<p>Another +1 for WPI. Well regarded for engineering and other STEM fields in the Northeast and they have a very active music program consisting of orchestra, concert band, jazz band, vocal ensembles, and numerous chamber groups.</p>
<p>ucb,</p>
<p>Yes, definitely something to think about.</p>
<p>I love the idea of South Dakota Mines. Thanks for that suggestion.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the ideas-good stuff.</p>
<p>We looked at Lehigh as well as the others I mentioned previously (RHIT, Stevens, Lafayette, Bucknell, and also RIT and a slew of other larger schools).</p>
<p>My son really liked Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette best - - in that order. He’s going to Bucknell. </p>
<p>Not sure how strong a student your child is, but my son and I both ADORED Rice University. He wasn’t accepted there (it was a reach for my son), but it was the one school we both agreed was the best.</p>
<p>As a parent, I liked all five of these schools. RIT has a wonderful program, AND they dole out a lot of financial aid (merit too). But it is very ugly. And it is very large. And I’m from Rochester, and the weather is rough. But employment prospects out of RIT are outstanding.</p>
<p>
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<p>It’s actually called New Mexico Tech, not Mines</p>
<p>[New</a> Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology](<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu%5DNew”>http://www.nmt.edu)</p>
<p>OOS scholarships:</p>
<p>[Tuition</a> Reduction Scholarships for Non-Residents](<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/50-financial-aid/financial-aid/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents]Tuition”>http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/50-financial-aid/financial-aid/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents)</p>
<p>Small school, about 3000 total undergrad enrollment.</p>
<p>I can second MizzBee’s post about Valpo. I am biased, but I feel that my education there was wonderful, and I really became a better person from attending VU. If you decide that you’re interested, don’t hesitate to PM me!</p>
<p>Just about any of the smaller [Association</a> of Independent Technological Universities: AITU](<a href=“http://theaitu.org%5DAssociation”>http://theaitu.org) schools (RHIT and many other mentioned above are among them) would fit the demographic you are looking for. Some of them offer better merit aid than others. The public options listed above are all good too as long as there is an ABET accredited program and your student likes it.</p>
<p>Another vote for South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Small college. Surprising geographically broad study body for a public college in a small state, though most students are from the western states. Very rigorous curriculum. Various opportunities for undergraduate research. Odds for admission are good, but getting out takes a heck of a lot of work. You won’t find much in the way of liberal arts at SDSM&T. Engineering all the way. Beautiful Black Hills, SD location, if you enjoy the outdoors. Rapid City nice sized city with lots going for it.</p>
<p>Also loved our visit to WPI, and was very impressed with RPI. But RPI was ten grand more costly than WPI, last I heard.</p>
<p>^Yes, but sometimes RPI’s merit aid will make up the difference. (Though my son got a bigger offer from WPI.)</p>
<p>Don’t rule out RH based upon the sticker cost. Son#1 was offered a very large scholarship guaranteed for 4 years.</p>
<p>We won’t rule anything out yet. There are a lot of interesting colleges mentioned that I’d not heard of. So much will depend on his scores, gpa at the community college, honing in on actual interest/major possibilities, ECs, etc., and when/where we might move. We want to be close enough to my son to be of support for his diabetes unless he radically matures in two years (which could happen, I guess). Initial SAT scores are coming pretty soon, so we’ll have a baseline. </p>
<p>We don’t have the money to visit anywhere this year, so we’ll have to see them all online for now.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to see selectivity differences. NM is very selective (apx. 30%) and Missouri isn’t (apx. 88%). Good to get a mix. </p>
<p>NM looks great but without music…not sure about that.</p>
<p>OP, I wanted to take something back that I said about RIT - - the exterior is ugly (to me), but the interiors of the buildings are very modern and up to date. I do think they give great aid there so didn’t want to discourage you from considering it . . .we know tons of people who have gone there and have been very happy with their education. I stand by my previous statements on the weather though!!</p>
<p>Lafayette is, culturally, a preppy northeastern LAC, from way back. That is good news or bad news, depending on your perspective. It has engineering, of course, but culturally, it’s a very upscale LAC. I was under the impression that their merit aid went to pretty high stats kids – borderline Ivy candidates. Maybe the merit aid trickles further down the academic totem pole than I realize. Lafayette also needs to “feel the love”, as I understand it. They’ve turned down some very high stats kids from around here, definite Ivy candidates, perhaps because they didn’t want their yield undermined, being used as a safety by Ivy-bound kids?</p>
<p>My son considered Rose Hulman. The only other school he considered that was like Rose Hulman was Colorado School of Mines. A couple of Texas schools you may want to consider are SMU and Trinity University. SMU is quite a bit bigger than Rose Hulman, but they have been pouring money into their engineering school. Trinity University is more of a liberal arts school, but has a very good computer science department (my son just completed his first year and loved it), and they have a very strong engineering science program.</p>
<p>RIT is an interesting campus. They moved from downtown Rochester to the suburbs and when they did, they tried to keep ties to the past by reusing the bricks. Newer buildings are made using the same shade of bricks, so it is very uniform. They call it “Brick City”. Lots of new facilities including an amazing sports center, complete with a “lazy river”. [RIT</a> Athletics - Gordon Field House and Activities Center](<a href=“http://www.ritathletics.com/sports/2002/9/14/slc.aspx]RIT”>Gordon Field House and Activities Center - Rochester Institute of Technology Athletics)
My son hated the campus though except for the Benny and Jerry’s ice cream store.
We thought Lafayette and Bucknell both have a preppy feel to them. Both have pretty campuses, but my son thought Bucknell was too remote for him.</p>
<p>My son just got his SATs back and for a guy with disabilities, I’m really proud of him for his first attempt. I think once he takes Alg II, he should be able to boost his math a bit. His overall was 2090 and his math was 690. He still has his junior and senior year to retest. Are those scores good enough to compete as some of the schools mentioned on this thread? He actually was diagnosed with a math disability four years ago but he’s been showing progress.</p>
<p>Two school that haven’t been mentioned here that offer great aid or have a lower starting price (for a private school) are Ohio Northern University and Hope College. Both offer engineering in a liberal arts setting, and we really liked their campuses! DS will be attending Hope this fall.</p>
<p>Ohio Northern University seems to get a booby prize for the average amount of student loan debt at $48,886, much higher than most other schools (even New York University at $36,351): [Ohio</a> Northern University Tuition, Costs and Financial Aid - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1790]Ohio”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1790)</p>
<p>IMO</p>
<p>WPI is very generous to female applicants. I don’t have personal knowledge for male applicants.</p>
<p>Trinity U in TX is great. I personally don’t see it as similar to Rose-Hulman. Trinity has a nice endowment from the Walton family along with a “cheap” parent loan program that charges less interest. Of over a dozen schools we visited, Trinity was by far the friendliest overall (great staff, friendly students). San Antonio is a nice area. This school doesn’t get enough love on the national scale, but the student body does pull from all over the country. Worth exploring.</p>
<p>OP – The SAT scores are solid for WPI and Trinity in TX. WPI is actually test optional</p>
<p>I need to ask, if he struggles with math, why is he interested in a STEM field? I am not trying to discourage STEM, but the why may be important and could reveal a bit more about his thought process and career field options. </p>
<p>Also important will be to look in depth at the disability services offered at each school. My DS (HS 2013) has issues that required disability services and that drove our list more than the stats.</p>
<p>EDIT to ADD: If he did not get extended time on SAT it is too late to apply b/c his current scores will likely result in a denial (been there, done that). It is not too late to apply for ACT extended time. I encourage you to work with your high school and apply.</p>
<p>Why STEM? Good question. Because he <em>loves</em> the idea of designing, creating, building, making, and bringing that to fruition.</p>
<p>He’s only had Algebra and geometry and will take Alg II this summer through Art of Problem Solving. That would put him on pace to be doing calculus by his senior year.</p>
<p>He isn’t excited about math but he understands the practicality of it in the STEM fields and he’s decent at it. I think he’ll be able to get a 750 in math on the SAT. He learns well with good instruction and AoPS is good instruction. He also has my oldest son to help him.</p>
<p>Here’s a program that seems like it would be an amazing fit for him:</p>
<p>[Technology</a> and Applied Design Program | Catalog & Student Handbook - Berea College](<a href=“http://webapps.berea.edu/cataloghandbook/dpc/tec-prg.asp]Technology”>http://webapps.berea.edu/cataloghandbook/dpc/tec-prg.asp)</p>
<p>Berea is very selective and our income might be a tad too high (75K for a family of 5) but I did do the financial aid calculator on their site and it’s an amazing deal.</p>
<p>He got a 76 on the multiple choice section of the writing; his essay was only a 5. So, he’s a mixed bag of abilities and disabilities.</p>
<p>I think he can pull his SAT over 2200 with a little more exposure to math and a good writing class.</p>
<p>He did receive time and a half accommodations. It was a 6 1/2 hour ordeal. The next time he takes it, they’ll be able to actually do the right thing and allow him to move onto a new section when he’s finished.</p>
<p>Thanks for the idea about looking at disability offices. I will definitely consider that.</p>
<p>His PSAT should be right near the (high) cutoff in Ca. This SAT, without the essay, would equate to a 218 on PSAT, which isn’t quite high enough for California; thus, I’m hoping the summer math class will naturally help him. He will get time and a half for the PSAT, as well.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions and I will PM you Longhaul.</p>
<p>My DS did 6 initially on SAT Writing and a perfect 12 on ACT. Each test really judged vastly different. DS did not alter his writing style.</p>
<p>Maybe he should explore industrial design or product design. Drexel in PA has a program (a very urban school). He may not love Drexel, but it is worth reviewing the program to use to locate other type programs [Product</a> Design | Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/undergraduate/PROD/]Product”>Product Design Major | Drexel Westphal)</p>