Yes, lots of overlap in our processes!
D also considered Lehigh and Olin. If Olin had been a small sub-program within a larger university, I think she would have applied; but the prospect of an entire college smaller than her senior class, and the lack of a pure-academic Plan B if she didn’t turn out to love a studio/project-based program as much as expected, was too big a leap. Lehigh teetered on the edge of the list but eventually fell off. CMU was once such a top choice that we did a two-day visit, but the visit re-calibrated her interest level, and eventually she didn’t even apply.
My older D is at Rice, graduating in May. D2 has visited her there, liked the school, almost applied. But most of the design-y stuff there is within MechE, which is more your D’s thing. The Design Kitchen is very cool. Merit aid is scarce for all but the kids they need to lure away from MIT/Stanford, but at least sticker price is $15k or so less than the most expensive private U’s. D2 might have gotten in with the sibling-preference bump, but not necessarily. Her stats are slightly lower than her sister’s were (owing to a severe allergy to even the most minimal standardized test prep). Her high-reach schools are Cornell and Stanford (the latter of which would require an Act of God, but Dad did grad school there and wanted her to try).
Yes, definitely a moving target. D was leaning more toward Enviro Design last summer, but time and AP CompSci have shifted her focus. And likewise on not making a decision until at least mid-April. If she’s lucky enough to get one of the rare direct-admit spots in the HCDE department at UW Seattle, that could easily vault the UDub to the head of the pack; but departmental decisions aren’t announced until 4/15. As of now, Northeastern is the offer closest to her heart, but Dad really doesn’t want her that far from home, and there’s not enough information on the table yet to project how that negotiation will go.
Good luck with the Olin weekend and the GT interview! Sounds like she’s already got some good options and will have more. If you get more “intel” on the PDI program, let us know! 