Mechanical Engineering

Parents Forum
1

Looking for suggestions of schools for mechanical engineering and also tips for what we should look for in a program.

Male
SAT new 1360 equivalent to 1940 old. Took once but will take again
3.9 PGA lots of AP classes
Plays sports and music but no awards
Basic well rounded HS male
Ca resident but would like to experience living in another state. Will not get need based aid but wouldn’t mind some merit aid. Any bit helps.

Would prefer school with decent weather- meaning no glooming rain. Doesn’t mind cold but needs sun. Wants something big enough to have sports teams.
Thanks

2

Starting point: http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx

Then you can start narrowing by other factors, but don’t consider any schools that do not offer an ABET accredited degree in MechE.

If significant merit-based aid is needed, you can look to some of the less well-known schools on the list. Expect the student to be in the top 10-15% of accepted students to be competitive for any decent-sized merit scholarships.

3

@mom60

http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.php

http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships

4

Is his SAT score high enough for merit aid at Alabama?

5

You want a college that is ABET accredited.

6

All of the following require a 3.5 HS GPA.

For general Alabama scholarships:
http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.php
Current 1370 SAT => $13,000 per year.
1390 SAT or 30 ACT => 2/3 tuition per year.
1450 SAT or 32 ACT => tuition per year.

For engineering scholarships (in addition to the above):
http://eng.ua.edu/admissions/scholarships/
Current 1370 SAT => $1,500 per year.
1390 SAT or 30 ACT => $2,500 per year.

For reference:
http://financialaid.ua.edu/cost/
Out-of-state cost for 2016-2017 is $40,800 billed (of which tuition and fees is $27,750), $47,322 estimated including non-billed costs.

7

I don’t see him headed to Alabama but I’ll mention it. Using @ucbalumnus chart he should retake the SAT to see if he can get it a bit higher.
Thanks for the ABET information. It’s my nephew and while I do think it is logical to send him to a state school in Ca it’s not my kid.

8

My daughter is a Freshman in Mech Eng at U. of Colorado Boulder. She loves it there. There is a big contingent from California and they do give merit awards for OOS. (we live in NJ). His grades and scores should be fine for there. Not sure what the cutoff for merit is as they do it as a percentage of applicants. Definitely check it out.

9

Here’s a list of 40 Mech Eng programs in California. You can use this same site to find engineering programs (and all specializations) in every other state.

http://educatingengineers.com/states/california/mechanical-engineering

10

Thank you @mackinaw.
Is Mech Eng a field where prestige of school is important?

11

For employment, usually not, but first job out of school can be affected by employer recruiting habits. Well known (for major), large (in major), and local schools tend to be favorably targeted.

I.e. students at a state flagship with a good reputation for ME, hundreds of ME graduates every year, and in a metro area with ME employers may see more recruiting activity than those at an isolated rural school with 2 ME graduates per year.