It depends on the day! LOL. I think MSU but ASU and the weather and his favorite fast food places are very appealing. 
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The ski season hadnāt really started yet when he came home for break so Iām not really sure if it empties out or not but he seems to think that about 1/2 the kids donāt ski. Heās heard that most kids who do ski go on Fridays for the day because traffic is so much lighter. They tend to party on Thurs and Sat and Fri night is a slower night in general. I know my son canāt afford lodging so heāll be just doing day trips unless he finds a friend with a condo. There are really all types of students on campus, liberal, conservative, nerdy, outdoorsy, preppy, you name it. Heās never been into hockey but has loved going to the games. There are sports, performances, parties and bars that you can get into if you are 18. Really something for everyone.
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Thank you this all sounds wonderful for our daughter!!
This is marvelous thank you!
Not to mention less debt!
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S23 has a handful of friends that have DU as their first choice. While I would guess they all ski, they are definitely not the type to want to do so every weekend. In fact, they have the opportunity to do that now and they donāt.
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Colorado doesnāt have 18 year old bars (used to) but Iām sure your son is referring to restaurants that also have bars. The non-21 year olds have to stay in the restaurant area, which might look like a bar (pool tables, picnic tables outside or under tents. There are also a few bar/restaurants that do not let anyone under 21 in, even if they are with their mother. Ask how I know!
Chipolte #1 is at DU.
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Some of the college bars (definitely Pioneers) and I think another one let everyone in. Maybe they are considered ārestaurantsā, Iām not sure. My son has an ID but his roommate doesnāt and they go out to the bars all the time. His roommate just canāt buy alcohol but manages to consume it. (Not that Iām condoning any of this but it is college and my son is pretty open with me).
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Hi all! Now that we have received some EA app decisions, Iām trying to help Sā23 figure out RD apps. He has a 3.6 gpa (rough sophomore year during covid) with a positive upward trajectory in grades. 1500 SAT. Heās applying for engineering (civil or mechanical). He wants a small to mid-size school with a contained campus that doesnāt have a party culture (tough, I know). He has ADHD, so will make use of support programs. He is a good student, but doesnāt want a super stressful atmosphere.
Results so far:
Admitted:
U Dayton with merit for civil
SLU with merit for civil
Union College NY with merit for civil
Rose Hulman (no FA notification yet) for civil
DU with merit for mechanical
Deferred:
Santa Clara (mid year grades requested)
Waiting on CO School of Mines, Marquette, Case Western, RIT, Clarkson, Lafayette
Planning to applyā¦ Lehigh, Bucknell
Possible additionsā¦ Rensselaer, Stevens, WPI
Thanks for any suggestions!
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Budget? Regions to avoid? How does he feel about institutions with a stronger religious bent?
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Weāre full pay, but happy to accept merit! Probably prefers, mid-atlantic, midwest or northeast. Ok with religious, especially Jesuit. Ruled out ND after a visit because he didnāt care for the dorm culture - felt too much like a fraternity. Would prefer no natural disasters (hurricanes or earthquakes specifically), no major roads running through campus and not a huge fraternity scene. Would do better with small class sizes - not the large lecture to small breakout format. Thanks!
The one on his list I am most familiar with is Union. We know of a few students who go there. While weāve only heard positive things, all have said that the Greek system is pretty prevalent. A close friend of my ds22 chose not to attend for this reason.
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We havenāt been to visit yet and I was concerned about this, but have also heard positive experiences from kids who didnāt go Greek. Itās so hard to know! Heās definitely less social and would prefer to join a D&D club, robotics club, etc.
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Has your family thought about these ABET-accredited schools? I suspect that merit aid would be forthcoming from most of these:
- Bradley (IL)
- Illinois Institute of Technology-you may want to check that itās sufficiently self-contained
- Merrimack (MA)
- Norwich (VT)
- Ohio Northern (this is a private school)
- SUNY Polytechnic
- Trine (IN)
- U. of Detroit Mercy (MI)
- U. of Hartford (CT)
- Valparaiso (IN)
- Widener (PA )
By the way, I believe Bucknell to be very Greek. I believe it has one of the highest percentages of males participating in its fraternity system in the country.
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I briefly looked at Bradley, but eliminated it once he got the Dayton offer (closer). He says RIT is his favorite, but I was hesitant to apply there ED without assurance that he could be in the Spectrum program. Do you think any of the above are better fits/choices than the admits that he currently has? He has received merit that amounts to 1/2 tuition at most schools. And, yes, Iām aware that Bucknell is very greek and have gone back and forth on itā¦
ETA his twin was accepted to Cornell engineering ED, so the PA and NY schools would be closest for drivingā¦
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If proximity to home is a factor (i.e. eliminating Bradley because Dayton was closer), is there a general metro area/part of a state you can specify?
@Bill_Marsh may be able to speak to the supports at SUNY Polytechnic, but I know he thinks very highly of it.
Norwich, I suspect, would have very strong supports. I believe it has a relationship with Landmark, which is well-known for providing great student supports.
Unfortunately, Iām not familiar enough with all of these schools to give the best advice. Perhaps @aquapt might know more?
Do you have a spreadsheet with the percentage of classes at the various levels (i.e. less than 20, more than 50, etc)? I donāt know for a fact, but I strongly suspect that several of the schools I mentioned would have smaller classes than Dayton, SLU, School of Mines, etc. USNWR doesnāt go as detailed as each schoolās Common Data Set in terms of class sizes, so the CDS would obviously be a better resource. But for speed, USNWR worked better for me. 
Anyway, this could be used as a quick filter to see which universities one might want to dig into further.
| Fewer than 20 | 20-49 | 50+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | 59.4% | 38.7% | 2% |
| Illinois Inst. of Tech | 44.6% | 46.4% | 9% |
| Merrimack | 65.2% | 34.1% | 0.7% |
| Norwich | 63.8% | 35.3% | 0.8% |
| Ohio Northern | 63.3% | 36.1% | 0.6% |
| SUNY Polytechnic | 57.2% | 42.1% | 0.6% |
| Trine | 47.1% | 52.5% | 0.3% |
| U. of Detroit Mercy | 49.4% | 47% | 3.5% |
| U. of Hartford | 77% | 23% | 0.1% |
| Valparaiso | 58.9% | 36.8% | 4.3% |
| Widener | 66.8% | 31.2% | 2.1% |
Obviously, things can differ department by department within a university. But Iād compare these numbers with the other schools on your application list. Off-hand, Iād take a closer look at U. of Hartford, and then perhaps some combo of Merrimack, Norwich, Ohio Northern, Widener.
Iām not in engineering, but I know some schools are more hands-on (I strongly suspect SUNY Poly is one) whereas other schools may have other emphases. How does your son learn best and are particular universities better suited to his particular interests in engineering?
You may want to start your own thread, because youāre likely to get better feedback from more posters on this topic. If you do, Iād appreciate a tag so I donāt miss it.
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Thank you! Iāll look at these! I appreciate the suggestions! 
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Of the current acceptances, RHIT is the one that really seems to fit the desired parameters, other than proximity to Cornell.
Of the still-pending schools, RIT and Clarkson jump out at me as good possibilities, with the added bonus that both are in upstate NY. (Although itās more than a 3 hr drive from Cornell to Clarkson)
Union and Lehigh have more of a party reputation (Bucknell too, I believe). WPI could be a great addition. RPI has a bit more of an unforgiving reputation - not sure how they are with accommodations and supports.
All that said, most of my impressions are secondhandā¦ but thanks for the shoutout! I havenāt kept up with this thread of late.
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Sounds like you have a great list. Is he not excited about where heās been accepted?
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Have you visited WPI? Sounds like a social fit. Itās an amazing school, just be aware that they run on a trimester system so classes can move at a pretty fast clip.
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