Need help finding good engineering colleges

College Search & Selection
1

Hey guys. I’m going to be a senior this year and I need help finding colleges for me. I was undecided for a long while and have finally selected engineering as my top major, and this most likely won’t change, but I am pretty clueless about where to go/apply to college. I’m thinking about electrical or biomedical, but I’m not really set on any one thing. I know about the Ivies, of course (because they are good for a lot of stuff) and MIT and other top schools, but I need some schools that are more affordable and realistic. I’m also looking for places that are well rounded in a lot of areas just in case I don’t fit engineering. If you guys could recommend me some universities that you may have gone to or heard about, I would really appreciate it.

Still waiting on my SAT scores, which will come out soon, but my ACT score is a 34. I don’t think I’ll take it again, because I like my score, and considering that this was my first time taking it, I don’t want to push my luck. I haven’t taken any Subject Tests yet, but I’m planning on taking the math ones and Physics.

My GPA is a 4.0 unweighted, 5.4 weighted on a 6.0 scale. I’ve taken as many AP classes as my school offers that fit into my schedule, which is 7 so far, and I’m taking another 5 next year. I’m also in multiple advanced academics and honors classes.

I don’t have much extracurricular stuff, which is probably a big setback for me, but I have parents who couldn’t take me anywhere and aren’t too supportive about my educational choices (long story) so it’s hard for me to do many things. I did help tutor 3 special needs kids for about 3 years now, and one of them has graduated to regular classes, which made me very happy. I’m now working with communication with a kid my age with selective mutism. I’m also in Spanish and Science Honor Societies, and volunteer through my school, but that’s about it. I also have a job at Domino’s this summer because I need money, if that helps.

My parents aren’t going to be paying much for school, but they don’t make a lot of money so it’s highly likely I’ll qualify for some financial aid, and I have good enough grades to hopefully get some scholarships. I won’t mind taking out some loans, but I don’t want to drown in them either.

I live in Houston, Texas, and location doesn’t matter much to me as long as I’m far enough away from home to not commute. Being out-of-state would be great, but not a requirement. I would like my school to not much much of a party school that is big on games and stuff, because that kind of scene is not really for me. I know UT Austin and A&M are good schools in Texas, but they are just the kind of place that wouldn’t be a great fit for me. I’m a hard worker, and would like to be surrounded by people who care about education as much as I do.

I’m sort of getting overwhelmed by all the lists of engineering schools that are on the internet, and just want to know what you guys think. And this is getting really long, so thanks to anyone who can help me out here.

2

The world of engineering is much flatter than most HS kids realize. There are superstar colleges such as Caltech and MIT for example, then a broad middle ground. For EE pretty much any ABET acredited program is fine; what is going to matter is your GPA in college and getting practical experience thru internships and coops.

If you have any relatives or parents of friends who are in engineering you should talk to them this summer about their career so you understand what its like. The work you do in college, heavily focused on math and theory, is quite different than being a practicing engineer. You don’t want to be a college junior and then realize you don’t like it. And if you DO find out you like it now, you’ll have more motivation to get thru the tough classes while your friends in other majors are seemingly having a much easier time.

As for picking colleges, start by reading a good book on college admissions such as “Admission Matters” to get a better understanding of how to select and apply to college, how financial aid works, questions to ask on college visits, etc. You should also work with your GC to see what kids with stats similar to yours have been doing.

3

Based on your stated priorities, the University of Rochester would be one school to consider. Of the Ivies, Cornell would make a lot of sense.

4

Try going to the web pages of colleges of interest and using the net price calculators to estimate need-based financial aid. You need to talk to your parents to get the needed financial information.

You can also look at these lists for large merit scholarships (but check college web sites to verify, since some may have changed):

http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (if you have National Merit)

5

You could also check the website “College Navigator”. It is a federal website. You can do a broad search, search by states, undergrad size, housing, sports, acceptance rate, program, etc. Then you can see how many at each college/university graduated with that degree.
Here is the link: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

6

You could try for a decent merit aid package from Pittsburgh. Case Western and U Rochester are worth a look too. I’m thinking of these based on Biomed as most schools with engineering have EE.

Are your parents willing to file Fafsa so you could potentially get need-based aid? If so, run one online to see if they are willing to pay their EFC.

7

My parents are willing to pay around 2000-3000 a year at most depending on their financial situation, and I’m planning on doing Fafsa as well. Thanks for all the recommendations guys!

My counselor is pretty terrible, but I was thinking of going to one of the other ones once school starts to talk about scholarships and colleges. I don’t know if I got National Merit because nothing is final until September. I got a pretty good score (1450) but since I live in Texas, I probably won’t get it.

Money is mainly the biggest problem, and my brother says I have a good chance of getting a lot of financial aid if I get into one of the Ivies or the big schools, but the issue is getting in.

What about some schools that are good for undecided? Or should I just go to community college until I figure it out for sure? I am excited about learning, and I work very hard to achieve what I want to, so I don’t think doing the coursework will be a detriment to an engineering career. But I want to have some options just in case.

8

Are there Texas universities that have an engineering pathways program? This is an agreement between universities and selected local CC. The student attends the local CC then transfers to the engineering program at the university (providing the requirements have been met). In some cases the student may have an advisor at both institutions and may be preapproved for the university.

9

From what I read on cc, it seems like UT Dallas is the in state option for students who aren’t into big sports and all the rest, but your stats give you plenty of oos options. Look into honors programs to surround yourself with other serious students. How about a near full ride at University of Alabama-Huntsville?

10

Your grades & scores allow you to consider Northwestern. NU has a world-class engineering program, and they are needs based aid - so if it costs $50,00 to attend, and FAFSA indicates an EFC of $5,000, your family pays $5k, and NU pays the rest. The Engineering First program allows you to get acquainted immediately with helping people, and exposes you to a range of engineering disciplines.
http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/academics/undergraduate/core-curriculum/engineering-first.html