Engineering School Fit [NY resident, 3.8 GPA, 1500 SAT, 33 ACT, <$50k]

College Search & Lists
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Hello, we are from NY and my son is a rising senior. He is easy going, good student grades (3.8 uw 4.0 w, 1500 SAT/33 ACT, will have 12 APs) and is on the quiet side.

He knows he wants to do engineering (chem e or bio e and work in Healthcare), but this may change so a school that offers program in first year that allows students to explore would he wonderful.

My question is what type of school would offer best experiential learning?

Urban vs suburban? Would urban allow for more opportunities if it is closer to hospitals or companies?

Large or small? How to compare size if larger instituons may provide more research vs smaller school where u get to have better relationships with your professors?

Any advice from a parent with a similar child in terms of what type of environment/school worked well for him or her? Or maybe specific schools that they can suggest?

Right now we are thinking Pitt, UD, or Penn State but not sure if we should consider some smaller private schools too. Thank you in advance.

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My two cents is you don’t really need to worry about school setting, coming out of any good engineering program there will be plenty of opportunities for internships during breaks. And during the term, experiences are dominated by the school’s resources, labs, student clubs, and so on.

Speaking of which, there is a lot to be said for simply choosing a traditional engineering powerhouse–a lot of which are in college towns and such, and it hasn’t kept them from placing kids in engineering internships and jobs in many different industries in many different markets. Again, that is basically because they have lots of resources dedicated to engineering and employers trust they can get top engineers out of these schools.

In terms of relationships, I think many kids find that as their specific interests develop and they get into the electives phase, it is not hard to get to know some professors, and like-minded fellow students. I do think smaller schools can maybe offer that dynamic sooner, but it isn’t going to be entirely absent at larger schools, it just may take some time.

That said, people who start in engineering do sometimes change their mind and end up doing something else, so I think it isn’t a bad idea to make sure you would still be happy with your college choice in such a scenario. Fortunately, colleges like the ones you named–Pitt, Delaware, and Penn State–are still going to be good for a wide variety of other academic paths as well. Since you are from NY, if it were me I would add at least Buffalo to that list.

But if your kid had a strong preference for a smaller school generally, then that could be a reason to choose a smaller school with engineering.

One possibility for splitting the difference is to choose a smaller tech-focused college. I am not sure what you are thinking in terms of finances, but RPI and RIT, say, can hit the sweet spot for some kids. Clarkson is an even smaller college along those lines. Rochester and Case Western are not quite that tech-focused, but have robust engineering programs combined with a lot of other good departments.

Finally, have you looked at Cooper Union? Pretty unique school in some ways, but I know some kids fitting that description who have targeted it.

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Do you mean as an engineer designing health care devices or processes, or as what one usually thinks of as a “health care worker” (physician, nurse, physical therapist, pharmacist, etc.)?

All ABET accredited engineering majors will include both theory and design course work, but the organization of the curriculum may differ. More traditional organization will do math and natural science first, then engineering science, and then engineering design. But leaving the design until later may cause some students to lose interest, so some schools try to include more design introduction earlier in the curriculum. It looks like he may prefer the latter.

As the parent, have you done the financial planning with respect to his (and any younger siblings’) college costs? If costs are a concern, be sure to check the net price calculator for each college of interest.

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Have you started visiting any schools yet? We found it super helpful to go visit some local schools to try to see if our D had a preference for big/small/urban/rural/hands on/theoretical. Once we figured out her preferences, then we created the list. Even if you need to go in the summer when college students aren’t on campus, it’s still worth some visits!

Our daughter really wanted a hands on program too and that had a first year engineering design course, and was more focused on career readiness, well supported co-ops and internships, etc… She was a chem E and chose Purdue. She did not want to be in a city. She had 3 internships, a 3 term co-op, and did undergrad research (that was published) so being in a more rural area didn’t matter at all in terms of opportunities. She had close relationships with her professors as well (that isn’t a big/little difference but a kid getting involved difference ; )).

Pitt is a great option! Apply early as they have rolling admission.

RPI, WPI and RIT are worth looking into. My daughter would have picked RPI if she hadn’t been accepted to Purdue). Also not far from NY - Lehigh.
I’d also research SUNY Buffalo and Clarkson (as a safety).

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Neither myself nor husband are familiar with this major or field but from speaking to my son, he wants to do something in drug or medical device design/delivery. And in terms of cost, we should be able to cover about 50k/yr and can possibly stretch a bit using investments.

We would really like a school where he can get real world experiences early on. He is such a laid back kid we are having a hard time narrowing down where he should apply. I was hoping we can hone in on schools that offer most internships, coops, and research, and thise will be the schools he can target.

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Definitely take a look at Purdue. They will fall within your budget and they have a huge partnership with Eli Lily. There is a ton of research happening on campus in your student’s area of interest. https://lprc.purdue.edu
Last year Lily pledged to invest $250 million at Purdue for drug development research.

Pitt is another co op/internship focused school. RPI has its RPI Experience program.

Then there are the co-op schools like Northeastern, Cincinnati, and Drexel where working is part of the graduation requirement.

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Thank u for those suggestions. Will check out RPI and RIT!

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He has visited some, tho not many. He did like Lehigh when we were there touring with his sister. We will add this to our list, along with Purdue. Though im not sure if his grades are good enough for Purdue since it seems high in demand for engineering. :frowning:

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The engineering acceptance rate was 34% last cycle (they haven’t release this year) so it is competitive, but not crazily so. Your son’s stats are very much in the ballpark and Purdue highly considers rigor so the 12 APs will be a benefit. Purdue University Class Profile - Admissions and Statistics

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I note I inadvertently omitted WPI , but another poster rightly included it. They are very into experiential learning, so that could potentially be a really great fit.

I agree Purdue is a challenging but not at all impossible admit these days. I know some engineers who absolutely loved it, so seems worth a shot if he likes it.

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Your son likely doesn’t need hospital experience but should target internships at medical device type companies.

As others have said, he needs to find the right school for him - whether it’s large or small, urban or rural, etc. Does he wants sports? Certain weather or Greek life.

Because you have a budget, you should include schools that will 100% make budget - so you have a safety valve - ie very safe admission wise and affordability.

A Delaware, for example, may hit $50K or may not. A Penn State is unlikely to. Pitt has a small chance to.

U Buffalo has all the majors so that’s a safety, home run.

Here are all the schools ABET accredited in both bio and chemical engineering. You could check schools of interest to see who has a first year program or will hit budget. The three you mentioned - maybe U Del hits budget….maybe. But you could be 0 for 3 on budget.

I bolded the ones that are admission and budget safeties. Others will be too - I just don’t know about them off the top of my head. I don’t know your geographic limitations - hence all. But I would not worry about being close to hospitals - as he’s not looking at medical school, etc.

But when you are looking at a PSU but need affordable - WVU would be a good sub (for similar athletic culture) or UB as you are in state.

PSU - today - would be upwards of $60K or close to it. Merit is - highly, highly unlikely.

btw - I assumed you are full pay so that you wouldn’t qualify for need ait.

Good luck.

University of Arkansas
Auburn University
Brown University
Bucknell University
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
California Baptist University
California State University, Long Beach
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
Case Western Reserve University
University of Cincinnati
Clemson University
University of Colorado Boulder
Colorado State University
Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Connecticut
Cornell University
University of Delaware
Drexel University
Florida A&M University - Florida State University
Florida Institute of Technology
University of Florida
University of Florida
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Georgia
University of Houston
University of Idaho
The University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Illinois Institute of Technology
Iowa State University of Science and Technology
The University of Iowa
The Johns Hopkins University
Kansas State University
University of Kentucky
Lehigh University
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Louisiana Tech University
University of Louisville
University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Maine
University of Maryland College Park
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Miami University
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
University of Michigan
Milwaukee School of Engineering
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Mississippi State University
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri - Columbia
Montana State University - Bozeman
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Hampshire
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Stony Brook University
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
New York University Tandon School of Engineering
City University of New York, City College
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
University of North Dakota
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
The Ohio State University
Oklahoma State University
University of Oklahoma
Oregon State University
The Pennsylvania State University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Purdue University at West Lafayette
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The University of Rhode Island
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
University of Rochester
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rowan University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
San Jose State University
University of South Carolina
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
Stevens Institute of Technology
Syracuse University
Temple University
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Texas A&M University
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Toledo
Trine University
Tufts University
Tulane University
The University of Utah
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
University of Virginia
Washington State University
Washington University
University of Washington
Wayne State University
Wentworth Institute of Technology
West Virginia University
Widener University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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The issue with a Lehigh is like your other three - it’s not an admissions issue although it may be. The issue with Lehigh would be affordability - although they meet need. You could run the net price calculator - maybe you have need. It still would not be an admission safety - but you could know up front if it would be cost effective should you get in.

But you need both an admission and cost assurance - so that should be your initial focus (in my opinion).

Welcome | Net Price Calculator

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I highly suggest visiting WPI if you can. It might not come do to being affordable, but I think it’s a good school to see for comparison as they really know how to do experiential learning and get you into project based experiences early and often.

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My son just went through the process. Pitt was the #1 for a very long time. It was his first application and acceptance (applied on 9/19 and accepted on 10/2). U Del was also in the mix. Ironically, several private schools came in with better offers. Ultimately, he chose Stevens Institute of Technology. They have a great co-op program (as does Pitt). U Del is excellent for chem e, but doesn’t have a defined co-op program.

At Pitt, all engineers go through the same first-year curriculum, exploring all types of engineering, and then declare a major. RIT has a fantastic co-op program, but given that we are from NYC, he felt the campus itself was too rural.

Stevens had the best of all worlds for him - close to NYC (ultimately, he wants to work here), co-op program, excellent program and a campus, but small enough for him to navigate socially.

You’re definitely on the right track, but add private schools to your list. With larger endowments, aid is often better, making “higher COA” schools more affordable than publics. If I had to choose for myself, I would’ve picked Pitt, and my husband would’ve picked Delaware! You’ve got a great list. Best of luck to you!

Edited to add U Buffalo also. They gave us an excellent package. Ultimately, it just wasn’t the right fit for my kid (who is also autistic).

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Wow thank you so much for the list and your input. We did want to keep him drivable distance. I think purdue may be a bit far but we would be willing if he gets into it.

We are not dead set on keeping it under 50k. We can stretch as we have some investments/real estate we can turn into income. Additionally, PA schools can become in state for us as we have a second property there and our plan all along was to move there to escape high Long Island taxes after we are done with high school.

But ill research some of these to see if any suits him. Thank u again :grinning_face:

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Yeah its really a toss up with schools these days. My daughter got in and got good merit. Tho their grades a similar, he os very different. So we will see if he should apply and see what comes out of it.

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Thank you for this insight. He does prefer to be somewhat farther from home but I think stevens may be a good option. Would you mind sharing the coa for stevens for your family?

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We shall give it a shot!

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I don’t think Penn State will be in state for him unless he takes a gap year.

They say this - but most states you need 12 months of living there, having a driver license and more.

But you can reach out and ask:

Reclassification as Pennsylvania Classification

A student requesting reclassification as a Pennsylvania resident for tuition purposes must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the student’s domicile is in Pennsylvania, and that the student’s presence in Pennsylvania is not primarily for educational purposes. Each request shall be decided individually on the basis of all facts submitted by the petitioner. Accordingly, it is not possible to list a specific combination of factors or set of circumstances which, if met, would ensure reclassification for tuition purposes.

As for others drivable - and there are other schools with one or the other major - my list has both:

Bucknell - but likely have to go over - but it’s smaller, technically an LAC. Rural

Case Western - gives big merit in some cases - Cleveland is likely drivable. It’ urban but not downtown - adjacent to Little Italy.

UCONN - potentially

Drexel - in Philly - uber urban

UMCP - but will be over

Stony Brook

ESF - share facilities with Syracuse

NC State is driveable - will be over budgt.

RPI, RIT, Rochester - all may bust the budget

Rutgers

Stevens

Temple

Depending where you are in PA - UTK might be drivable

Toledo

VCU

Va Tech

UVA

If you want drivable, no reason to apply to Purdue. It’s a fine school - but there are many fine, sub schools. You need ABET accreditation. If drivability is a thing for you, then no reason to apply to schools that don’t meet it.

My own son chose Alabama after originally deciding to commit to Purdue. Mom was 3.5 hours vs. 6.5 hours :slight_smile: He did fine - and has Purdue grads in his company.

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Merit depends on the school - he can go to a Miss State or UAH - for $20K or less and Alabama for $22K or so.

WVU is easily drivable from PA - and will be high 20s.

They have auto merit tables.

The issue is the schools with “secret” merit - and that’s why you can’t assure a price.

Temple is likely to come in under budget btw - I’m not sure you can do Pitt or PSU as in state but if you can, he’ll get into both. But SB and Buffalo would be for sure. U Maine too….that might be a big far.