What is it that attracts your son to these particular schools? They’re all big state schools, but I’m curious how they were picked out. And what is it that he loves so much about Virginia Tech?
Also, if he thinks some form of business and engineering might suit him, he may also want to check out programs in industrial engineering which I’ve heard is a good field for people with those combined interests.
I totally forgot to list our state school! CU Boulder which has a great engineering program. However he strongly does not want to stay in state. Sigh.
Some schools are going to have supplemental applications for merit and/or cohorts.
Ohio State has an IBE program that may be of interest. A combined honors program between the College of Engineering and Fisher College of Business.
https://engineering.osu.edu/integrated-business-engineering-honors-program
Some of the engineering majors at Ohio State are direct admit (or able to be switched into), but capacity constrained majors require applicants to apply to those majors at admission.
If he’s interested but not sure of which engineering discipline Mechanical Engineering is probably the best major to choose. Only students accepted as pre-majors in ME can apply for the ME major.
Apply by EA for engineering majors and merit eligibility.
hmmm - he can get into likely, far more than half the engineering programs in the country.
You have a limited list but even on this list, Arizona and Oregon State are near assurances and Pitt, given a good test score, is likely. And PSU is as well.
You say at the end, you have too many reaches. I agree and disagree - I don’t think it’s relevant.
Your most important school is the safety and you have - let’s say two so far and likely three.
You’re only going to one. If you’re happy with them, then where else you apply is not relevant.
You can apply to anywhere and it doesn’t matter - because you have - U of A and Oregon State!!
So business should be eliminated because it’s not an interest - because if you said, well he doesn’t want business but what if he doesn’t get into engineering?
Then I give you 50 other engineering schools that are easy entry.
Because don’t forget, especially in engineering, where you go will likely matter little.
My kid works for a big aero company - and they have the Michigan/Purdue/Washington grads but also the W Michigan, Akron grads. He’s an Alabama alum who turned down Purdue with merit. This year they add Ga Tech.
When he interned for a big auto company, two other interns went to Ga Tech. He actually lived with them in the summer. He went back a second. They weren’t invited back.
So worry less on the names - reach, etc. and more on the fit - but there are tons of engineering schools that will went a 3.7 with Calc AB and a let’s say - 30 ACT and it sounds like will be higher.
But it’s your safeties, not your reaches, that matter.
So I’d eliminate business and then I’d look at other things - size of program, location or size of campus, weather, or what not.
And then things like - FSU - for many in engineering an easy elimination. Why? Different campus - a few miles away - shared with Florida A&M. Does your student want to go off campus to get on campus for engineering? If not, easy eliminate.
I’d reverse it though - the # of reaches isn’t too relevant - but having assured affordable and admission safeties is priority #1a, #1b, and #1c.
The question I’d have given the geographic diversity - are you really that open - or would you like to find more assured schools closer to home?
PSU and Va Tech, in my mind, are very similar - and I won’t call PSU a safety for the 3.7/4.0 and 30 ACT - but certainly a likely.
Good luck.
He’s a fun kid and loves sports and wants somewhere with either big football or basketball/school spirit.
VT is first based on the research he’s done (size, weather, sports) and we are visiting at the end of April. So his opinion may change based on that visit.
Arguably the nicest campus in the country (Penn State has a similar feel - after visiting both) and top rated food which frankly is underrated - you don’t want your student calling home saying - I can’t eat or calling with low blood sugar or spending all their money at Chipotle or Moes - yes, it happens. But not at Va Tech - well less so I suppose.
You can sort of put Bama in the same context from a campus POV although not quite as open. Its not on your list but it’d be another similar to look at. There’s 400 from Colorado - why? They buy them in. Your son would get $30.5K off (assuming a 30 ACT).
You also have WUE - so Utah, Washington State might be two more?
Any specific interest in MechE - cars, planes, rockets, something else?
I think he can be fine anywhere - and that includes both CU and CSU in Fort Collins - both excellent.
But honestly, there’s no shortage of big sport schools he could have easy acceptances - all over the country - from Arizona to Arkansas to a Mizzou or Kansas to a Bama or Auburn to an Ole Miss or Mississippi State to Iowa / Iowa State and many more.
So if he wants engineering and big sports - do more research - and you can shrink the list if that’s the desire!!!
PS - Oregon State is a school without an athletic conference - not sure I’d go there at this stage if I wanted big sports.
He actually mentioned the food! LOL
And he’s thinking mechanical engineering.
If you aren’t concerned about application fees, you go about it systematically, and you’re able to maintain the quality of your supplemental essays, then it can’t really hurt to apply to more.
Wow! Thank you for this info. I have never heard of this. He’s pretty adamant that he’s not interested in Ohio State but I’m not really sure why. Perhaps this could at least ch age his mind in researching it a bit more.
I had no idea FSU had a separate engineering campus. I wonder if he knows that as I think it would be a deterrent.
Added to my previous post - I’d nix Oregon State (and I mentioned Wash State - nix for same reason).
I cannot believe how helpful and insightful you all are!!
Not sure SEC would be a fit for him. He’s somewhat alternative - he’s got a nose ring. Enough said? lol.
If he wants to do engineering or a STEM field, I would take BC before Stats as it is considered a more rigorous course. Best case, take Stats and BC, my S24 is going that this year.
I love that Pitt is on his list, as it’s one of the schools with rolling admissions. A number of students in the current application cycle found that if they applied soon after the application window opened (Aug. 1) that they had an affirmative, non-binding result by August 24th (!). How great to have that answer in hand in the first couple of weeks of school?! That would take a lot of stress off the rest of the application process.
Based on the Pitt CDS his SAT is in the top 39% of their reported SATs and his ACT is in the top third of reported scores (and roughly half of the students who applied didn’t submit their scores, so they were probably lower?).
I don’t think you’ve spent time in the South…these high merit schools are attracting from all over. That’s not an issue.
You’ll have a bigger OOS population then you would at a UF - which pulls heavily in state (and has little merit).
The main thing though - he shouldn’t feel that there aren’t safeties - there’s a ton for him in engineering - and he won’t need a fall back major and therefore fallback college.
Good luck.
Oregon State also does rolling admission right away in the early fall, so it also makes a great early admit to have in your pocket, if the student likes it.
IMHO, Oregon State has a lot of good features for someone interested in Mech E … it’s also a very culturally compatible school for someone from CO with a nose ring, and I am sure they will figure out the athletic conference thing.
Not that you asked for additional suggestions, but:
An extremely likely admit that has a number of similarities with Virginia Tech is the U. of Arkansas.
Taking a look at their geographical surroundings, there are a lot of similarities between them. I think both have active biking/mountain biking cultures and people that love the outdoors.
Virginia Tech has about 30k undergrads while Arkansas has 26k. Arkansas is part of the SEC, and football is big there. I’m pretty sure that your son could switch majors between engineering or business or CS pretty much at-will at Arkansas, so it gives him space to change his mind there. And even though costs are not an issue for your family, your son would likely qualify for a very big discount (80%) off of the out-of-state fee (source), which is always nice.
And it’s ABET-accredited for many fields, including mechanical engineering and industrial engineering.
So, maybe some food for thought?
Definitely food for thought! My daughter is at UTK and I always thought that would be as southern as we would get but you bring up many compelling reasons!
I have never seen any data to support that this is a pervasive issue.
Your son has a number of colleges on his list where he is a likely engineering admit. Of course, he needs to apply and see what happens. As noted, a couple are auto admit…and definitely sure things.
It sounds like he would prefer milder weather. Is that correct? If so, there are a few schools he can eliminate just based on winter weather!
Re: how many applications are too many? Really, that is applicant dependent. And also college dependent. Some colleges have supplemental essays that really need to be completed. That all needs to be considered. There does tend to be some overlap in essay topics but the student will still need to tweak these essays for any college where they are offered.
Also, does your son want to be in a city or in a college town? The current list has both.
I don’t need data - I have two kids and other parents I know whose kids don’t eat at the school. And I’ve gotten the late night, I feel like crap, I hate my life, I’m going to fail out, I chose the wrong school calls.
You know what typically cured it - go eat!!
Then there are the Gtown threads where kids say they eat out (which will avoid low blood sugar)
