Chance Me (D25) for Env Eng or Sci at larger universities. [NJ resident, 3.7 GPA, 1500 SAT, 33 ACT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Hi all - Would really appreciate insight on our daughter, who is currently a Senior applying for Fall 2025 entry. @AustenNut if you have a few minutes to share feedback, we’d be extremely grateful!

  • US domestic, US citizen
  • State/Location of resident: NJ
  • Type of high school: Private,

Cost Constraints / Budget $40-50k per year? (we will have to take out loans for whatever FA and Merit do not cover, as we had to use her 529 plan to pay for private HS)

Intended Major(s) Environmental Engineering, Env. Science, or Env. Studies (Applying to either Engineering School or Arts & Sci School, based on particular school’s program)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: * 3.7
  • Weighted HS GPA: * 4.2
  • Class Rank: School doesn’t rank; would guess top 10%
  • ACT/SAT Scores: SAT 1500 (730 Math, 770 English); ACT 33 (30 Math; 36 English; 31 Science)

List your HS coursework

Transferred HS after 9th grade (we moved due to job). 5 APs, 10 Honors classes overall

  • English: Honors 10 & 11; AP English 12
  • Math: Honors 10 & 11; AP Calculus BC 12
  • Science: Physics 9, Chemistry 10, AP Biology 11, AP Chemistry 12
  • History and social studies: Honors 10 & 11, APUSH 12
  • Language other than English: 3 years of Spanish (Honors 10 & 11)
  • Visual or performing arts: Band, Chorus
  • Other academic courses: Engineering class (12th grade)

Awards
NHS

Extracurriculars
President of two clubs, STEM Club, Youth in Govt, town human rights commission, Model UN, Marching Band, Chorus, School paper

Essays/LORs/Other
Solid/Average

Schools
ED:
Duke or Vanderbilt; Still trying to decide on which one to submit by 11/1

EA:
Indiana U
Northeastern
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Rutgers
U of Colorado
U of Delaware
U of Florida
U of Kansas
U of Maryland
UNC-CH
U of South Carolina
U of South Florida
U of Southern California
U of Wisconsin

Her school counselor recommended that she apply to large group because OOS admittance is difficult/unpredictable. In general, daughter likes bigger schools with tons of activities and D-1 sports (she wants to be part of the marching band in college). She might also change majors (she loves the environment, but could flip from engineering/science to public policy, for example), and we believe bigger schools would support that.

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability): N/A
  • Extremely Likely: Kansas
  • Likely: Colorado, Penn State, Indiana U, Rutgers, U of Delaware, U of South Carolina, U of South Florida
  • Toss-up: Northeastern, Ohio State, U of Maryland
  • Lower Probability: Purdue, U of Florida, U of Wisconsin
  • Low Probability: Duke or Vanderbilt, UNC-CH, U of Southern California

Many thanks to everyone for any thoughts! Really appreciate it.

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Apply to Maryland in the early round. That school accepts over 90% of its freshman class in the early round.

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Thank you for the quick reply! Great to know

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Hmmm - you’ll get into plenty of schools.

Your kiddo is likely headed for a low paying job if she does science (not engineering) - and you don’t want loans - so run the NPC for those not in budget - and see where you stand. I put one below.

If Duke, Northeastern, etc. aren’t affordable - take them off. You don’t need $40K a year x 4 in loans - especially given the major.

I’d go for engineering - because you can drop to environmental science - but likely not the other way. There’s 112 accredited schools. Some others might have it in civil. I put the list at the bottom.

Looking at your list:

IU - won’t make cost and doesn’t have engineering. I’d pull it off the list.

Northeastern - unlikely but run the NPC - not worth loans

Ohio State - target - may hit cost

Penn State - target - won’t hit cost

Purdue - science yes, engineering reach - will hit cost

Rutgers - Yes

CU Boulder - won’t hit cost - may get put in undeclared if try engineering

U Delaware - a winner - safe

UF - unlikely but budget friendly. A reasonable reach.

KU - winner winner - and great honors program - will be high 20s

UMD - unlikely and won’t hit cost.

UNC CH - high reach - and won’t hit budget

U of SC - target - can hit budget

U of SF - likely - will hit budget

USC - higher reach than UNC - run the NPC - if it doesn’t meet budget, don’t waste your time. One that might hit budget is Manhattan U. Col School of Mines will be over - but not a ton - might be good subs for Vandy/USC/Duke if they won’t hit budget (all high reaches). SUNY ESF is another due to the Syracuse connection.

U Wisconsin - won’t hit budget - reach.

Disagree wholeheartedly with your counselor. My kids applied to 15 and 21 schools - but that’s a choice. if your list has an affordable safety you’d love, you don’t need a big list. If you told me you were only applying to KU, or KU and Delaware, or KU, Delaware and Rutgers - I’d say great.

So you can apply to a lot - nothing wrong with it - but it’s simply a question of knowing what is safe and what is affordable.

From the accredited list below (and I know some env programs show up in civil) - but safe for you and affordable are schools like Bama (you’d be less than $20K a year all in), Iowa State, K State, UMN, Missouri Science & Tech, SUNY ESF (a winner because you can participate as a student in mnay levels at Syracuse U),

Good luck.

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School Name City State
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama
Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona
Arizona State University Tempe Arizona
The University of Arizona Tucson Arizona
Cal Poly Humboldt Arcata California
University of California, Davis Davis California
University of California, Irvine Irvine California
University of Southern California Los Angeles California
University of California, Merced Merced California
University of California, Riverside Riverside California
San Diego State University San Diego California
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo California
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado
Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver Colorado
Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado
Colorado School of Mines Golden Colorado
University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut
University of Delaware Newark Delaware
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida
University of Miami Coral Gables Florida
Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers Florida
University of Florida Gainesville Florida
Florida International University Miami Florida
University of Central Florida Orlando Florida
University of South Florida Tampa Florida
University of Georgia Athens Georgia
Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta Georgia
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw Georgia
Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana
Valparaiso University Valparaiso Indiana
Purdue University at West Lafayette West Lafayette Indiana
Iowa State University of Science and Technology Ames Iowa
The University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa
Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas
Louisiana State University and A&M College Baton Rouge Louisiana
The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore Maryland
Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts Lowell Lowell Massachusetts
Tufts University Medford Massachusetts
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Massachusetts
University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan
Michigan Technological University Houghton Michigan
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant Michigan
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis Minnesota
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud Minnesota
Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla Missouri
Montana State University - Bozeman Bozeman Montana
Montana Technological University Butte Montana
University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada
University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire
Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken New Jersey
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick New Jersey
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro New Mexico
State University of New York at Albany Albany New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Buffalo New York
Cornell University Ithaca New York
Columbia University in the City of New York New York New York
City University of New York, City College New York New York
Clarkson University Potsdam New York
Manhattan University Riverdale New York
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York
Syracuse University Syracuse New York
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy New York
United States Military Academy West Point New York
Duke University Durham North Carolina
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh North Carolina
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati Ohio
The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
The University of Toledo Toledo Ohio
Central State University Wilberforce Ohio
University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma
Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon
Portland State University Portland Oregon
Lehigh University Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Gannon University Erie Pennsylvania
Bucknell University Lewisburg Pennsylvania
Saint Francis University Loretto Pennsylvania
Drexel University Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico San Juan Puerto Rico
Brown University Providence Rhode Island
Clemson University Clemson South Carolina
Benedict College Columbia South Carolina
University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
West Texas A&M University Canyon Texas
Texas A&M University College Station Texas
Southern Methodist University Dallas Texas
Texas A&M University - Kingsville Kingsville Texas
Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas
Tarleton State University Stephenville Texas
Utah State University Logan Utah
University of Vermont Burlington Vermont
University of Washington Seattle Washington
University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls Wisconsin
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Check out Missouri S&T… very strong in Environmental.

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Great post. Thanks for your time.

We took some schools off of our list due to cost. Liked IU but it would be pricey. We also kept some on in case DS got rejected from everywhere else. This school was Iowa for us. Full ticket. But he got in to a school he was ok with if everything else fell through.

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Depending how important marching band is to the student, West Virginia Univ may be worth a look as a likely for admissions and affordability.

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UMD (from your list) would check off all these boxes (highlights added by me). It’s very strong in engineering and public policy. Has a good marching band, and of course D1 sports.

Unfortunately it’s going to be above budget. Even if you get some merit (not easy) it’ll likely be a few thousand dollars above your 50k limit. But if you’re able/willing to stretch then it’s worth considering.

I don’t know about Purdue’s marching band (and I don’t think it’s known for public policy) but it is very strong in science and engineering, has D1 sports, and will be affordable without merit aid.

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Wow… thank you so much for this incredible reply. Tons of great advice!

Quick follow up: In addition to the schools you mentioned to consider, would U of Minnesota, U of Arizona, U of Iowa, and Florida State be considerations (both re: admittance and cost)? Our daughter had thought about these.

And re: U of Alabama… She has questions about Greek life dominance and LGBQT presence as a gay student of color. Any ideas on this? Thanks again!!

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My personal opinion: I can’t think of a good reason to pick Alabama over Rutgers for your daughter.

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For any school your student is considering, I suggest asking Admissions to connect her to a current student with similar interests. My D21 did this and felt students were very forthcoming when answering questions. This could be a student involved in an LGBTQ organization, theatre, a major of interest or anything that is meaningful to help your student find a campus where she feels she will thrive. As an aside, that’s a good way to demonstrate interest for schools that consider that in admissions.

I don’t have personal knowledge of Univ Alabama, but if it is being seriously considered I would ask how the university is working around this recent legislation to provide support and resources to its minority and LGBTQ students.

U of Alabama requires Black and LGBTQ+ groups to relocate?

Note: Bama isn’t the only school forced to make changes based on state legislation so I only bring up since you mentioned concerns and this is a recent development.

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My son went to Bama he was not Greek. No issues. He said he never saw any issues with lgbtq. Kids go to class. Sports. Party. Like any school. I think it’s a 4.5 on campus pride index of 5 - you should sign up to access that database.

Parents have been on here saying kids have a great experience there. Non parents will show u a list that says it’s not a good school for lgbtq. Ask to speak to a student ambassador - have your daughter call. I see @DramaMama2021 suggested too. Do for all schools of interest.

UMN I’m guessing u get $15k. Do the NPC. It’ll tell you. Great school. So will be $40k ish. Almost a safety.

Arizona won’t be affordable A 3.7 is 12.5 off. Great school and easy admit. A 3.75 uw is $20k off so closer.

Iowa - yes admit. Should work. But KU a better choice imho. Cheaper. Strong honors.

FSU a reach but less so than UF. Yes good on costs. And if you don’t get the OOS waiver and you go abroad the first year, you get in state. Note Engineerimg is off site, shared with FAMU.

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Was your Bama son a non-white, non-straight student?

If not, then perhaps his non-current experience is a tad less relevant to the OP right now… I wouldn’t presume to know how Gay students on campus are feeling when the LGBTQ center is told to move its location away from the student center. And I’m going to guess that you- or your son- don’t know what they are feeling either.

Sometimes it’s OK to stand down…

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Thank you so much, again! All of this info makes sense, and is appreciated. Speaking with Student Ambassadors sounds like a great idea. And visits, too, I’m sure. Based in NJ, we’ve only visited closer schools, but we hope to go to admitted schools this spring before she has to decide.

Wow… people were right when they said that fall of senior year is a crazy time!!

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As I said others have posted on here that their kids had a great experience but they should reach out to a student ambassador.

That’s any school - not just in the south but especially - UF, USF, FSU, etc.

I needn’t stand down - I offered a suggestion and to also sign up for and look at campus pride index for each school.

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I am still up in the air on if there is a real advantage for acceptance involved with ED. If there is an advantage, and you only get one shot with ED, I think it is being wasted at schools like Duke & Vandy for an applicant with an UW GPA of 3.7 (regardless of the level of difficulty of her school).

Also, if your daughter is attending a private high school now, you are likely looking at nothing for aid from Duke or Vandy, so you are looking at an 80K+ annual price tag.

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Re: UMD are you familiar with this?
https://eng.umd.edu/women

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Wow - this is great! I don’t know if she has seen this, but I will pass it on!

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Hi there and thanks for the feedback. Yes, her counselor has told her that her GPA and classes taken are “too light” for Duke, Vandy, and Southern Cal…

Btw, we do get FA at her high school, but it doesn’t cover full tuition.

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Run the NPC I put above - and then for each school. See what your aid will be.

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