<p>Wait I want to calrify something - are you referring to Illinois Institute of Technology? coz I am. No way I’m getting into the Indian IITs lol :P</p>
<p>LOL what a blunder, you really got me thinking. However, I’d still say that you go to IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology), it is among the top technical institutes in “Fiske Guide to Colleges” along with MIT and Harvey Mudd. However, if you’re not too sure about engineering, Drexel has a good balance. </p>
<p>Here’s an excerpt from Fiske guide to colleges</p>
<p>Drexel:
Drexel is a streetwise, no-nonsense technical university in the heart of Philadelphia.
Go to school, work an internship, go to school again, work again—that’s the Drexel
way. Like Lehigh, Drexel also offers programs in business and arts and sciences, and
its most distinctive offering is a College of Media Arts and Design. The university is a
financial bargain compared with other leading technical schools.</p>
<p>IIT:
Forget about cheerleaders, homecoming games, and other trappings of college life. IIT
is about learning technology, getting a degree, and landing a job. IIT is all engineering
with a little bit of architecture thrown in for good measure. If your goal is a technical
job in the Chicago area, this is your place. Though private, IIT is relatively inexpensive.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that Fiske gave 3.5 stars to IIT for Academics and only 3 stars to Drexel and the no. of students is higher at Drexel.</p>
<p>@Suryaslash LOL 
</p>
<p>@peepingtom thanks a ton for all that information I have a slight inclination towards IIT, but I still want to speak to the FA office and see if anything can be done.</p>
<p>And Hey, I forgot to mention that IIT is really open to aid negotiations! You just put a sad face and tell them how poor you are and they’ll definitely increase your aid, I know a guy who increased his aid from 25k to 29k easily, and he also said that he could’ve gotten more but didn’t ask! you can easily get an extra 5-10k. However, the worst thing about IIT is its M/F ratio (69/31), Fiske gave only 2 stars each for ‘Quality of Life’ and ‘Social’, same for Drexel too but the M/F ratio is quite favorable (57/43) but I guess that won’t be a problem as we’re used to a ratio of 5:1 studying the sciences!</p>
<p>That sounds great, my dad would really appreciate that! I too need around 30k lol, I’m jealous of that guy.
And the M/F ratio is fine, there are certain things engineers have to sacrifice in life and I think this comes under that :P</p>
<p>Yup, you’re absolutely right. Sometimes I wonder are girls really that stupid? or they just don’t like technical schools?
What are your stats, objective only.</p>
<p>and yea, What’s your intended major? Is it architecture?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1578414-low-gpa-but-strong-ecs-chance-me.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1578414-low-gpa-but-strong-ecs-chance-me.html#latest</a>
Mechanical Engineering.</p>
<p>If it’s not architecture, there’s no reason to go to Drexel. THAT’S IT!</p>
<p>Woah. I thought it was kinda that way for IIT.</p>
<p>Architecture is quite non prevalent at IIT, it’s basically structural engineering tidied up a little. No space for art! (which I think architecture is all about). To sum it up, IIT is just like an engineering college here in India, you’ll fell right at home.</p>
<p>I kinda don’t want to study in a very Indian-esque college, coz I’m an international student and I’ve been living outside India for most of my life. But yes IIT seems like the right choice. I’ve just asked them for a reevaluation of my financial aid. If it comes to around 30k, then there’s no looking back.</p>
<p>No yaar, you should’ve mailed them telling how surprised you are that you received almost no aid and told them bluntly that you would require XXX amount to be able to attend. You don’t really expect that your EFC will decrease dramatically just because you’ve asked for a revaluation! Unless you provided any extra info it’ll just come out as it is. </p>
<p>I did mention that I have a sister who has to do her postgrad this year as well, and it’s really tight for my dad. Chalega?</p>
<p>Shayyad, not sure. My friend just bluntly said “Dear Sir, I’d need X to attend a prestigious uni like IIT without which it’ll only be a distant dream for me” but of course more formally and sugarcoated.</p>
<p>Sounds good, I’ll use it for my next (hopefully unneeded) correspondence.</p>
<p>I am a parent and my son has been applying to colleges in the US.
Accepted : Emory (Oxford college), Northeastern, Bentley, George Washington, Brandeis, Franklin and Marshall, Skidmore, Clarke, Bryant
Waitlisted : Boston Univ
We are now in decision mode and the short list has Emory, Northeastern, Boston, Brandeis</p>
<p>@Kandarp
Congrats! That is a great list of colleges. Did your son require aid?</p>