Need Help Cutting Down My List for Engineering Schools

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>My list has grown unwieldy and I welcome any advice/opinions on which schools to cut. I plan on majoring in aerospace or civil engineering. For Northwestern and Wash. U, I added them because I really like them, even if they do not have aerospace (or even civil in Wash. U's case).</p>

<p>GPA: 3.98 unweighted
ACT: 34
Good ECs
No Financial Restrictions</p>

<p>Size: No preference so far
Academics: Strong engineering programs
Location: Do not want super rural location, prefer nice college town (or close major city)
Spirit: Prefer healthy school spirit
Environment: Diverse environment, in terms of academics and socioeconomics</p>

<p>University of Washington
Purdue University
University of Michigan
Georgia Tech
University of Virginia
University of Maryland
Ohio State University
University of Alabama
University of Illinois</p>

<p>MIT
Princeton
Cornell
University of Southern California (USC)
Case Western
Embry Riddle
Northwestern University
Wash. U in St Louis
Syracuse University</p>

<p>Opinions on any of these/which should I drop?</p>

<p>Cornell = not a location you are looking for
Wash U = I don’t think its engineering is that great
Syracuse = not a location you are looking for</p>

<p>Since you don’t have financial restrictions what is your safety? Is it an in-state state school? Cut out any schools you wouldn’t attend over your safety. (Ex: If you live in Indiana and your safety is Purdue, if you don’t like Alabama more than Purdue, cut out Alabama)</p>

<p>@barrk123
Thanks for the reply. My safety is in-state University of Washington, as well as Embry Riddle. I will cut Cornell and Syracuse, and will consider cutting Wash U and Maryland.</p>

<p>I would drop Syracuse - not a great location, nor a particularly well-known engineering program.</p>

<p>Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is not exactly a diverse academic environment – its academic offerings are mainly aviation and aerospace related: [Bachelor’s</a> Degrees/Majors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University](<a href=“http://www.erau.edu/degrees/bachelor-degrees.html]Bachelor’s”>http://www.erau.edu/degrees/bachelor-degrees.html)</p>

<p>All engineering majors at University of Washington are competitive admission; if you are not admitted directly to your major as a frosh, or wish to change major later, you need to go through a competitive admission process to enter a competitive admission major: [UW</a> Advising - List of Majors](<a href=“http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/majors/majoff.php]UW”>http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/majors/majoff.php) . This may affect whether University of Washington is a safety for your major.</p>

<p>University of Alabama is obviously a safety (with automatic full tuition scholarship for your stats); eliminate all schools which you like less than Alabama.</p>

<p>My suggestions based on your stats/interests:</p>

<p>Safeties: Ohio State, Alabama (meet all your criteria and full scholarships likely at both), plus UWashington your in-state</p>

<p>Matches: Michigan, UVA (meet all criteria)</p>

<p>Reaches: None of your reaches really meet all of the criteria: MIT (not great school spirit especially athletically which seems to interest you/not an especially picturesque campus), Princeton (ditto athletics and not diverse economically), Northwestern at best avg spirit and not diverse socioeconomically)</p>

<p>A few suggestions for reaches that might meet your criteria a bit better – Stanford, Duke, Rice</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for the feedback. I’ve dropped Syracuse (location), Cornell (location/no aerospace major), Illinois (location), and Wash. U (no AE/Civil). I’ll keep MIT and Princeton for now as my reach schools because they appeal to me more than Stanford, Duke, and Rice, mostly due to the option of an AE major. </p>

<p>I have 14 schools right now, which I might cut down further. Any thoughts are welcome.</p>

<p>University of Washington
Purdue Univ
Univ of Michigan
Ohio State
Univ of Virginia
Univ of Maryland
Georgia Tech
Univ of Alabama</p>

<p>MIT
Princeton
Northwestern
Univ of Southern California
Case Western
Embry Riddle</p>