Incoming senior at a competitive Northern VA high school.
US citizen.
UW GPA 3.3, weighted 3.9
SAT 670 Verbal 760 Math.
APs Principles of computer science, AP Calculus AB, AP physics 1 and AP seminar. 4s in all AP exams. All other classes are honors. Will take Calculus BC in 12th.
Had a C in Hon English 9 second semester and Spanish 2 second semester and Hon History 11 second semester.
EC: robotics including captain of a team for 2+ years, computer science internship, part time job, varsity sport, 300+ volunteering hours tutoring underprivileged kids .
Parents will pay up to $60,000 a year.
LOR from physics, chemistry and Spanish teachers.
I have ASD and ADHD and am looking for a smaller school on the East coast. I require a school that has a collaborative environment and do better in classes where In have direct frequent access to professors. So far I have WVU, George Mason and Drexel in my list. I am looking to add amore schools.
I would add Virginia Commonwealth University to your list. VCU offers a bachelor’s degree program for mechanical engineering but only a minor program for aerospace engineering.
Clarkson, in upstate NY, offers aerospace engineering and has a small, collaborative feel. They’re pretty generous with merit aid. Also check out Embry-Riddle if aero is really your jam.
The first school that came to mind is Marshall (WV). It has about 9k undergrads, is ABET-accredited in numerous areas, but it also has a reputation for great supports for students with ASD and ADHD. I’ve linked some of their support programs below.
Another option to consider would be Manhattan University (NY). It’s a smaller school with around 2700 undergrads, and @Bill_Marsh speaks highly of it. Here is a link to some of their support offerings:
If you’re open to a slightly different path, Muskingum (OH) is located in the eastern half of Ohio. It’s a school with about 1500 undergrads and has the Plus program (linked below) to help provide support services for students. The reason this would be a different option is because it’s only ABET-accredited in general engineering, and not a specialized field like mechanical or aerospace engineering. Thus, it may be necessary to continue on for a Master’s degree before entering the field, though that is conjecture on my part. But if a very small school with really strong supports is going to help you to be successful in achieving your life goals, I definitely think it’s worth a mention.
I’ll second @Bronc’s Clarkson recommendation for you, and would urge you to check out @L_NewEngland’s suggestions as well. RIT is larger than 10k but has a reputation for excellent supports.
Some other smaller east coast schools you may want to check out that are ABET-accredited for mechanical or aerospace engineering include:
Alfred (NY): About 1400 undergrads
Cooper Union (NY): About 900 undergrads
Fairleigh Dickinson (NJ): About 5700 undergrads and has a variety of supports including the Compass Program for ASD students
Gannon (PA ): About 2800 undergrads
U. of Hartford (CT): About 4200 undergrads
U. of Mount Union (OH): About 2200 undergrads
College of New Jersey: About 7600 undergrads
SUNY New Paltz: About 6900 undergrads
SUNY Polytechnic: About 2k undergrads
Norwich (VT): About 3100 undergrads…and I’ve heard good things about this school in terms of offering supports
Yes, it is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf | RIT so the idea of kids with disabilities is really baked into the school. I believe one of my kid’s good friends has ASD.. I hear about it spoken pretty openly and commonly on the parents’ FB group FWIW..
I think there are about 13K undergrads in Rochester…so not that many more than 10K. (very few grad students - 2-3k?). You may see much higher numbers, but that is the Euro and MidEast campuses.