This is the spot to ask your question. Please do not start a new thread since it’s related to your chance me.
Got it, thanks.
It can help being rural.
In the end, you said St John is affordable.
So you are in a good spot.
I think you qualify for many schools.
My question is and I don’t know the answer - does the free tuition have limits - meaning yes you’d qualify but the schools only accept x amount if kids or only offer if your parent’s school reciprocates ?
All that said, the chance me is nice but you’ll have a great home at St Johns no matter what.
So put your best foot forward and see. And maybe focus on the schools that can provide free tuition via your parents exchange. That’s a huge gift !!!
A quick search revealed many recent articles about colleges targeting students from rural communities. Here’s one: Top colleges seeking to recruit rural students : NPR
I think with your strong stats and potential rural hook, you’ll have excellent results.
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You’re right, the tuition exchange is a
huge gift and I am hugely appreciative. There is no limit to the number of students admitted, and my brother is currently at Macalester through this program. I do still have to pay room and board, which is likely about 15k, so about what NPCs predicted for most schools I’m applying to. So while it’s not necessarily a better price than I’d be getting otherwise, it is a guaranteed price that can’t change, unlike calculated need based merit from NPCs, which has a lot of value in itself. And you’re also right that St. Johns is a great safety in case something goes wrong in for of the other schools.
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Finances change so you do have risk with meets needs schools. And one you said will be too much. So no reason to waste time there. Plus it had travel and other costs.
Focus on the free tuition. Great schools and you and not your school will create your success in life.
That’s an interesting article. Thanks!
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Thanks for the advice!
That was the basis for my reply upstream. The coastal colleges are all about geographic diversity.
I think you have an excellent plan and will likely have at least several more interesting offers to consider.
That said, I do like the idea of checking out the LACs with engineering just to see if any might offer you a good deal. I understand you don’t need this but it wouldn’t hurt to have it as an option.
Speaking of which, dual degree 3+2/4+2 programs where you also get a BSE from a university in five or six total years don’t necessarily get recommended a lot as a Plan A, including becomes sometimes it might make sense to just go on for a Masters. But I similarly think it is nice to know it is an option.
One of the options for that worth considering is the WashU program, which is a relatively large program and still has pretty transparent admissions, and it is also easy to convert into a 3+3 or 4+3 Masters program if you end up wanting to (which means you get both a Bachelors and Masters in Engineering along with your other Bachelors).
If that is something you are at all interested in having as an option, you can check out their list of Affiliated Schools:
https://engineering.washu.edu/academics/dual-degree-program/affiliated-schools.html#tab1
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Ah, got it. I’m crossing my fingers that this will hold true in my case.
Thanks for the in-depth reply! I noticed the WashU program when I was looking at Lawrence, a safety-ish school I’m considering. While it is intriguing, I don’t really like the idea of splitting my college experience up like that. I’d rather have 4 years at a school, make good friends, and have a strong, broad education and then specialize in my master’s program (which is why I’m not valuing an engineering program in schools that I’m looking at). I’m very wishy-washy right now on what I want to do with my life, so I’d rather go to an overall strong school with peers to push me just to learn how to learn in a sense, and then go wherever I feel a pull for a master’s degree. I might be wrong, but I’m guessing that it won’t be too difficult to get into an engineering master’s as a math major, if that is the route I’m going to go.
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You should study an engineering curriculum to see what is needed. You might need to grab some physics classes. The few kids I know who have done a non engineering undergrad to engineering masters all majored in physics and had to do extra coursework b4 starting the grad degree to make up undergrad shortfalls.
Of course you can ask a Masters program now - show them your proposed curriculum - and they can help guide you.
Good luck.
I think Wesleyan has always had students like you in mind:
Give Yourself a Foundation For Graduate Study
Engineering comes in many “flavors” - mechanical and civil, biomedical and environmental, operations research and material science to name just a few. Early on you might not know which specific field is the one for you. But regardless of the particular area, a strong background in mathematics and the sciences is a must. Majoring in physics or mathematics is definitely one good way to prepare for graduate work in most fields of engineering whether your goal is a research or professional degree. (Note: entry level jobs do not normally require advanced degrees, which are typically sought by those interested in careers in research and/or teaching.) Of course, some other majors combined with core math and science courses can also provide you with a solid foundation: chemistry for chemical engineering; mathematics or computer science for computer engineering. If you wish to pursue environmental engineering, take advantage of Wesleyan’s offerings in chemistry, biology, and environmental science. With such approaches, it is feasible to enter and successfully pursue graduate programs in Applied Physics or Engineering with a B.A. from Wesleyan – and that is indeed what some of our students have done in the past. Engineering Combined Degree Program, College of Design and Engineering Studies - Wesleyan University
That’s a good idea that I hadn’t thought of. I didn’t realize that more coursework might be required to get into an engineering masters. Thanks for the tip.
I’ll look further into Wesleyan. That looks very intriguing.
I’ll look further into Wesleyan. That looks very intriguing. Thanks for looking into that.
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If you would like an additional LAC to consider, look into Hamilton. It offers a great math program and community.
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Thanks! I’ll look into that.
My two cents is you are approaching this very sensibly! There are in fact ways to make a Masters in Engineering work without an engineering undergrad degree. And in fact, even if you have to do a few additional courses after college, that is not a disaster.
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