Hello! I am a junior and would like feedback on my current list and suggestions of schools that would be a good fit for me. I love cold weather and am not a fan of big cities. I’m willing to go far from home for college. I want a rigorous academic program and I would prefer a smaller school. I’d prefer a school where a lot of students live on campus and there’s a community, I’m on the spectrum and would feel lost in a huge commuter school. I’d also like a school where I can get a good liberal arts education along with math and science, because I really like learning English and History and think they’re important for me to learn. I might even minor in classics if possible because I enjoy learning the Latin language and ancient history.
Demographics
US citizen
Washington state resident
Medium-sized public high school, not very competitive
White female
Intended Major: Most likely aerospace engineering, although I am okay with mechanical engineering at a school that doesn’t have aerospace. I’m also considering majoring in physics.
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.97
Weighted HS GPA (my school has 4.0 max for unweighted and 5.0 max for weighted): 4.27
Class Rank: my school doesn’t do rank
(I took my standardized tests early over the summer) 36 ACT (36 R, 36 E, 36 M, 35 S)
1580 SAT (800 reading, 780 math)
Coursework
full IB Diploma candidate
HL’s are math A&A (IB’s most rigorous math course for those unfamiliar), history and literature (my school doesn’t have HL science)
I’m taking SL IB Physics and SL IB Spanish right now (4th year of Spanish), and I will take SL Chemistry and Psychology next year
Completed my school’s full non-IB math and science curriculum in 10th grade (through precalculus) and I did honors math and science 9th and 10th grade
Awards
Dean’s list semifinalist for my robotics team
Placed in a random local math competition
Extracurriculars
200ish hours volunteering teaching STEM during summers
Robotics co-captain, I do a lot of the design work and am very involved
Marching band
JV sport
Online aerospace engineering course for high school juniors through UW (currently earning an A)
Math competitions, mainly for fun, I don’t have any notable scores
Distance running on my own (I’ve run 2 half marathons but never did organized running because I have a very energetic dog whose exercise is running with me)
Learning Latin for fun
Cost Constraints / Budget
My parents are comfortable paying up to 50K a year but I’m looking at schools well above this budget because of scholarships/FA/merit aid
Schools I’m currently thinking about
Likely: Gonzaga University, University of Washington (I don’t really want to go here because it is so large, but in-state tuition), Oregon State University (hoping for near in-state tuition from Western Undergraduate Exchange program),
Match: Olin College, Cal Poly SLO, Harvey Mudd College (kind of a reach, this is my top school right now)
I suspect you wouldn’t be a fan of the weather at Mudd, but I can see why it appeals in other ways!
Since having Gonzaga on your list indicates that you’d consider Catholic schools, I’m wondering whether you’ve considered Notre Dame. I think it has the engineering/liberal arts balance that you want, with a robust classics department as well as mechanical and aerospace engineering (joint department has both majors) and a physics department with several different concentrations including astro… plus a very strong and inclusive residential college system, a suburban setting, and plenty of wintery weather. And a high-profile marching band program, should you want to keep that up!
Presumably you have been running Net Price Calculators at schools that meet financial need, and verifying that they’d give you enough aid?
For a smaller, rigorous, cold-weather STEM school with a strong residential community, you might look at Michigan Tech. They do have English and History majors, but not Classics. Similarly, Colorado School of Mines might appeal. SUNY Binghamton might be worth a look too. (It’s about an hour from Cornell, if you’re considering a visit.)
You obviously have very strong grades and test scores, and a range of extracurricular interests. Some of your schools are super-competitive, as you know (and I think your matches and reaches are really all reaches, except perhaps for Cal Poly), but you have some good match and safety options as well. So far, so good!
The first one I thought of was Michigan Tech. University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology (no classics), Case Western, and Syracuse also come to mind. I think you’d see significant merit money at Syracuse and RIT and they have good ASD support.
I understand WUE but based on what you described, Oregon State seems too large. Olin would be urban, as would MIT and to a lesser extent Cal Tech and Duke (not cold).
The first school I thought of was School of Mines - outside Denver. You’re not a fan of big cities but it’s on the outskirts, etc.
In regards to budget, some of the schools don’t have merit aid - so achieving budget would depend on what kind of need aid you would qualify for. Your parents would have to fill out the net price calculator to see if you’d qualify. I see it was mentioned. SD School of Mines is another - in a smaller city but likely not as strong.
Perhaps a U of Idaho or U of Maine might fit for you. RIT, WPI, even a Rose Hulman.
Thank you! I don’t expect to love the weather at Mudd, but figured I’ll deal with it given I really like it for other reasons. I haven’t considered Notre Dame but I’m willing to consider Catholic schools, I’ll check it out. I’ll also look at Michigan Tech and Colorado School of Mines, although I haven’t heard of that one before.
I agree that I have a ton of reaches, these do seem like some good match options. I have been looking for those so that’s helpful.
Thank you for your suggestions! Yeah OSU is huge, I’m not sure about it because of that. It doesn’t really meet my likes besides cheap and location.
I can deal with outskirts of a big city like Denver, so I’ll check out Mines. Some of my list is definitely pretty urban but I thought about it and think its fine with me if the campus is more enclosed, not spread out in the city.
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll check out those schools. Michigan Tech and RIT have each been suggested multiple times so I guess they really fit what I said. I’m fine with no classics program as that’s just a fun bonus, so RIT’s certainly a possibility.
If you were doing physics, there’s many schools. If engineering, how about a Wyoming or Montana State? There’s also Montana Tech, Eastern Washington, South Dakota State.
These aren’t normally schools people look at but perhaps given your desires. These are all WUE.
Smaller colleges in colder weather with Physics&Classics and not too boisterous…
Holy Cross is topnotch for Classics and strong for science.
Lafayette has Engineering and a Classical Civ minor.
St Olaf is strong in STEM (Math, physics) and classics (various concentrations) - safety if you show interest early.
And Carleton is the perfect vibe for Physics/Classics.
Not sure about Trinity CT but worth checking out.
HarveyMudd is defintely the best fit for you so
Congratulations on making yourself such a strong candidate! If you develop a well-balanced application list, I think you will have a number of acceptances to consider next year.
Most scholarships (and the biggest) come from the colleges themselves, rather than from outside organizations. And some of the schools on your list (like MIT) don’t offer any merit aid, only need-based aid. Has your family run the Net Price Calculator at the schools to see which ones provide a net price that would be affordable? If not, that’s definitely a step that should happen sooner rather than later.
Right now in your “Likely” bucket it seems that you only have one school that you seem to really like, as you suspect that UW (36k undergrads) and OSU (29k undergrads) are both too big. Finding the schools where you are extremely likely to be admitted, can afford, and would be happy to enroll in and attend for four years is the most important step in the college search process. That’s why I’ve focused most of my suggestions on that bucket, because it’s so crucial.
I’m unsure how small you’re really hoping for. You have Cornell which has about 16k undergrads as well as Olin (less than 400), so I definitely included a range of school sizes in my suggestions. Additionally, I veered away from tech-focused schools as you do have an interest in classics and other liberal arts subjects that typically don’t have much availability at the tech schools, unless they are part of a consortium that allows students to take classes at other area colleges (like Olin does with Babson, Brandeis, and Wellesley).
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Benedictine (KS): About 2300 undergrads, with majors in mechanical engineering and classics.
Marquette (WI): About 7500 undergrads. This is definitely a city, but it is a defined campus. Offers majors in ME and classics.
Miami U. (OH): About 17k undergrads and many people report that the school has a very liberal arts college feel, but on a larger scale. Offers majors in ME and classics.
North Central (IL): About 2400 undergrads. Offers mechanical engineering and classics.
U. of California – Merced: About 8300 undergrads at this newest UC campus that is a part of WUE.
U. of Dayton (OH): About 8400 undergrads. There’s strong links here to aerospace engineering and all-around academic offerings.
U. of Idaho: About 8800 undergrads, a WUE school, and all-around academic offerings.
U. of Kansas: About 19k undergrads, a popular aerospace major, and a strong classic program, too. I’ve heard really excellent things about Lawrence as a college town, too.
U. of New Hampshire: About 12k undergrads. Offers majors in ME and classics.
U. of North Dakota: About 9900 undergrads with majors in ME and classics.
U. of St. Thomas (MN): About 5900 undergrads with majors in ME and classics. This is a city, but @fiftyfifty1 can hopefully chime in about whether it’s a self-contained campus like you’re hoping for.
U. of Wyoming: About 8500 undergrads at this state flagship and WUE school.
Likely(60-79%)
Santa Clara (CA): About 6100 undergrads and offers majors in ME and classics.
Syracuse (NY): About 15k undergrads and offers majors in ME and classics.
Union (NY): About 2100 undergrads and offers majors in ME and classics and has a liberal arts background.
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Case Western (OH): About 6k undergrads. Cleveland is definitely a city, but I think that this could really be a strong contender for your interests. Popular majors in aerospace engineering and also offers a classics major. You will need to show a lot of demonstrated interest here if you want an acceptance.
Lafayette (PA ): About 2700 undergrads with a strong liberal arts history.
Lehigh (PA ): About 5600 undergrads with mechanical engineering, a classics major, and a strong liberal arts history.
U. of Rochester (NY): About 6800 undergrads with majors in mechanical engineering and classics.
OP, did you happen to take the PSAT this past fall?
If so, does your score (selection index) indicate you might qualify for National Merit Semifinalist? (if you did NOT take the PSAT, there might still be the possibility of alternate entry using your SAT score, depending on the circumstances.)
The reason I ask is that it can qualify you for some possible scholarships (sometimes just $1,000, but sometimes up to a full ride.)
I did take the PSAT, and got a 1500 (I don’t remember my specific selection index number) but I haven’t looked at any national merit scholarships. I will check that out for schools I’m considering, thank you!
