<p>My S is currently applying to 4 VA schools (we are in-state), but he would now like to expand the list a bit and add a few more. I think he is panicking a bit. He will probably major in engineering, but is also interested in business. He is a senior, so he needs to do this asap!</p>
<p>His current list is:
GMU - safety
JMU - match
VA Tech Engingeering - match/reach?
UVA - match/reach?</p>
<p>His stats are:
GPA 4.38 (weighted)
ACT 30 (retaking tomorrow!)
Class Rank #17 of 420
Extra Curriculars - the usual</p>
<p>I was thinking Duke or Johns Hopkins. We are in Virginia and he doesn't want to go too far. We are aware that these schools will change our price tag significantly, but are ok with that (one small tear).</p>
<p>Maryland, NC State, Penn State are all potential matches that are strong in engineering (and business). Not sure why any of them would be better than your in-state choices. Duke/JHU at triple the price of UVA/VT doesn’t make much sense either. </p>
<p>I am biased but I agree with Chardo-you have excellent instate choices . My kids went to UVa and VT, in engineering. UVa kid considered applying to Duke and Princeton but in the end , did not as the price would have been significantly higher-and he/we are rather practical. We were full pay at UVa and VT. VT kid applied to the same schools your son is considering-VT, JMU, GMU. You have lots of good choices. If anything, you may want to look at schools with merit aid (to bring things down to, closer to or less than instate prices) if your son really wants to go out of state. </p>
<p>@sevmom and @Chardo Thanks for the replies! He doesn’t really want to go out of state. He would love to get into UVA or VA Tech Engineering, but the reality is he may not get into those schools (thus the panicking). That is why we are looking for a few more options. Although he really, really liked JMU I don’t think they have a great engineering program and GMU is a bit too close to home.</p>
<p>Suggestions for schools with merit aid within these parameters would be great.</p>
<p>We will look into NC State and Penn State. As a lifelong VA resident I don’t think I could bear to pay out of state tuition to U of MD;)</p>
<p>VT seems like a match , UVa can be a reach for anybody. I’ll bet he gets into one or both. My VT son did also like JMU. The engineering program, as you say, though, is fairly new. He probably would have done their Integrated Science and Technology program there . Good luck!</p>
<p>Let me remind everyone that in recent years no one has been admitted to VaTech from its wait list. And the thought that UVA engineering is easier to be admitted to than other UVA schools is incorrect.</p>
<p>In that light, consider…
U of Maryland-Baltimore County
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Lehigh University
U of Pennsylvania
North Carolina State U</p>
<p>You might also consider engineering universities in Ohio. For example, Ohio U in Athens is about a 5-hour drive from NOVA. The traditional engineering departments at Case Western Reserve U and U of Dayton are excellent. U of Akron is a sort of insular as the vast majority of kids are Ohio residents, but UA’s Chemical Engineering Department is at the top and home of the Goodyear Research Center.</p>
<p>these are reaches for an ACT 30 unless there’s a hook??? </p>
<p>What is his career goal? JHU is super for grad school, but not sure if it’s “all that” for undergrad. (Of course, it is FINE, but for a non-medical-engineering discipline and possibly business major, why pay for undergrad there?)</p>
<p>I would be afraid that an ACT 30 might get weeded out of engineering at a top ranked school. What was his Math score on the ACT? </p>
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<p>I agree.</p>
<p><<<
Strong Engineering Colleges
<<<<</p>
<p>Please realize that ANY established school with an established accredited College of Engineering will have a “strong” program. Virtually every state has at least 2-3 very good engineering programs (Calif has at least 25!!!). Our states and their gov’ts have a vested interest in making sure that each state has universities that can produce excellent and trained engineers for the needs of their region. </p>
<p>It’s not mid-Atlantic, but Alabama would give him free tuition plus 2500 per year for engineering (a 2/3 tuition award if not engineering). All engineering disciplines are ABET accredited, and the campus has a gorgeous state of the art new 900,000 sq ft Science and Engineering Complex…and a very good B-school, too.</p>
<p>Both Chardo and I have sons who have either graduated or will graduate from Alabama with engineering degrees.</p>
<p>^^ Lehigh was suggested above. Great school, but they are huge with demonstrated interest. Just throwing in an app at the last minute is a likely decline. That 30 act is borderline for Lehigh anyway, and at $60k they are a poor value compared to others already mentioned. </p>
<p>aforementioned NC State. DH and S1 are grads. Loved NCSU.<br>
UNC-Charlotte
West Virginia Univ.<br>
University of South Carolina (good merit $ for oos) if SC isn’t too far away
Clemson </p>