<p>Colorado Mines is significantly more expensive than South Dakota Mines or New Mexico Mining.</p>
<p>All three are engineering-focused, so if there is a significant risk of washing out of engineering, he may have to transfer schools to find an alternate major he likes.</p>
<p>Also, have you figured out a budget? If you need financial aid, you can run the net price calculators on the schools’ web sites to see estimates. Figuring out the budget and checking financial aid estimates should be done before finalizing the application list – no point in applying to schools which have no chance of being affordable.</p>
<p>We are full pay, so that does complicate things somewhat, from the standpoint that we don’t have to rule out any particular school. The limiting factor will be where he can get in. I am also trying to figure out how to optimize a visit to several schools over spring break. Other than doing the 3 Colorado schools (CU, C State, and Mines) I haven’t a clue where we should go!</p>
<p>By “full pay” does it mean that you are willing to pay full price at any school (up to about $60,000 per year, possibly with an extra semester or two if you are concerned about the slacking), or that you expect no or very little financial aid but still want to keep the price down?</p>
<p>Hey, being full pay makes things easier, not more complicated. :)</p>
<p>I know that being full pay may sound like the “skies the limit” for applications, but since you’re thinking that his stats won’t be spectacular, that will eliminate many/most of the schools that require admittance into their eng’g programs. </p>
<p>For your son, applying to schools that don’t require admittance into a program, but do have ChemE, will be your best bet. </p>
<p>Tell us more about your son… Outside of ChemE and “snow”, what else does he like? </p>
<p>BTW…what is the interest in snow? Is it for skiing? If so, realize that ChemE majors aren’t going to have time to spend a weekend or even a day skiing. My son is a ChemE major, and he limited his football game attendance to the last 2 quarters of the game because of academic demands. </p>
<p>Also, if there’s a chance that he will find ChemE too demanding (and it is demanding), be sure to include schools that will easily let him change to another STEM or non-STEM major…and has good offerings.</p>
<p>It is very hard to know what is a 3.3-3.6 GPA, without knowing more about the school. For example, how many National Merit semifinalists does it produce each year and what is the cut off GPA for the top 10%? Otherwise, he will be in a better position to choose a school once he has his Physics and Chemistry AP scores in hand. He should probably also take the Math II SAT Subject Test. Also, you estimated an SAT of 1900. Is that based on a PSAT? If so, how did he do on the Math section?</p>
<p>IMHO finding schools that might accept the kid ignores the elephant in the room. Study habits. Ask any engineering student and they will tell you how difficult the workload is. Yet the OP’s kid is losing interest in even doing the work it takes to excel in HS. Hopefully this is just senioritis. But if it continues into college there is little chance of getting far in a demanding engineering curriculum.</p>
<p>Just to raise the possibility, what about taking some time off before college? It might not be ideal, but if the alternative is starting on a path and finding oneself not ready to see it through, then perhaps delaying a few years and succeeding would be worth it. I know one person who spent a few years in the Air Force after high school and is now a successful lawyer. He says that he could not have gone to college right after high school. Another person I know worked as a mechanic in the military, loved his time overseas, then went back and got a degree in engineering.</p>