SMU vs Tulsa

<p>My son is a senior in high school and is debating between engineering and business. Right now he is leaning toward engineering. He wants a smaller school that offers strong programs in both. He definitely wants small class sizes where he can build relationships with professors. Rankings are really important to him. He also wants D1 sports. So, the leading candidates right now are SMU and Tulsa. We had originally looked at SMU for business and he really liked it. He went back for a second time to look at the engineering school and liked that too. We just recently went to visit the University of Tulsa and he liked that as well. He won't have difficulty getting into either. Stats are: ACT 30, GPA 4.0/4.3, solid ECs. We know from firsthand experience that Tulsa is very generous with scholarship money. From what I have read SMU is not. We will not qualify for financial assistance. So if it comes down to these two schools, there will be a significant gap in price. I'm just looking for some input. How good is SMU's engineering program? I can be convinced that that business school is worth the price, how about the engineering school? And if anyone can offer some other schools that fit this narrow criteria, I'd be interesting in hearing about them too.</p>

<p>Does he want to stay in the region after college? SMU is far better recognized in other areas of the country than Tulsa. In business, that may matter.</p>

<p>business or engineering, makes little difference whether he goes to Tulsa or SMU. He’ll get a good education. Why pay more for the same thing? It’s what he DOES in college, not where he goes.</p>

<p>Other possibilities:
-Lehigh
-Gonzaga
-Syracuse
-Marquette
-Villanova</p>

<p>Tulsa is a very fine but not well known university outside of the Southwest region. Solid education, specifically in Petroleum Engineering and strong in the arts as well. The City of Tulsa is appealing as well, as is Dallas. I’ve known two SMU grads. Bright people. Not engineers, however.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of the great comments everyone. My daughter is an engineering student at Tulsa so I am very familiar it. While it has all of the things my son wants, he does not want to follow in his sister’s footsteps. I get that. We live in the Midwest so the schools whenwhen suggested may be too far. We visited Lehigh with my daughter and loved it (didn’t love the price tag though). I am trying to get him interested in Case Western. We will be going to Iowa State later this summer, but I think my Goldilocks will think it is too big. I’d like to see him have more than two schools on the list, particularly when one (SMU) is not really known for its engineering program.</p>

<p>If Cost is an issue, UA will give him a full-tuiton scholarship if he majors in Engineering.</p>

<p><a href=“Scholarships – College of Engineering | The University of Alabama”>http://eng.ua.edu/undergraduate/scholarships/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Do you not want to go too far from home?</p>

<p>Since I, too, was in need of a cheaper alternative, may I suggest you take a look at UPitt? OOS is about 43K. If DS could boost his ACT to a 33, he likely would get into some merit in the 10K range. That might not compete with Tulsa, however. Perhaps Alabama and its merit is your best choice.</p>

<p>By the way, he’ll be an auto-admit at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, which regionally speaking, isn’t that far from Iowa State. I admit to being a SDSM&T booster, but the school’s programs are unquestionably excellent. Tough academics, lots of undergraduate research opportunities, strong school spirit, great job placement, and a bargain price tag that’s affordable for out-of-staters.</p>