A good start would be asking your S24 what sort of college experience he seeks. Are big time sports and the accompanying sports culture important to him? If so, Penn may not be the place for him. Does he want the close knit residential system of Rice? Does he prefer a larger school? UIUC is 36k students compared to 5k at Rice. Figuring out what is important to your S24 will help make the decision easier. It’s a good problem to have; he has some fantastic options.
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Obviously - three different schools. One very urban. One in a warmer part of the country but also in big city - but a different focus of city. And one a large, top engineering flagship - and total campus type.
While you are full pay, I assume there are monetary differences with Penn being most expensive and then Rice, followed by UIUC. Rice has the residential college system which many like.
Here are career outcomes. Sometimes these reset so you may have to re-click on the major (in this case for Penn).
For Penn, I did 2023 Chem/Biomolecular engineering - and they have 28 outcomes with 20+ jobs, with NYC leading with 5 and then Boston and Philly with 3. It’s interesting to look at the titles of the jobs people take.
I can’t find a comprehensive one for Rice but you might ask them.
Illiniois is more a school summary so not major - but you can probably ask for a specific report - like Penns. Both Rice and Illiniois should have - i.e. know where their chem engieering grads go. The UIUC report is a year older.
Sometimes it’s nice just to see - how and where folks have ended up. Your path my be different - but it’s nice for validation.
Good call on Grinnell since the student is picking an engineering discipline.
Best of luck in whichever your student chooses.
Undergraduate First Destinations – Career Services | University of Pennsylvania (upenn.edu)
@CFP @mountainsoul @tsbna44 @bronzerfish @2Devils @TonyGrace @NiceUnparticularMan - Thank you all so, so much! We’ve learned so much from you guys. Really, I did not know being strategic in terms of course selections is even a thing for freshman :). Now a lot of amazing insights and perspectives. My DS likes the residential college system (therefore he applied to Yale and Rice) and so do we (mom and dad) and I think he will best thrive in that environment. UIUC is well known for engineering, closer to home (5hr drive), cheaper than the other two options, but is very big. PENN is…well very prestigious in general and I’ve heard you would make a lot of connections that would be really helpful to your life and career. But it’s the most expensive option.
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It’s on the students and the parents.
Kid should seriously consider attending Rice. Houston has become a hub of medical field stuff. And there’s this:
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I think that is your answer then–Rice for sure. For the record, while Illinois followed by Penn are probably better known for Engineering generally, in BME in particular, I think Rice is right up there with Penn, and both more known for it than Illinois.
not a parent, but have been so frustrated with this!
when i was admitted early to one school with a scholarship, i told my dance class about the admissions but not the scholarship because i needed to step out of class to call my dad and tell him. one girl in my bio class found out i got in early from a dance friend, approached me and asked me not only if i got a scholarship but for the name of the specific scholarship. she evidently googled the scholarship’s value.
when i got news on ivy day and the whole school found out (i blame my sweet but overzealous brothers), yesterday in my bio class she told me (completely unsolicited), “if it were me, i would pick the full ride to school x over school y.” like, it’s not you! we aren’t friends! i don’t want your opinion!
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Why can’t she just use your backyard?
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So as mentioned S24 thinks (and I do as well) that Mom should join for admitted student days, which means D30 too. And I was just given a brutal reminder how planning last minute travel for four (including two kids who behave like starving rats trapped in a small bag if forced to sleep in the same room) is waaaaay more of a pain and expense than travel for two boys in roadtrip mode.
So I take back everything I said, I am totally cool with S24 cutting his list way down for this phase!
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My recommendation for hotels is to stay in a Springhill Suites/Towneplace Suites/Residence Inn/Homewood Suites/Home2Suites/Embassy Suites etc.
They are generally the same price (or less) than the traditional Marriott/Hilton rooms but will offer more space (some are suites), free breakfast, and most are newer built than the traditional hotels.
I’m sure you’ve already looked into all this.
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We stayed in a Home2Suites just because it was the right price for a hotel before an early AM flight, and I would seek them out now as it was just right for our family of 4 (with two teen daughters who hate sharing a bed) as it had 2 beds and a pull out, but wasn’t a full suite, which we almost never need! (But we are ‘hotels are where you rest your head before going out on another adventure’ so are good with less amenities for a lower price, ymmv)
Among the above mentioned, the Embassy Suites is generally a little more expensive and older but they have by far the best breakfast and all the rooms are suites.
If you want a “real breakfast” buffet with made to order omelets, etc. Embassy Suites is better. But otherwise, most are pretty similar.
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I literally had just booked a Residence Inn! Ended up with two rooms but it was still very competitive on price.
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Thank you - he likes Rice, but seems to be peer- influenced by prestige too - you know for their age. His friends asked him every day which school he got into and now which school he is going to pick. He’s still stung being waitlisted by Northwestern as he likes it very much as well. He now says maybe I should still try to pursue the waitlist… so my point is their opinion/likes can change day by day.
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Hello
Child deferred then rejected from dream school MIT
But other options are great however difficult to decide
Need community input for help with decision between
Stanford
Princeton
U Penn M and T program
Georgia Tech
Interested in technology/start ups with possible business/finances
Thank you!!!
All input welcome
I’m not sure there is a guaranteed solution for US News-driven peer competition, but one thing that kinda seems to work with my S24 is to note that so many of the so-called prestigious colleges are really buried on a depth chart among many nearby competitors.
Whereas when you think about it, Rice, say, is the best-ranked school in the entire region south of Duke and east of Caltech!
And while that is mostly a tongue-in-cheek observation, it is not entirely. Like, as another poster was also pointing out, Texas alone is a hugely important region for things like BME. So going to arguably the best BME school in or even near Texas is no small thing!
So in that sense, I really do think all the kids trying to pack into the same few schools in the same few coastal markets are not really appreciating what going to a best-in-a-large-region college like Rice can do for you.
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I mean, that is literally the point of the M&T program, right? I think that could be trumped by other considerations like cost, regional preferences, and so on. But if all you tell me is a kid is really interested in that particular intersection of areas, I am not sure you can do better than that program.
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Stanford
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What a great set of options! D24 would probably say Stanford but that’s because CALIFORNIA!
I just don’t know how you would go wrong with any of those choices, assuming your kid feels like they can see their people there (for happiness and/or potential partners for their business ventures).
Stanford.
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