+ per year…otherwise, it’s very likely you would have to leave your school before you graduated…and then your merit opportunities would be gone.

Alabama is probably the highest ranked school that would have the lowest net cost for you.

As an eng’g major, you would get free tuition plus 2500 per year. Your net cost per year would be about $13k per year.

THAT would be an affordable safety for you.

12

I do have Alabama on my list to apply for.

I was hoping to get a few other colleges, so I may have some choices when the time comes.

13

<<<
I know that Auburn waives out of state tuition for a 32 ACT score,


[QUOTE=""]

[/QUOTE]

@futuredoc96

No, they don’t.

The following OOS award has been in place for many years at Auburn:

Requires a 31-32 ACT or 1360-1430 SAT score and a minimum 3.5 high school GPA for consideration.
Awarded at $48,000 over four years ($12,000 per year).

$12k per year is less than half tuition. The OOS tuition is about $26k per year. COA is about $47k.

14

Northeastern, UMinnesota Twin Cities, NYU Tandon (IF they’ve kept Polytech’s FA policy), UDel,

An issue is that few universities in the 8,000-20,000 range will offer either full tuition scholarships or sufficient financial aid. With a 100K income, your best bet may well be ~100% need colleges like Lafayette or Franklin&Marshall but they’re smaller.

You’re unlucky because PA has very high costs for instate at its flagships AND lousy financial aid.