I’m a NJ hs student Graduating in class of 2018 and intend on majoring in electrical or computer engineering. I have a 3.7 unweighted average, have done well in AP classes and scored 1430 on SAT (740 math,690 reading). My family isn’t rich but I don’t think I’ll qualify for need based financial aid because my parents make too much money. I also want to stay relatively close to home. I would like to get some input on the schools I have visited and which ones would be the best for the money and offer the best after graduation opportunities. The schools we visited were based on a list of suggestions from my guidance counselor:
1: Rutgers (guidance counselor recommended but I didnt like campus)
2: Stevens Institute (sooo expensive)
3: NJIT (guidance counselor recommended but I Didn’t like campus, seemed unsafe, cops had 3 men down on ground searching them right across street from where the information session was)
4: TCNJ (beautiful campus. Guidance counselor says great school but not strong in engineering)
5: Rowan (guidance counselor recommended)
6: Binghamton University
7: UConn
8: Stony Brook
Any input is appreciated. Thanks!
You might want to consider Lehigh and Lafayette. Both are popular with NJ students; Lafayette is basically on the NJ border, and Lehigh is pretty close; in fact Lehigh enrolls more students from NJ than from any other state, including PA.
These are private schools like Stevens, so the sticker price is high, but is usually discounted. For many NJ students, the costs would be competitive with out-of-state tuition at a school like Stony Brook or UConn.
Lehigh is particularly noted for engineering. Lafayette’s engineering program is smaller but still respectable.
Rowan is a good engineering school - and getting better. They give a lot of money to good students for engineering to try to pull them in. I’d be surprised if you don’t get a lot of merit from them.
The lowest cost options for you are almost certainly going to be NJ public schools, and for electrical engineering this means Rutgers, NJIT, Rowan, or TCNJ. Of those four, the big dog is clearly Rutgers. Rutgers is more selective than the other three schools, produces more electrical engineers than the others put together, and is nationally known as a research university. While all of these schools probably have solid job placement for electrical engineering grads, Rutgers would be the most attractive to corporate recruiters.
On the other hand, note that your 740 Math SAT would put you way above the 75th percentile for engineering students at NJIT, Rowan, or TCNJ (though not at Rutgers). So it does seem possible that you could get significant merit aid from one of these smaller schools. In that case, they could perhaps be better values, depending on the offer and your financial situation.
Out-of-state public schools (e.g Binghamton, Stony Brook, UConn) or nearby private schools (e.g. Stevens, Lehigh, Lafayette) could match Rutgers in terms of selectivity and reputation, but would likely cost more.
I would apply to a variety of schools (in-state publics, out-of-state publics, and privates). See what kind of offers you get.
Ugh, I have to say that Rutgers campus was not very impressive. The cost of the private schools would have to be discounted enough to bring them down close to the cost of the instate state schools for my family to afford. We discussed maybe visiting Lafayette or Lehigh but decided not to because they are both close to Stevens in cost and their surrounding areas are a little dingy. Out of all the schools, I liked Stevens, TCNJ, UConn and Rowan(my dad works for PSEG corporate and says that Rowan students are highly sought after in the tri state area)
Have you run the net price calculator on each school’s web site?
We did. Stevens and UConn were most expensive but the UConn calculator doesn’t factor in merit scholarships. Tcnj was the most expensive state school after Rutgers. I really didn’t like njit because of Newark. Rowan was cheapest which was hard to believe since the dorms and classroom labs were the nicest. My father is arguing Rowan should be my top choice but up til recently I didn’t even know they had engineering.
I really liked Stevens but it may be too expensive. Rowan seemed almost too good to be true for the price. Tcnj was really nice too
My S2 is at Stevens with similar stats. He received 25k in scholarships, but its hard to say if some of that is also need based. It wouldn’t hurt to apply there to see what merit aid they come up with for your son. We’ve been really happy with Stevens! He just finished freshman year today.
Don’t discount Rowan- it is building a good reputation in engineering. I’m a believer in “it’s what you do at the school”. New facilities at Rowan, new dorms, lots of money to throw at top engineering applicants (balanced out by suckers like me paying full boat)!
My son is going to Rowan, but some privates did come close to the cost when all was said and done. And my son doesn’t have your stats! He just liked Rowan better overall. Bucknell is another private to look unit- beautiful campus.
Stevens is the most selective university in New Jersey with the exception of Princeton. Last year, Stevens accepted 37% of the applicants (average HS GPS 3.8, 1380 (out of 1600) SAT, and 70% from the top 10% of their high school classes). Rutgers acceptance rate last year was 55%. I can tell you that employers place a far higher value on Stevens’ graduates, as they know the rigor and the depth of the engineering curriculum. This is evidenced by Stevens’ ranking as twelfth in the nation for return on investment of tuition, starting, and mid-career salaries.
@aspriringeng - don’t rule out Stevens (or any other school) just because of the “sticker price” of tuition. Many, including Stevens, have substantial need and merit based financial aid. What you actually pay for tuition in many cases is not what you see stated in the catalog as the cost of attendance. New Jersey’s public universities are quite expensive compared to the national average themselves.
I agree with your father, your guidance counselor, and several posters on this thread that Rowan should be near the top of your list. It has a good reputation and getting better, its relatively affordable, and the facilities are excellent (and getting better).
Here is a site that I use for comprehensive lists of engineering programs by state and by discipline. Don’t pay attention to the rankings, just use the list for your research…
http://best-engineering-colleges.com/new-jersey
http://best-engineering-colleges.com/new-york
http://best-engineering-colleges.com/pennsylvania
Good luck!
Nice list! As others have mentioned, I would add Lafayette and Lehigh to your list. If you’d consider Binghamton, why not Cornell, just up the road? If you want to consider a city school, add Drexel in Philadelphia next door to Penn, which is a 5-year program with paid co-op in between.
For you, I would move TCNJ and UConn down the list, if not off. They offer nothing for you that the other schools don’t do better. TCNJ is nice but don’t be fooled by the dark brick facades and greenery; the insides where you’ll be spending your time are just OK. Engineering is not its strength.
I agree with you about Rutgers, but that and the big games are a selling point for others. Although priced similarly to Rowan and TCNJ, I’ve seen many who don’t graduate in four years (class availability among the reasons). More lecture halls, too. With professors engaged in research and grad students, you’ll probably have more grad assistants instructing you.
Here’s why you’re (wisely) being sold on Rowan: When Henry Rowan made the largest-ever (at the time) donation to a public school in the USA, it was a game-changer for everyone. The mission became to halt the brain-drain out of NJ and to use Rowan as an economic engine for the entire historically underserved region. It’s worked and is only getting better. It’s gotten to be a big school with a small-school feel. Very walkable.
What you also might not know is the plethora of employment opportunities a short drive away. Rowan is located at the junction of two major power companies’ service area, PSE&G and Atlantic Electric. The corridor between Moorestown/Marlton and Atlantic City is home to many major government contractors, multi-nationals. Just outside of AC, at the airport, is one of the two FAA R&D sites in the country. All of those companies are also serviced by a team of sub-contracting companies. Internship and employment opportunities are excellent and South Jersey housing is still very affordable.
Here’s another major factor: With your SATs and classroom work, you might qualify for very good merit aid at Rowan. My son, a Rowan Civil Engineering grad ('13) who had SATs similar to yours and a very high class rank, qualified for 4-years tuition/housing, provided he kept his college GPA over 3.0 (he did). Our family’s contribution was limited to the cost of his meal plan, a godsend at the height of the recession. 100% of his engineering class had jobs (most at the companies above) or grad school acceptance by time they walked. He doesn’t regret his decision a little bit. Debt-free. He has a same-age cousin, Mechanical Engineer grad, who went to Rutgers. Five years. Good job but carrying debt. His younger brother will attend Rowan engineering, same major as you. Live & learn.
Still, visit all the schools on your list if you can. All have different flavors. Try to sit in on a class or three, talk to students, eat the food, pick up the campus newspaper. It’s fun. Pick the one that feels best where you can see yourself succeeding and getting involved. That way, there’s no regrets.
Keep up the good work. Good luck!
Another option to consider might be Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY. It has a small but very good engineering school and you could qualify for merit aid. They also have rolling admissions.
And FWIW my D went to Lafayette (she was not engineering but was friends with a number of engineers) and loved it. If affordable, both Lafayette and Lehigh would be solid additions.
Are you planning to visit Rensselaer?
I didn’t know that Rowan was so highly regarded in engineering prior to visiting. The new facilities and dorms were sooooo much nicer than any other school we visited. I was very surprised. Right now it’s my top choice. At the information session, the department head said this coming application cycle will be even more competitive than ever in electrical and mechanical engineering and they expect to reject more than in the past. Who knows if I’ll even get in, so I am applying to all the other schools on my list.
Will not be applying there. Way too expensive
@aspiringeng … I agree with the vote for Rowan! My son just finished his junior year and loves it! He is a Comm Studies major and part of the Honors Program but his three roommates are all engineering students. You can’t beat the cost, the education and the housing. Glad you liked it! Good luck!
whatever you do , retain TCNJ on the list. they are one of the strongest schools on your list. With the opening of the new stem facility (100milliom) no doubt will continue to grow the program as they have done in so many of the their schools.