Where should I apply to for mechanical engineering undergrad?

@Rahulbarcafan - It is primarily a numbers game at the big state universities and the engineering schools within these universities are usually more selective than average for the entire university. Here is a source for finding out the admission statistics (as well as lots of other stats) for the engineering department of each university.

http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/6502/screen/19?school_name=Virginia+Polytechnic+Institute+and+State+University

Here’s another possible approach:

If you really enjoyed community service and teaching STEM subjects to underprivileged children, then that is unusual for an engineering applicant and you should check out Tufts.

It is a relatively small school that only admits 14% of it’s engineering applicants, and the SAT scores are a little higher than Michigan Engineering, BUT one of it’s biggest research expenditures is in Engineering Education and Outreach, which is based out of the Mechanical Engineering Department. They invented (along with MIT) the educational version of the LEGOS Mindstorm Robotics kit, and for community service, about 45% of the engineering students spend some time teaching engineering to elementary school children in inner city neighborhoods. They also have a very active Engineers Without Borders organization.

There are multiple essays required for admission which makes admissions more holistic than the state schools. You would need to write compelling essays that matched your interests/personality to the school’s, but based on your brief description, Tufts might be a good fit.

Good Luck