Match Me-Computer Engineering near OH [OH resident, 4.0 GPA, #1 rank, 1550/34, "probable NMSF"]

Chance Me / Match Me
6

I think your son will be a much stronger applicant than you think he will be. Very selective colleges will look at students holistically, meaning that if your son’s school doesn’t offer any AP classes, he will not be dinged for that. They are looking for students who took the most rigorous classes available to them.

I would run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) at U. of Pennsylvania and either Northwestern or U. of Notre Dame as those are some of the most financially generous schools with your son’s interests in the designated geographic area. If the NPC provides an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that is affordable, great! Make sure you continue to run the NPCs at other schools of interest. If not, then I would eliminate schools like Carnegie Mellon that will not offer merit aid.

The schools I’m mentioning below seem to offer an opportunity for additional Chinese studies beyond a couple of courses (the biggest limiting factor) along with computer engineering. They are sorted by my very fallible sense of what your son’s chances might be at these schools.

Extremely Likely (80-99%)

  • Drexel (PA ): About 14k undergrads. This school has a coop focus, so students tend to have lots of work experience by the time they graduate.

  • Michigan State: About 38k undergrads.

  • North Central (IL): About 2400 undergrads

  • U. of Kentucky: About 22k undergrads

  • Valparaiso (IN): About 2500 undergrads

  • West Virginia: About 20k undergrads. I believe that Ohio residents get in-state tuition at WVU, too.

Likely (60-79%)

  • Ohio State: About 47k undergrads

  • U. of Pittsburgh (PA ): About 24k undergrads

Toss-Up (40-59%)

  • Lehigh (PA ): About 5500 undergrads

Low Probability (20-40%)

  • Case Western: About 5800 undergrads. Depending on where in Ohio you live, Case does have special scholarships available for residents. Also, make sure to show lots of interest to Case for them to take your application seriously.

Lower Probability (less than 20%)

  • Northwestern (IL): About 8800 undergrads

  • U. of Notre Dame (IN): About 9k undergrads

  • U. of Pennsylvania: About 11k undergrads

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