<p>“so USC and UA would not be worth considering for engineering, even with merit?”</p>
<p>Depends on which engineering discipline you plan on majoring in. S. Carolina-Columbia generally engineering has a different research focus. For example, if I wanted to work in Polymers as a Chemical Engineer, I wouldn’t choose USC over Clemson. With regard to Alabama-Tuscaloosa, they are investing a lot of money into new engineering facilities. Momof2CollegeKids knows more than I, but I suspect that if there’s any gap between Auburn Engineering and Alabama Engineering, it’s not very wide, particularly in mechanical/automotive, given the car industry investments in the state lately.</p>
<p>well I’m not from Alabama but that was always my impression so I could be wrong. I was always told that Auburn is Clemson without a lake (aka the land-grant school in Alabama).</p>
<p>And I disagree @LakeWashington , those research differences would probably more important with graduate school. Undergrad wise you aren’t going to focusing on polymers within the chemical engineering department. I don’t know anybody who would consider South Carolina as the better engineering program (and Clemson offers every engineering major that South Carolina offers)</p>
<p>So would it be reasonable to also apply to Auburn if I love Clemson, for additional chances at merit money? Probably can’t visit Auburn beforehand. Also, for super reaches, does Princeton, Cornell, MIT, and Stanford sound like the standard for me? I should abandon Yale and Harvard? Thanks! </p>
<p>@pierre0913 @LakeWashington @NROTCgrad </p>
<p>I think I’ll do EA/SCEA at either Princeton, Stanford, or MIT…any thoughts as to my best fit, what I should invest EA in? I hope I can visit at least two of the three…</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about merit scholarships but from an engineering perspective yes Clemson and Auburn are similar schools. And if you’re serious about engineering then yes Princeton/Cornell/MIT/Stanford would be the schools to pick. </p>
<p>I’ll do SCEA for Stanford if I were you. I feel like that is a better fit for you academically. What do you think about USC(California) since you can apply there as well as SCEA for Stanford? USC encourages cross pollination in many different fields, writing, engineering, film, music, etc,. USC does give good merit aid if you are students that it wants to attract.</p>
<p>Eh, I would not say cross off Harvard/Yale. Yes, they’re not as known for engineering, but as an undergrad, that’s not going to hurt you. Go with fit.</p>
<p>It all depends whether you’re decided on engineering or not. If you are, obviously don’t go to schools that don’t offer engineering. It sounded like you wanted a technical field but lots of flexibility in course choice and electives, which engineering does not provide (the path is rather fixed) so that’s why I suggested CS.
UAlabama’s engineering now rivals Auburn’s and you’re guaranteed merit there, so you should apply. If you get into all three of UA, Auburn, and Clemson, then you can choose the one you like best and/or is the cheapest, not a bad position to be in! 
Why not include Harvey Mudd on your list of reaches?
Does Olin offer the field you’re interested in?
An alternative <em>if</em> you want a combination (not straight engineering) is the 4+1 at Bryn Mawr and Haverford, whereby you major in Physics or Computer Science, then do a year at Penn to get a Master’s in Engineering (you need to have a certain GPA but the requirements are not onerous for one who wants Stem degrees).</p>
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<p>If you love Clemson, then applying to Auburn is completely reasonable. Especially since most people who visit both seem to prefer Auburn (apparently because they like the city of Auburn more than the city of Clemson).</p>
<p>Texas A&M is another really good engineering school which gives merit money. </p>
<p>@MYOS1634 “If you get into all three of UA, Auburn, and Clemson, then you can choose the one you like best and/or is the cheapest, not a bad position to be in! :)”
I totally agree with this. It gives you great options to choose from and you can go where you feel at home. All should give you schedule flexibility with generous AP credit so you could pursue writing or other interests.<br>
One thing to consider about those reaches is how comfortable you are with being far away from home. My DD thought it wouldn’t bother her until we drove 12+ hours to see Texas schools then she realized her limit was a 6 hour drive. She did not want to deal with a busy airport in a big city. That may not be a big issue with you.</p>
<p>I would not recommend a combination 3+2, 4+1 program if you want to do engineering. After going through an engineering curriculum and seeing the number of people who dropped out of engineering the first year and having gone through many tough courses I would not suggest that route if you are serious about being a chemical engineer. The reason many colleges have a general engineering program first year is for people to get exposed to the different engineering fields and to see whether they want to continue in the program (many people just choose engineering because they were told they were good at math/science and to pursue it). It’s one of those things where you gotta love it and have a passion for it or else you’re going to be miserable in some of your higher-level classes. I wouldn’t want to wait till your last 1 or 2 years to figure that out.</p>
<p>@NROTCgrad, got any stats to back that little Auburn-Clemson jab up? haha just kidding though I disagree with that statement :)</p>
<p>Also, @MYOS1634 , she clearly stated in her first post that she wants to study “chemical/environmental/biological systems engineering with a focus on water quality.” Why would she go study computer science after saying that? It’s not totally impossible to get a second major or even a minor as an engineering major. It might take an extra year but guessing her time management skills by her extracurriculars and stats, it’s definitely possible.</p>
<p>A 4+1 is very different from a 3+2 program. A Physics major who goes through the process of applying for the Master’s isn’t in the same situation as a freshman thinking s/he may want to major in engineering, switching school midway.</p>
<p>It seems to me that in the thread, well after the first page, OP mentioned interests in more than engineering. As you know, being an engineering has a fixed pathway, with classes building upon each other, and most classes are required, with little room for other interests or electives taken for the fun of it. As you said, engineers have to be passionate about what they do and committed to it. It is indeed possible to double major in 5 years but that’s not quite what I thought OP meant. </p>
<p>I don’t expect to double major @MYOS1634, and I think that engineering is for me…I just want to learn as much as possible in the process (not be all engineering, all the time). I think also that it would be a possibility for me to end up going the becoming a really young assistant professor route…that’s what I always used to think I would do. A professor in engineering 
I really don’t know. At Clemson, I am highly attracted to their environmental engineering and earth sciences department, but I might still go into chemical engineering. Is it really important to have that versatile ChemE degree as an undergrad? I love environmental and earth sciences, but I’m a bit more mathy and technical than that alone. </p>
<p>So basically I think I would want a not-too-techie but techie atmosphere in a smaller place, preferably with a good amount of greenery…either environmental, biosystems, chemical engineering, but whatever I do it should be highly centered around earth/environment but using tech to get there, with a flair for writing and an emphasis on creativity. Do I have a shot at the National Scholars Program? Does anyone have further info about that? I’ll probably start a thread about it sooner or later, because it is, for lack of a better word, uber attractive to me… I would probably want to visit Auburn, because based on their websites and other info, I think I prefer Clemson. </p>
<p>Pierre, I believe you misunderstood me.</p>
<p>I indicated that Clemson had the stronger overall engineering department, between it and S. Carolina-Columbia. And by the way, you better believe that there can be a significant difference in undergraduate research activity among different universities and most industrial and engineering firms hire straight of of undergrad. Clearly that will vary, depending upon the company. But firms who intend to place their new B.S. graduates in polymer research-- say firms like Michelin, Sherwin-Williams, Bridgestone, PolyOne, Dow Chemical etc.-- will certainly look favorably upon undergraduates who are very familiar with Inorganic Chemistry and/or materials research. S. Carolina-Columbia does not conduct a lot of research or offer a lot of advanced coursework in those areas. Clemson does.</p>
<p>Oops. Meant to say…</p>
<p>"…most industrial and engineering firms hire straight out of undergrad."</p>
<p>@LakeWashington - I absolutely understand that there are research activities. In civil engineering between Clemson and other schools there are different focuses. However, I think the significance of the difference in undergraduate research activity is overstated. For example in the transportation section of civil engineering, the research focus is on transportation safety and intelligent transportation systems. Yet many Clemson graduates still get hired for areas other than these research focus areas (roadway design, transportation planning etc…)</p>
<p>So I should not consider a 3+2 program under any circumstances? I feel like so many choices and my preferences keep shifting…</p>
<p>4+1 (Bryn Mawr or Haverford) is fine since you complete one degree, then the other. The 3+2 at Agnes Scott with GTech is also worthwhile. However, most students who intended on completing the 3+2 elsewhere never do, because they don’t want to leave their college and their friends midway. (This doesn’t apply to the ASC/GTech partnership because the universities are in the same city and have frequent “mixers” so the students don’t totally leave their friends and their campus.)
It’s normal your choices and preferences keep shifting. They will, still, for the upcoming 6 months. That’s why you need to apply broadly, keeping in mind your various interests. </p>