<p>Okay, my head is spinning and I need help. </p>
<p>High school junior is going to visit his brother at MIT for spring break and visit colleges. He'll fly up and spend a few days with his brother then one or both parents will join the trip for a visit with older son and a mini-vacation, and to drive the car. (We will rent a car as we leave Boston and drive to NJ and CT.)</p>
<p>He will have competitive scores and grades in a competitive public school. Passion is science and major EC's are science and math, but he has others as well. He's a lopsided well-rounded kid. He's not at the top of the heap with awards, EC's, etc., but has enough to fill most of the lines on his application. </p>
<p>Right now he's interested in bioengineering/biotech, but is also considering ChemE, chemistry or biology. So, although he's going to visit Olin he has a concern that if he decides against engineering he won't have any other options there. </p>
<p>In addition to MIT he wants to visit Harvard (mainly because it's there and a short bus ride from MIT), Yale for biology/sciences and Princeton for engineering. He has a friend at Yale and someone he knows at Princeton and is considering an "unofficial" overnight with these 2 people. </p>
<p>He's been to local info sessions for 3 of these schools and can do the others in the fall as they all visit our area. He's mainly interested in getting a feel for the schools, talking to people in different departments and attending a class or two. </p>
<p>We may be able to work in a visit to RPI which I visited with older son. I know Brown has a good bio program, but he wasn't interested at all after attending their info session last fall, although he could be convinced to visit. Are there other schools we shouldn't miss? We can make changes in our itinerary. </p>
<p>I know this is an "Ivy" tour and he knows the odds but wants to visit these schools. We either have visited or will visit other schools that are matches/safeties for him. Any advice or observations appreciated.</p>
<p>Schools less reach-y than HYPSM with Engineering and/or science strengths: Lehigh, Lafayette, Tufts, Trinity, Hopkins (this one's more reach-y than the others on my list), Villanova, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>The small liberal arts contingent is noticeably absent. Maybe for a reason? Amherst/Williams/Wesleyan/Swarthmore all have good science/math. Williams, especially. </p>
<p>For less selective. in addition to jmmom's excellent list, I'd suggest Hamilton.</p>
<p>I second Momrath's question. If the top LACs haven't been ruled out then they would be a logical addition to consider.</p>
<p>For example, 4.1% of all Swarthmore graduates over the most recent 10 year period went on to get PhDs in biology. That's a very high production of research biologists, third highest of any college or university in the country. That's not counting the M.D.s. Throw in a small, but demanding ABET accredited Engineering department.</p>
<p>Williams and Amherst both have strong bio departments as well.</p>
<p>However, it seemed that the original poster was limiting the question to member schools of the Ivy League conference. So, these schools might not be what he is looking for.</p>
<p>No, no, no. This isn't an Ivy hunting trip, that's just how this trip ended up. He's done some research and can articulate reasons to visit each of these schools. For numerous reasons I doubt if he'll end up at any of them, but he will have visited and can decide whether he even wants to apply. </p>
<p>Momrath, he thinks he doesn't want a small LAC, but I'm working on him. That trip can come in late summer or in the fall. He has actually been on the campus of three LAC's for different school functions, 2 in our state and one far away. One major complaint is the lack of students - two he visited were smaller than his high school. And he thinks he needs a big city around him. He's also spent time at 3 large state schools and thinks they may be too big. I feel like I'm channeling Goldilocks. </p>
<p>I thought with two engineering/sciency boys this second college search adventure would be similar to the first. However this child needs and wants different things, so it's back to the drawing board.</p>
<p>We are very open to suggestions which is why I posted. Tomorrow he said he'll go through all his college mail and pull out the schools mentioned so far for a second look. Thanks.</p>
<p>If that's the case, then take him to visit the Bio (or Engineering) department at Swarthmore when you are in Jersey visiting Princeton. Can't help you with the "small" complaint. While not an urban campus, it's in an inside-the-beltway suburb of Philadelphia, maybe an hour from Princeton. Much more "in the city" than Princeton, actually. It has it's own train station on campus -- 11 miles to downtown Philly.</p>
<p>Actually, if you are doing an MIT to Princeton trek, you might want to consider flying into Boston and flying home from Philly. For that matter, you could visit Yale, backtrack a bit to Providence, RI and fly to Philly for $59 each on Southwest. Princeton is maybe an hour north of the Philly airport (if that).</p>
<p>Over30
Will S consider west coast schools? Harvey Mudd, Stanford, Caltech come to mind. I know my S has shifted from bio, bio/tech, EECs, CS, and found it imp to be at a school with core requirements & chance to explore options. Helped to begin in lab in freshman year.</p>
<p>If time permits, I would suggest visiting Dartmouth. It is a great school for well-rounded students, providing a balance of rigorous academics, with focus on the undergraduate, and diverse extra curricular activities. With 4000 undergraduates, the school is large enough to offer amazing facilities yet doesn't feel too large -- the students are super friendly and the professors are good teachers and very approachable.</p>
<p>Bookworm, we visited Stanford and Berkeley last summer while visiting family on the west coast. He would consider Antarctica if he didn't have to wear long pants and a coat. He thinks Caltech might be a little too hardcore but we may send him to his aunt's and let her visit there, Mudd and maybe a couple more schools with him on the west coast. </p>
<p>Interesteddad, that's exactly the trip I did with older son - in to Boston, then a combination of rental car (to RPI) and trains to NYC and Princeton, flew out of Philly. Very doable. </p>