Absolutely apply to U of R for RD as well and before the deadline for scholarships (November 1st IIRC). Keep some of the others on your list as well for RD, just don’t go ED.
You get a fantastic financial deal for U of R with a parent on faculty. Not as good as it used to be, but still really good for such a great education. My daughter had a friend who is in the same boat and ended up going to U of R because it was just too good a deal to pass up. She looks pretty happy in her dorm move in pictures this week!
Also, as an FYI, and Cornell you would apply for the College of Engineering but there is no affiliating with a specific major within the college until after your 3rd semester. There is enough overlap between the different engineering majors that students do change their minds. My daughter is planning Chem E but has still gotten information about others and had emails from chairs in other specialities reminding her that she can still change her mind until then.
@mom2twogirls is the november 1st deadline for scholarships specific to the UofR? Or is this for every school? Would I have to apply to all my RD colleges before November 1st?
@circuitrider I think that the caveat was added in reference to how the current crop of applicants should deal with the new school being in a formative state right now. I can’t imagine it is meant to convey that the school is now admitting undergrads into specific majors and schools. That would be a major change in philosophy/pedagogy and structure (something that could be in the works-but that I haven’t seen articulated) that would entail more extensive discussion beyond a footnote or one line of text in a brochure. I could be mistaken though. Perhaps Chris Peterson/ @MITChris could weight in here.
@ mom2twogirls re: “You get a fantastic financial deal for U of R with a parent on faculty” .
The tuition free/exchange programs in private colleges for those who work for the school represent a major difference in perks for those working for public (in at least some states) schools vs (many) private schools. If you work for The State, you don’t get free or reduced tuition for your offspring or even a preferred parking space; not even a dining hall or a table reserved for employees. But you are free to stay at a Holiday Inn Express if you want (as long as you are willing to pay for it of course).
Hi, @lostaccount - Not trying to hijack the thread, but, after a lot clicking (more than should have been necessary, IMO), I was able to locate a definitive statement regarding the timing of declaring a major at MIT. It appears that it isn’t officially done until the end of the freshman year: https://aeroastro.mit.edu/undergraduate-program/first-year-opportunities
@cacosymphony as was stated, others may also have a similar deadline. Make sure to look for that type of information at all colleges on your list! I remember UofR specifically mentioning theirs for merit being early. I’ve anecdotally heard of people at other colleges not realizing there were early dates for honors programs and then being disappointed.
@lostaccount yes, it is a benefit for those at private vs state. My BIL works at UB and about the only perk he could get for his kids (or nieces!) was some behind the scenes tours his coworkers were willing to give, the likelihood of a boost in getting into a desired dorm, and first dibs on stuff at the resale.
What I am finding is that most target-reach schools will be in a 30,000-50,000 range for me, including many of the liberal arts colleges that have been suggested to me on this thread. I can add the university of Rochester as a higher end safety school (with it being local, I have a lot of data available to me on Naviance that shows me I will most likely be accepted). It would also be very affordable, through a child-of-faculty scholarship, since one of my parents have taught there full time for over 10 years. However, a huge priority personally for college is to broaden my perspective by exploring a different environment. After all the programs I have participated at the UofR, it doesn’t have that newness that I want out of my college experience. My parents have previously encouraged this opinion.
I guess I could add another reach school, one that’s more affordable than UChicago or Cornell. Since I’m looking for liberal arts and physics, it would most likely be Princeton University- but again, a very high reach- only 1 or 2 people get accepted from ~6 applicants from my school to Princeton per year, and it would be far from the truth for me to claim that I would be the most qualified candidate in my class. What do you think?
“a huge priority personally for college is to broaden my perspective”
I think that including U. of Rochester on the list of schools to apply to is a very good idea. You do want to have an academically strong affordable option when April rolls around. One option might be to attend U of R, and then use a sophomore or junior year abroad to see a bit more of the world.
Given how far north you live in the US, one way to broaden your perspective is to look a bit further north. The various schools in Ontario would be not too far away. Montreal is also less than 6 hours away and therefore in your originally stated range of 7 hours maximum. My impression is that the schools in Montreal might cost a bit less for an international student compared to the best known schools in Ontario. There are however a lot of universities in Ontario, and I have not looked at the international price for most of them.
For any future applicants who might reference this thread in the future, I did end up applying ed to Cornell CoE, and was accepted. (I know during my college search I was curious to where ppl posting college choice question threads eventually ended up). I was a little nervous about my GPA (not the best, as many have told me)- but here’s proof that there’s always a chance! If you have a few mediocre stats like me, just go for it. Middling applicants can go either way based on many factors (and luck).