Hey everyone, rising senior here. Here’s a very brief overview of my profile. I’m looking to either apply for MechE or Aero.
In state URM Texas resident
GPA: 3.98 UW, 4.60 W
Class rank: 3 of 620 (top 1%)
SAT I: 2290 (730 CR, 770 M, 790 W)
SAT II: Haven’t arrived yet, but strongly predicting 770+ Math II, 750+ Chem, 750+ USH
My college list is:
UT Dallas (Safety)
UT Austin (Match)*
Carnegie Mellon (Match)
MIT (Reach)
Stanford (Reach)
Cornell (Reach)
Rice (Reach)
Columbia (Reach)
*I only listed UT as a match because although I do have auto-admit, it doesn’t apply to their engineering school. Cockrell engineering has been getting very competitive (I know someone with a 33 ACT who was rejected), so I put match just in case.
This list has 8 eight schools, so could anyone recommend 2 more schools to me that are similar to those in my list? I do prefer reaches that have strong engineering programs. My family doesn’t make a lot (~65K), so I do need lots of aid. Expensive public out of state schools like UCB, UCLA, UMich, GA Tech, as attractive as they are for engineering, just wouldn’t work
Also, does Yale really have a crappy engineering program? I really like the school but it probably wouldn’t be worth applying to if engineering there isn’t good…
@ucbalumnus I’m pretty sure. My counselor told me they have incredible merit scholarships for my GPA and SAT. If need be, I can live with my parents since we’re 20 min from it.
@neoking getting a scholarship at purdue should make its tuition affordable and with your stats I think you are very qualified to do so. Purdue and Cal Poly SLO both have good engineering programs and Purdue is extremely well-known for their aerospace engineering. Sorry if Purdue isn’t being considered because you can’t afford it but I think you should try to get scholarship money there if you can! Best of Luck!
If getting the needed scholarship is not assured, then you may want to move UTD out of the “safety” category, unless commuting from your parents’ place is affordable and acceptable to you (but remember that the food and utilities you consume at your parents’ place are not free, nor are commuting costs, though these costs are lower than living on campus).
If UTD affordability is not assured, you may want to add a safety from http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ (obviously, verify that the scholarships are still offered, that the schools offer the desired kinds of engineering, and that the scholarship renewal GPAs are not too onerous).
No specific STEM applicant experience, so I may be way off base – but if Rose Hulman in Indiana gives merit money, that might be worth a look (I can’t speak to whether it is strong in OP’s specific engineering interests). I believe Purdue’s merit awards for OOS students are around $12-16k so won’t make enough of a dent in the $38 k tuition/room and board for OOS students. Case Western is known for giving good merit awards to high stat students, and air travel from TX to Cleveland should be reasonably accessible. Carnegie Mellon is very difficult admissions so I’d hesitate to call that a match.
Perhaps keep the Ivy/Stanford reaches in, because of the strong financial aid programs there. As an URM, the OP might be a desirable admit, and Columbia etc. could have good aid. Consider adding Rose Hulman and Case Western as matches. On another thread, I saw a student go to Texas A&M over some other OOS choices. If that is a good instate option, include that.
Notre Dame meets full demonstrated need, so it could end up costing less than a state school. Their engineering program is small but very good. Almost all (or possibly all) my son’s closest college friends were engineering majors and all are gainfully employed and proud Irish for life. Depending on your ECs, essays, letters of recommendation, etc. I think you could have a good shot, though it’s still a reach for almost everyone.
@PetEngineer Yes, that’s exactly why I decided Purdue wouldn’t work! Unfortunately, as @Midwestmomofboys said, their OOS financial aid wouldn’t be nearly enough to make the school affordable. Thank you though!
@ucbalumnus Wow, you’ve brought up lots of things I hadn’t considered! Thank you! I talked to my parents about this potential issue with UTD, and they have no issue with me staying home if need be. I may not get a full ride, but if I get into their Honors program, there’s a scholarship that would make the school near free for me. Thanks again!
@intparent You’re probably right about CMU, I’ll consider it a reach from now on just to be safe. I would definitely be paying more for UT than any of my reaches, but after any financial aid and scholarships I receive, I guess the rest would have to be covered through loans. I just can’t pass up an awesome, instate engineering school though. Thank you!
@Midwestmomofboys Thank you for the info about Purdue and the recommendations! And yes, you’re right about CMU. Unfortunately, I really don’t like A&M so I won’t be applying there haha.
@3rdXsTheCharm Thank you, I’ll look more into it! My English teacher is writing my rec and she went there, so it could potentially be a positive I guess.
Note that Purdue has a similar (to Texas A&M) weeding process for first year engineering students, who must compete by college GPA to get into their desired majors.
Regarding loans, remember that you can only take $5,500 in federal direct loans without a cosigner in the first year. More than that (i.e. needing a cosigner) generally is not advised.
@mom2collegekids My PSAT was very poor (1440). I could think of a dozen reasons why but excuses are pointless now. There’s almost no chance I could get National Merit in Texas. I’ve talked to my parents about money, and fortunately my parents are willing to pay application fees as long as I pay them back with a job the summer after senior year. As for college itself, my dad told me he won’t pay for anything while my mom said she can give me up to $5K/yr. So yes, I do need the financial aid that my reaches mostly provide or else loans will be my only other option.
A lot of top students with lower SATs from previous classes at my school were able to get full rides (or close to full rides as commuters) at UTD, but I’m gonna call their admission office so that I can determine how much of a safety it is. Thank you so much!
@suzyQ7 Yes, you’re right about CMU, and others have pointed that out as well, so I will consider it a reach. The reason for my reach heavy list is mostly due to financial reasons since my reaches all give lots of aid. My only hook is URM if it makes a difference. I’d forgotten about RPI!! Thank you! Time for some more research.
