Not in your preferred geographic area, but a school that some kids with ADHD can do really well at is Cornell College (in Iowa). It offers a ABET certified general engineering degree and is a One Course at a Time School. Great for kids that like to hyper-focus or do better when not having to juggle multiple classes. Mt Vernon and Iowa City are much more LGBTQ friendly then the rest of the state. I’d definitely have him explore it online and see what he thinks. They have lots of Youtube videos available.
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It’s too late for me to edit my first post, but I want to correct some errors. I should have had a proofreader. Sorry!
SAT: 1570 (not 1590) Still above the 99th percentile
PSAT: 1500 above the 99th percentile
AP Physics 1: first semester: A second semester B
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All of his AP and Honors classes have the stars.
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My S25 has the same feeling about campus cutting roads, although it does seem like he is a little capricious in applying that criteria. It’s been amusing to see where he feels like that matters and where it doesn’t.
To that end, S25 has some similarities to your student’s profile – interested in engineering, talking A/B Calc his senior year because that’s the math path he got put on, good SAT score. The first place we visited was Case Western, and it was the streets running through campus that he remembered. Same with UT Knoxville. Both are now off the list.
S25 did like the wider sidewalks of Auburn, absolutely loves the general vibe of Virginia Tech, and is comfortable with NC State because it is in our backyard. The last two might be worth checking out for your student. Mine also liked UA Huntsville, and it certainly seemed like a very supportive LGBTQ+ environment when we visited in spring, but the state as a whole comes across differently in that regard.
Last thing: we are going to tour University of Rochester this summer, and you mentioned it is off your student’s list after a visit. Anything you can share on what influenced that decision, so we can be on the lookout for it this summer? Feel free to PM me, or post here, whatever is easier.
That suggests a minimum selection index of 224, so NMSF appears likely with historical CA thresholds in the 220-223 range.
However, many of the “big NM scholarship” schools are in states that have less friendly laws and policies regarding LGB or (especially) T people.
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I agree with your point. (Side note: I always appreciate your posts pointing out that the environment needs to be considered for the specifics of LGBTQ+ of most concern for a student.)
Which NM scholarship schools would you suggest the OP research? Maine? Fordham? Tulsa (the city, not the state though)?
In OP’s case, maybe none of the above. OP describes their college savings as well-funded, and none of the NM big scholarship schools seem to fit based on their stated criteria. For example Fordham, although very LGBTQ welcoming, doesn’t have engineering. Tulsa, although it has engineering, isn’t in an LGBTQ+ friendly state. UMaine has engineering and is in an LGBTQ+ friendly state, but it’s unclear whether the student body itself is especially LGBTQ+ welcoming.
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@fiftyfifty1 mentioned above that those schools do not appear to be great fits. The OP did say “Well-funded; won’t need aid”, so NM or other scholarships would be more of a bonus than a necessity that they would be for many students (and the student’s in-state publics are in a state with good ratings in Movement Advancement Project | Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality by State ).
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Yeah, how do we go from “well funded, won’t need aid” to directing the kid to Oklahoma?
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It’s wonderful that you are able and willing to provide full funding for your student for college. What a fabulous, lifelong gift! Some families won’t do this even if they can afford to. I hope your student gives you a huge thank you and a huge hug.
Disclaimer…we did the same and have zero regrets.
Your original list looks fine to me, if it looks fine to your student. Good variety of competitiveness for admission. Re: different types of colleges…good for your kid for wanting to apply to places he feels fit him. And a variety of sizes and locations. Kids do change their minds between application time and May 1 matriculation choice day…so for some it’s nice to have a variety of options from which to choose.
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Thanks. I saw ucb’s mention of NM scholarship schools and didn’t revisit the OP to check budget. But I was genuinely curious which NM schools were being suggested based on the OP’s criteria. Now it sounds that may be veering off topic for this OP. Perhaps I misunderstood ucb’s intent. Oops.
Edit: as a side note, I now see Fordham’s engineering is a 3-2. I didn’t dive in deep enough when I checked earlier.
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I think any time there is a ‘Bama’ or UTD or Tulsa or Maine or wherever opportunity, it makes sense to at least look. If OP chooses to spend full, it’s great. But sometimes free or close to is a gift that can then help later with grad school, a home…whatever. .
OP did look at RHIT. We don’t know why they didn’t like it - maybe the tiny size. But it’s in an unfriendly state.
But maybe state laws aren’t the concern. Maybe it’s the campus.
U Alabama gets a strong 4.5 from campus pride. UT Dallas a 5. UCI a 3.5.
So many schools are lgbtq friendly - whether policies like campus pride grades or just the student body which is welcoming to all/many. People here put horror stories but I’ve read many parents of lgbtq students share nothing but fantastic stories about Alabama, as an example.
A state having certain policies doesn’t mean a student will have a bad experience, especially if the school has policies and students that are welcoming.
In the end, it’s up to a student to find the best place for them.
If some are eliminating certain states (their right), they may also be eliminating great opportunities. And being in a welcome state along doesn’t necessarily mean a great experience.
Two schools I see on this list. K State - read nothing but great things on the CC and recently someone posted about how helpful the network is. And Louisville - I believe their engineering is hands on, patterned in part on CPSLO. Think redneck ? Den Governor. Jewish mayor. I’ve been many times. Louisville is a FANTASTIC and warm/welcoming city.
You just never know. It’s tough to blanket a society based on a few - and it’s certainly someone’s right to do so.
I think the old-timers here can learn to respect a poster’s POV. People post all the time “my kid wants to be close to skiing” or “my kid wants club soccer” or “my kid wants a dual major in ethnomusicology and accounting” and we all scramble to help.
It seems that there are only two triggers when this does not happen- a poster asks for an LGBTQ-safe state, or mentions that they are full pay. And then it’s overdrive time… ignoring the OP and putting forth a different set of schools with some wacky agenda.
When a kid wants to be close to skiing do folks suggest Florida (heck, Vermont is only a plane ride away!) or U Hawaii (who needs snow when you have beaches and waves?)
Let’s assume that a parent smart enough to sock away college savings has done the math and realizes that there are cheaper options out there- if they choose to explore them.
I think the Pride rankings are helpful for in-state kids who intend to stay in-state (or a neighboring state). It can mitigate what might have been an awful situation in HS to realize that the flagship is a more welcoming environment than their own small town. But for a kid to SEEK OUT and fly a thousand miles or more to a college in a state which is openly hostile or about to pass legislation which will make it dangerous for them to seek appropriate medical care? Ugh. Don’t enable the “We hate the sin but love the sinner” mentality.
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Worth noting Bama makes this “unfriendly” list. This list is derived based on students reporting their actual first hand experiences.
Campus Pride is a function of a schools self reported dedicated resources to the LGBQ community. Not based on LGBQ students actual experiences.
The disconnect between these two ratings suggests UA’s administration is self reporting their efforts to correct an unfriendly atmosphere. While the effort is commendable it apparently isn’t translating into an improved LGBQ experience.
It is paramount this student do their own homework.
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For Ohio State, if interested in mechanical apply as mechanical. It’s a popular major and ability to transfer into it is very limited. My S did ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and that’s now a direct admit major. He really enjoyed that department.
Must apply by early action deadline to maximize merit and best chance to secure a spot in engineering.
https://engineering.osu.edu/undergraduate/future-students/admissions/new-students
SLO gives a small NMF scholarship. I believe it is around $3K.
Seconding or thirding the suggestion to ask your son to apply to a few more UCs and/or CSUs. As you likely know, the admissions decisions can be a bit unpredictable - and it’s great to have choices. (That said, I don’t know most of the out-of-state colleges listed very well, so if you have 2-3 that the student likes and is almost certain to get in, apply to as few UCs and CSUs as you want.)
Just to note OP has visited certain schools. Certain ones the student likes and certain have been crossed off - so it may not be as easy as applying to this or that schools vs first visiting and looking.
Of course you can visit after if you get in but….randomly applying per se might not be in the strategy:
Edit
OP says only West and NE so that precludes a lot of NM schools - and I’d still recommend Pitt. But Ohio State is in an ‘unfriendly’ state so if that’s the qualifier, it couldn’t be considered. UMaine - if it fit OP - could be worth a look (as an NM school). Maine may not be blue but has strong inclusion laws.
Schools
This is where we need help. Have visited schools, but want to add more to the list.
Open to schools on west coast or in northeast.
Will apply to:
UC Irvine
UCLA
Cal Poly SLO
WPI
Northeastern
RIT
UConn
Tufts
Will not apply to (based on visits):
U of So Cal
Harvey Mudd
Cal Poly Pomona
Rose Hulman
RPI
U of Rochester
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Except for the UCs and CSUs. The student is filling out the application for at least one UC and one CSU so there is no additional work needed to send the application to different campuses. It only requires the additional application fee.
The Compare College Options forum is full of students who are pleasantly surprised by attributes they found in schools after they were admitted.
Likewise, the UC waitlist threads are full of students (and parents) who are still tortuously waiting to hear from the campuses that they they somehow labelled as their dream school.
Several parents have posted that their students were waitlisted to multiple, or all, UCs. Hindsight is 20/20. If they had to do it again, they would have had their child send their application to more UC/CSU campuses.
This year, UC Davis has won the hearts of many students who didn’t have it at the top of their list when they applied. Just today, a parent on a UCSD thread wrote that they are disappointed that their student turned down UCSD, but that their student feels like they will be happier at Davis.
While it is important to do research prior to applying, it is also important to go into the college application process with an open mind.
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OP did state that the
Given that the OP wrote that FA is not needed, NM or other scholarships would be a nice bonus, but not required for affordability.
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