Following that link for Swarthmore shows a generic “engineering” degree vs a robust engineering dept with accreditation for several specific fields of engineering (which the vast majority of jobs are going to want. For example, BS in chemE, EE, ME, etc.).
@Uncomfortable If you truly want to major in engineering, Swarthmore is not worth the $$ and will not give you the engineering course options that the others will. I don’t know anything about LA Tech, but our ds earned his chemE degree from another state’s tech school (not well known one) and has an excellent career. Have you contacted their career services office to ask about what companies are recruiting on campus? Understanding who is employing their graduates might help clarify things for you. (I tried to see if there was a published list, but I couldn’t find one. It looks like everything is in their handshake portal.).
If UAH is still accepting applications and offering merit, that would be another great option. They have an excellent relationship with Cummings Research Park for getting internships and co-ops.
@janjmom Your posts about meeting need lack understanding of how meeting need works. Plenty of families have an expected familial contribution that is beyond their ability to pay. Saying they don’t gap is meaningless. They define your ability to pay, not you. Just bc they deem a family able to pay $20,000 or what ever per yr does not mean the family can. Our kids face a scenario where our ability to pay is approximately 1/3 of our EFC. That remaining 2/3 means that meets need schools are way out of our kids price range.