Inaugural Rose forum post

y2kwizard
Tue, 26 Oct 2004 23:52:48 +0000

I’ve not yet received my financial aid offer from Rose…that’s coming after Christmas sometime. I don’t remember what date they’ve set for it.

Looking at your daughter’s stats, I’d imagine that she’ll overqualify for Rose. If her PSAT score translates into high SAT I and II scores, and if she keeps those grades up, I doubt she’ll have any problems getting in. And her ECs can’t hurt. The fact that she’s a girl will also help greatly.

In terms of the feel…I think you really just have to visit Rose, if that’s an option. I didn’t stay overnight, but I’m sure she could find someone who’d be willing to let her stay and get a feel of the place. It’s certainly not an urban campus…it’s quite isolated, away from the main city (town, really) of Terre Haute. Remember that this is primarily a teaching university, not a research university, and while I’m sure that there are opportunities for some undergrad research, that’s not Rose’s main goal. But the size is right, the location’s right, and I am almost positive that the feel would be right for her, too…you can definitely tell that Rose is an engineering school, with its pretty basic architecture (with the exception of the chapel) and utilitarian facilities, geeky students, laptops strewn all over the place, etc. It’s no Vanderbilt or Cornell in terms of a “college feel” by a long shot, but its academics more than make up for its lack of a college feel.

And I think you should also take my review with a large grain of salt…a block of salt, really. First of all, I only went for a campus tour and information session. I visited on a cloudy day. Also, I have a terrible memory for things like this, so I’m sure my recollections are not completely accurate. I think the best thing to do would be to go take a look yourself and see what you think.

If she’s interested in other small engineering colleges, take a look at Harvey Mudd and the Olin College of Engineering. They’re apparently very comparable to Rose. If she’s willing to forfeit the rural campus and small size idea, I’d tell her to give Georgia Tech, University of Illinois, Rice, and Cornell a try. And hey…it’s always a good idea to reach for the stars and apply to an MIT or Stanford or UC Berkely (sp?).