I need help finding safety schools!!!

xAAAx · 10-09-2009, 12:18 AM

I have too many high matches/reaches on my list and I'm looking for some good match/ safety schools for an Engineering major.
What I want: Location- East Coast to Mid/Southwest
Has a variety of engineering majors
Where I stand:
SATs: retaking in November, but based on practice tests, expecting a 2200+
ECs: I'm very invloved, & do a variety of sports, clubs, music... year round...too lazy to list.
Volunteer= 200+ hrs
Job- all four years
AP Scholar, NMSF......& all of that blah
Any suggestions on what would be a good match or safety for me??

limabeans · 10-09-2009, 12:24 AM

What are you interested in: big, medium or small? State or private? North, South, East or West? What have you considered so far? What does "very involved" ECs look like? Environmental group, hospital, key club, debate? yearbook? Newspaper? What were your SATs that you're retaking? (a starting point helps). Are you URM, M/F, need FA? Gotta give more to get some decent suggestions.

xAAAx · 10-09-2009, 12:44 AM

I tend to like small-medium schools. I love rural, suburban, and city, but nothing too contemporary
Basically anywhere East Coast, Southeast, to Midwest. Northeast as a first choice.
Starting SAT=2100
Female. caucasian. Applying for some FA
ECs-everything I do I'm involved in: Play two instruments,Dance, track-winter&spring, clubs-KEY, Environmental, Amnesty, Foreign Language, MUN, Book, Tutoring, Part-time job, Babysit, Badminton

Does that help?

limabeans · 10-09-2009, 12:51 AM

Uof Rochester and Carnegie Mellon come to mind. Rochester's good w/ FA too. A smaller school to consider is Union College, in NY. Very nice school, good FA. Female & engineering is a good combination. I'll try to think of others too. But that's a start.

mom2collegekids · 10-09-2009, 12:56 AM

Do you just need safeties or do you need a financial safety as well.

I see that you wrote that you're applying for some F/A...do you know what you're EFC is? And, did you know that most F/A is student loans (not free money)?

I never thought of Carnegie Mellon as a safety...is it?

What about Fordham? They will likely give you a NMF scholarship if you're top 10% of your class.

How about...U of Delaware?

xAAAx · 10-09-2009, 12:59 AM

Thanks for the suggestions and I don't know exactly how much FA I need/what I qualify for. I have an older sibling in college and my family has a mortgage, so I'm not sure how those work into play...

CaliforniaDancer · 10-09-2009, 12:59 AM

Smith, if you're interested, though not a total safety, would be quite likely. Case Western might also work well.

limabeans · 10-09-2009, 01:22 AM

Case Western is a good choice. CMU isn't a safety; Probably a match. I don't think of Smith as an engineering school.

Erin's Dad · 10-09-2009, 10:10 AM

WPI for a safety, maybe RPI.

mom2collegekids · 10-09-2009, 10:54 AM

>>> Thanks for the suggestions and I don't know exactly how much FA I need/what I qualify for. I have an older sibling in college and my family has a mortgage, so I'm not sure how those work into play... <<<

Having a sibling in college helps, but lots of people have mortgages and the F/A system doesn't really care about that for several reasons. Having a sibling "splits" the EFC. For example, if your family's EFC is $30k per year. Your family's EFC for your education will be $15k. However, once your sister leaves college, your family's EFC will go back to $30k - so keep that in mind.

Go to this Financial Aid EFC calculator and figure out what your approx. EFC will be. FinAid | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid If your parents won't tell you how much they earn, then ask them to input the numbers on the income section.

There's no point to spinning your wheels and considering various colleges until you know what your F/A situation will be. Plus, not all colleges will meet "demonstrated need". Demonstrated Need is the difference between total college costs minus EFC.

Seriously, many kids here on CC (and everywhere) get their hopes up about this or that school only to find out that their EFC is high and their families can't pay the EFC. It's best to know what you're dealing with and then proceed.

crazed · 10-09-2009, 05:10 PM

Virginia Tech
Delaware
RIT
SUNY Buffalo
Clemson

diontechristmas · 10-09-2009, 05:14 PM

Temple, Delaware, Drexel, Pitt, Penn State.

pierre0913 · 10-09-2009, 05:26 PM

look at Clemson University! I'm in the general engineering program and planning to go into Civil or Biosystems engineering when I declare a major next year (sophomore year). Let me know if you have any questions!

TheresaCPA · 10-09-2009, 09:59 PM

Purdue University would be a safety

adil91 · 10-09-2009, 10:04 PM

Georgia Tech
Clemson