<p>I went to NC State for my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s in Aerospace. They have a solid program. Professors are good. As far as college life, there are many things to do. Raleigh is a midsize city, not too big, not too small. The beach is two hours away to the east. The mountains are two hours away in the other direction. It’s the south so people are really friendly.</p>
<p>CO School of Mines is a great school for engineering, nice small size. It’s a CO state school, but I’m not sure if it is on WUE.</p>
<p>The WUE list is here:</p>
<p>[WICHE</a> - Student Exchange Programs](<a href=“http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all]WICHE”>http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all)</p>
<p>Colorado School of Mines is not on it (and its normal out-of-state cost is much higher than for the Mines schools in New Mexico and South Dakota).</p>
<p>There’s no WUE break. It would be $16k more per year than Colorado State and $20+k more than the rest. it’s still on the list of schools for consideration, but I’m trying to figure out if it or even more expensive schools are worth it.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>SD School of Mines has one of the best deals I’ve seen for out-of-state students.</p>
<p>It looks like CO School of Mines has merit scholarships… you’d need to do some digging to determine likelihood and $ potential
[Scholarship</a> Information - Prospective Freshmen](<a href=“Scholarship Information - Financial Aid”>Scholarship Information - Financial Aid)</p>
<p>Thanks! Do you know anything about SD school of mine? I don’t. It is in SD which may explain a lot of the OOS deal. Wyoming is also very affordable.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>SD Mines has about 2,000 undergraduate and 300 graduate students.</p>
<p>Selectivity does not seem to be very high; according to [South</a> Dakota School of Mines and Technology Admissions Information - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=927]South”>South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Acceptance Rate | CollegeData) , only 58% of the freshman class had SAT math scores of 600 or higher. This may be related to its relatively low graduation rate of 46% (a study at the University of Oregon found that students entering with SAT math scores under 600 had very little chance of success in math-heavy majors: [[1011.0663</a>] Nonlinear Psychometric Thresholds for Physics and Mathematics](<a href=“http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.0663][1011.0663”>[1011.0663] Nonlinear Psychometric Thresholds for Physics and Mathematics) ).</p>
<p>We visited SD Mines year before last. The students we met seemed happy with the school and very excited about their programs. We looked mainly at computer science and atmospheric science. LA Times had an article last week (9-18-12) about how in demand the graduates are, and how their starting salaries are often higher than the starting salaries, on average, than Harvard grads.</p>
<p>ucbalum, the selectivity based on the fact they are a state school and the state they are in. It seems very analogous to New Mexico Tech.</p>
<p>Sheepster, how did you like it in general? Where did your S or D end up?</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>In general, I thought the school was fine. Everyone we met there seemed friendly and sincere. It’s pretty basic, amenity wise. I don’t think that’s a bad thing - some schools we’ve seen are ridiculously glitzy. They emphasized the opportunities for research and hands-on learning for everyone. If you look at their literature, I think they do a very good job of fairly representing themselves.<br>
Rapid City is large for South Dakota, but if your child is looking for ‘city life’, this isn’t it. There’s a charming historic downtown, and then more modern stuff spread out from there. If outdoor activities are important, there’s plenty to do in all seasons. Lots of wide open spaces, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and Black Hills. I would have been very comfortable is S had chosen to go there. He ended up at a Catholic school in Minnesota (in an even smaller town), probably because he’s always been in Catholic schools and was most comfortable with that vibe - nothing against the Mines.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>Any feedback on Colorado State, Montaa State, Utah or Wyoming? All have relative strengths on paper.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>My next-door neighbor is a junior MechE at Montana State and loves it. He interned over the summer with a titanium specialty machine shop. He chose it because, being a snowboarder, he wanted the 10 minute access to the slopes. </p>
<p>I know a guy who got his MS in Biochem from Co St. in Fort Collins. It is a great little college city backed up snugly in the shadow of the Rockies, well supported by the local tech community and only about an hour north of Denver. It’s reputation is decent, not quite as good as Mines, but still good. I almost took a job in Fort Collins because of the quality and location of the town. Skiing would be about an hour away.</p>
<p>Utah and Utah State are real undiscovered gems of technical programs. The LDS church is putting a lot of money into the schools, upgrading facilities, especially engineerning programs. Proximity to what is some of the best skiing in the world would be a real bonus. A critical mass of non-LDS students is making it a little less “different” to out-of-staters; I’m not quite sure how to describe it unless you have spent some time there. It is also an easy flight from most western cities.</p>
<p>As for Wyoming, I know a couple of wrestlers who went for non-engineering. It would take a special brand of stamina to want to spend 4 years in Laramie.</p>
<p>I’m non-LDS, but I grew up in SLC. My Dad went to the U for a second career. Also had family in Laramie. I get what you’re saying, but was thinking the money poured into UW may have helped to isolate it from the bleak that is Laramie. The only issues with the U are the size and the fact that many complain about the lack of campus activities because so many commute or are PT. Guess we’ll have to visit.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>CSU ft Collins has done a lot of building recently especially in engineering. They have one brand new building and a brand new freshman engineering dorm that is practically a palace. They have a really nice program. We visited and my son really liked it so he applied and was accepted. He ended up attending Cornell but really liked CSU.</p>
<p>The campus has been greatly upgraded on recent years. It has a nice group of kids and Ft. Collins is a wonderful college town.</p>
<p>If your son applies early and commits before December, he can guarantee a spot in those new engineering dorms which are right near classes and an honors dorm.</p>
<p>Thanks TKsmom!</p>
<p>Here’s the $120,000 question. I dont know that he didn’t, but assuming you were on the line for full price at Cornell and WUE rate (150% of instate) at CSU, if your son had to pay $120,000 more to go to Cornell than CSU, would he have made the same decision?</p>
<p>The insight is greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>We live in CO. He was also in at Colorado School of Mines and had a 20k scholarship to Clarkson. His sister is currently a junior at a private so for us, Cornell was not a lot more because of the financial aid we received vs no aid if he went in state. But, it will be more when I only have 1 in college unless they cut us a break when his sister is in grad school.</p>
<p>I don’t know if if Cornell is worth the extra money. Its too early to say, but based on what I have seen so far, I am thrilled with his decision. He is already on project teams, he has a an on campus job that he loves and he has friends from all over the globe and has made great connections with his profs already. We really went on fit which we felt was vitally important for him. </p>
<p>I think it’s most important to do well wherever you are and kids tend to do well where the fit is good. also, in this economy, we felt if he could do well at Cornell, he’d likely have lots of good employment offers when he graduates based on companies that recruit there.</p>
<p>If your son feels that he is in a place that will challenge him and meet his needs, he will do well. I do think rigor is important too so ABET schools are a must and ones with great job placement. We have known some Mines kids that graduated but got jobs in retail, not in engineering. And they are considered employed by the school. Employment in their field of study is what counts in my book.</p>
<p>Our issue is a little tough in that we fall into an earnings category where our son will not be eligible for any need-based financial aid, but we can’t just plunk down a quarter of a million dollars like Bill Gates. It’s a difficult process to tease out the differences in programs and what those differences are worth in monetary terms.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>“I almost took a job in Fort Collins because of the quality and location of the town. Skiing would be about an hour away.” - There is lots of skiing within a few hours of CSU in Fort Collin, but I don’t know any ski centers an hour away. CU and CO School of Mines is closer to the slopes, but to be honest Engineering students don’t have much spare time to ski.</p>
<p>Mines and CU are more known for engineering, but we worked with a college coach in the area who had he had great things to say about the CSU Mech Eng dept. A local friend is there now and really loving it.</p>
<p>Thanks! He’s been skiing so long, that it’s not a big ordeal to go. I could easily see him on the mountain for a half day here and there as long as the hill was accessible in an hour or less. Obviously it would also take some organization.</p>
<p>M</p>