Mech Engineering College Choice

College Search & Selection
1

Hey guys,

So, it is that time of my life where I need to apply for a college that I will spend the next 4 years at. The problem is: there’s such a vast array of different schools out there, it is difficult for me to choose a portion to actually apply to. I am going to make a list of 8-10 colleges to apply to so that I have plenty of back-up plans and choices.

My current high school stats are as follows:
SAT- 1400
ACT- 30
GPA- 4.15 on a 4.0 scale
3 (Going on 4) year of cross country and track
I took part in the Center for Conservation of Leadership (I don’t know if this would help my application look better)

Although I have no idea where I want to apply, I do know some prerequisites for the college to have for me to consider it. I know for sure that I want to go into mechanical engineering and then go on into the automotive industry. So, automotive internship opportunities would be a great help. Additionally. I am more or less seeming to prefer the atmosphere that smaller colleges have- less people, smaller classes, more discussions and such (less than 15k population).

As for social life, I am not a party animal. I will probably only be going to maybe a few parties throughout the year since I prefer different types of socializing, such as clubs. One club that is necessary for a college to have, for me, is an FSAE team. It will surely give me some experience working as a team on a car to help me understand my future career even better. I am also looking to double minor in both German and Aerospace Engineering to perhaps have a better standing with the Germans in the automotive industry as well as an understanding of the aerodynamics on a car.

Obviously, there are schools such as MIT, Cal-tech, Olin College of Engineering and others that are highly prestigious, but they are also very difficult to actually get into. I don’t want to have my entire list be comprised of these types of schools because that would give me very little leeway in the event that I get a mass declination. So, some easier to get into schools would nice.

As with many others, financial aid is really important for me- a school must have good financial aid packages and meet 100% need.

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

2

Kettering U

3

There’s a formula SAE competition in Lincoln, NE, starting this Wednesday.
Here’s a list of registered teams: http://students.sae.org/cds/formulaseries/west/teams/
Here are the teams bringing electric cars: http://students.sae.org/cds/formulaseries/electric/teams/

4

If you are really into automotive engineering, with aerospace interests, and want to work in the German auto industry, you need to really look carefully at The University of Alabama. You’ll get some scholarship money with your stats, but not the big NMF or Presidential scholarship. Try to boost your ACT score to above 33 and you’ll have a good shot at higher scholarships. Alabama has the NASA robot vehicle championship crown for about 3 years in a row. They have their co-op program with Daimler Benz which also incorporates a rigorous German language program, study and co-ops with Mercedes in Stuttgart, and the co-ops at the Mercedes plant close to the Tuscaloosa campus. It is very competitive, so I won’t fool you into thinking you are a shoo-in. But do more research into it and contact the professor in charge of the program to state your interest.