<p>My HS junior son needs college suggestions. He should be top 5-10%, weighted GPA 4.4, ACT 31, National Merit commended, varsity basketball/baseball, some volunteer work, great recs. We are in Ohio and would prefer closer schools to further ones. We are looking for a well-structured and reputable business or engineering program. We can afford up to about 25K per year after any merit scholarships. He wants enough nearby entertainment to keep him busy but not so much that it is a distraction. We like Purdue for engineering, Indiana U for business, and Ohio State for either major. That takes care of bigger schools. Are there any small-medium sized schools with good business or engineering programs that would be affordable matches in nice areas for him?</p>
<p>Case is right in your backyard and is deserving a look. CMU is good in engineering but I am not sure it has a business school. Also RPI is well respected in engineering and has an up and coming business school.</p>
<p>With your son's grades/test scores, Northwestern and Washington U in St. Louis would also be worth a look. University of Rochester won't have undergrad business, but worth a look as well for engineering.</p>
<p>Look at the University of Denver. Excellent business school, very good but small engineering program--and your son likely would qualify for signigicant merit money. My son is in the business program there and absolutely loves it. He has received a top notch education and has been given some wonderful opportunities. The school was one of his safeties but he chose it over other higher ranked schools because he felt the school was a underappreciated gem with amazing opportunites in a great city.</p>
<p>Lehigh University might work - not sure if he would make their merit aid level, but they do give it. He'd have to evaluate the location - Bethlehem not being one of the shining stars among US cities, but it is also not far from Philadelphia and New York. Excellent programs in Engineering and Business. Appealing co-op programs for those interested. Nice medium-small size.</p>
<p>CMU also has a top-ranked business school.</p>
<p>yes CMU's business school is very good.</p>
<p>CMU is also very friendly towards people looking to double in engineering and business (provided you can deal with the engineering courseload in the first place). For the most part, even if you want to get an MBA or work at a more typical business job out of undergrad, as long as you did well in your engineering field you can still nab a job without doubling in business.</p>
<p>Well...this school would likely be a safety type for your son....University of Hartford has a highly regarded engineering program in these parts, and a fine school of business.</p>
<p>Right in your home state would be Ohio Northern. It would also likely be a safety with good merit aid possiblilites, although not in a very big town.</p>
<p>WUSTL has both, and is very accommodating of double-majors.</p>
<p>Bucknell is another possibility.</p>
<p>He might like Marquette. Lots happening in their business and engineering schools.</p>
<p>Northwestern. Not sure if it's a reach or a match, but you should look into it. Your three schools are in the Big Ten, of which NW is also a member.</p>
<p>I would think that either Case or CMU would be excellent fits for the non-financial aspects of your search. You mention his sports but don't say if he intends to participate at the collegiate level. Both Case and CMU are Div III, if that's an issue. Both schools are rather expensive, but you can probably get some merit aid from them. Not sure if it would bring the total cost down to 25K or not, however.</p>
<p>Thanks all. He has been to CMU and plans to look at Case. Both are on the expensive side but he could cut some expenses at Case by commuting. However, I doubt he wants to commute. Doubtful he'd get a sports scholarship, and even if he did, he'd have to consider carefully because sports suck up an unbelievable amount of time! I will check out all the schools mentioned. Again thanks!</p>
<p>You should definitely look into the University of Virginia</p>
<p>The business program is very reputable and the school is great</p>
<p>I thought Northwestern didn't give merit money.</p>
<p>I am going to gear down a little in terms of reputation (which should mean that your son would be more likely to receive merit aid). </p>
<p>In terms of mid-sized schools with both business and engineering, you may want to check out the University of Dayton and the University of Evansville. Both would be safties for your son. But both schools have a fair number of serious students, focus on teaching, and would likely offer your son a fair amount of merit aid. </p>
<p>I know that you mentioned Purdue for engineering, but you should not discount their business school, which is quite good in its own right. Particularly for engineering-types, Krannert would be a good choice.</p>
<p>Another larger school to take a look at is the University of Michigan. UM has both a top-ranked business and engineering programs.</p>
<p>Not sure about how close to home you want to be, but I applied to several small-medium sized schools in PA for engineering this year so I'll share my thoughts about those. I considered Lafayette, Bucknell, and Lehigh which are all small schools with strong engineering programs. Lafayette and Lehigh are located in the eastern part of the state in Allentown and Bucknell is closer to the center. Lehigh is a very focused on engineering and business, and has excellent programs in both fields. Lehigh offers a five-year "Integrated Business and Engineering" option. Lafayette and Bucknell are generally considered liberal arts schools with engineering. Lehigh has more selection for engineering majors. I'm fairly certain that Lehigh would have the strongest business program of the three.</p>
<p>I eventually chose Bucknell because of the campus and overall "feel" even though Lehigh has a more extensive engineering program. All of these schools are very expensive but they are all good options for smaller schools that offer engineering. If you end up considering any of these schools, I strongly suggest that you take a lot of time to visit all of them and talk to students and professors, because each one has a very different campus atmosphere.</p>
<p>So there's my $.02 for schools in Pennsylvania. Hope this helps :)</p>