I’ve been trying to find some good engineering schools that would be safeties/fits for me, but I’m having trouble figuring out whether a university’s engineering program is good or not, especially at some of the more obscure colleges. Can anyone recommend me a few? For my reaches I’m looking at Georgia Tech, U of Michigan, UIUC, and Purdue. Thanks in advance!
GPA: 3.51 UW, 3.71 W
ACT: 32 composite, 35 English, 29 Math, 35 Reading, 30 Science (Got a 36 on sci the test before)
5 AP classes: AP Physics 1, AP Bio (4), AP English Lit (4), AP World(3), AP GovPol
EC stuff: Fencing Captain for 3 years, First Aid Squad volunteer, Science Olympiad, self -taught in a bunch of programming languages and run a small custom computer business from home. Also a paid editorial position at a popular esports news site.
With all due respect, are you sure Engineering is the concentration you’re most interested in? I noticed your ACT scores. Math and science were easily your weakest areas. Engineering colleges will pay close attention to those Math numbers for sure. Congrats on those English and Reading numbers btw!
I don’t think the numbers are that bad to get into engineering. I don’t think Purdue is a reach. I think they are rolling, so apply and see if you get in. Iowa State would be a good safety. They have automatic admissions and I think you are automatically in.
I do think it’s important that you understand that mathematics is going to be your tool box and that if you want to master your profession, you’d be best advised to master all of the math you see.
Iowa State has a great engineering school, but it is a notorious weed-out program. If the OP is a student whom has to work a bit harder at math, ISU may not be a comfortable fit.
All engineering schools are hard, but I like these “less stressful” schools for the traditional engineering disciplines;
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
Ohio University
Saint Louis University
U of Portland
U of Rochester
Texas Christian University
Rice University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yeah, I know my math is definitely lacking for engineering, but over the past year I’ve gotten my heart set on it Honestly, I think that a lot of it had to do with my poor note taking in a lot of my math classes, so this year I’m forcing myself to take extensive notes and so far it’s paying off in my AP Physics and Calculus classes.
How big of a school do you want? The schools you list are geographically close to university of Cincinnati, Valparaiso, and Marquette. All should be safeties and you may qualify for merit.
Clarkson would be likely to offer you a merit scholarship. Their engineering is strong. You can decide if the school is competitive enough in general for you.
“…my parents say that they can deal with anything thats not crazy expensive…”
Well alrighty then…South Dakota School of Mines & Technology may just be your ticket, if you believe that you would enjoy a small campus and a small city. Mines provides and excellent and rigorous education at a bargain price. Significant employers recruit Mines students; companies like Intel, ConAgra, Cargill, Cummins, Dow Chemical, NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, etc. And Rapid City is a student friendly town.
@Jamrock411 I should have mentioned Rutgers was on my list. I don’t know a lot about Stevens, but it has come up a few times in conversations with friends and people seem to think it’s over-rated/not good value. Like I said, don’t know much about it but I take a closer look, thanks!
“All the suggested schools are no better that Rutgers.”
Rutgers can’t match the undergraduate research opportunities and job placement for (traditional) engineering majors at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
@LakeWashington that’s an interesting statement. I have trouble reconciling that with Rutgers’ $400+M of research funding available. Yes, there is a big disparity of number of students but… Also, what data are you using for the job placement?
I don’t doubt that Rutgers’ overall research budget is larger than that of SDSM&T, but for engineering SDSM&T has a great track record of securing federal and private grants (especially with regard to energy and materials), and undergraduates are involved in much of that work. Mines is undergraduate focused.
As for employment, you’ll find information at the school’s website. Also, Mines places high on the PayScale list, though PayScale can be an imprecise measure because it’s skewered towards schools that produce candidates for well-paying STEM jobs.
Honestly, I think that a lot of it had to do with my poor note taking in a lot of my math classes, so this year I’m forcing myself to take extensive notes and so far it’s paying off in my AP Physics and Calculus classes.