OP, I’ll think you’ll have some good options. That said, I would rethink the off-campus ROTC schools. It can be a fair time commitment. Getting up for 6am PT or flag detail and having to commute will get old quickly. Why make your life harder? You’ll be busy enough with school.
Also reconsider UT. It sounded like you liked the school. I posted a couple of options in a prior post. UT is a highly regarded school. I’m fairly certain you can find something worth studying there. Don’t get caught up in the name of a degree. Look at the curriculum. The Computational Engineering degree would probably be considered under Industrial Engineering at other schools.
You still have a few day to apply to some other schools. I get the allure of private schools. Short of MIT and a few others the top public schools are great for engineering. Your career won’t be hindered with a degree from a Michigan or similar school. Good luck.
The list was approximately in order of preference.
After reading this thread I think I will shake it up significantly.
@aquapt@ucbalumnus I did know about the commutes from Stanford/Princeton and figured it would be worth it to attend a HYPSM. After all the responses I’ve gotten, I’m reconsidering.
@tsbna44 My line of reasoning so far was that a public school’s name value/prestige wouldn’t justify the cost of housing compared to a HYPSM, WashU, or TAMU.
@momofboiler1 I opted against Cornell because of the infamous grade deflation. To keep my scholarship, I need to maintain a high GPA (~3.5+).
With 4 years military commitment, they won’t be hindered from any school.
I wonder if they don’t like A&M do to its lower perceived rank or the enormity?
Is that why the privates are favored ? Then again, you wouldn’t have UM.
The earlier conversation showed prestige focus. But I wonder if there’s a campus type preference too as some of these are vastly different.
For my daughter, who couldn’t figure out where to start with eliminating acceptances from consideration, we used that as a big part, in her case wanting smaller so a UGA and UF were first eliminated while much smaller U of SC and FSU stayed in the consideration set til later.
I wonder if OP has given any sort of thought to that - given the differences in school types and sizes.
I’m not a fan of ranking/perceived pedigree - I think it’s a disservice. There are people from top schools working for people from the bottom.
But if you are looking at IE, and US News is but one source and just a popularity contest - they use no metrics other than opinions of other academics but they rank
Ga Tech
Purdue
Michigan
UCB
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Va Tech (tied 6)
Texas A&M
Stanford
Illinois tied Stanford
Nc State/Cornell/Penn State
College Transitions
Ga Tech
Northwestern
Michigan
Berkeley
Columbia
Cornell
Purdue
Illinois
Penn state
USC
I think overall rank is dangerous for example, if you wanted to do Supply Chain, you’d want Arizona State or Michigan State if you wanted the top yet those don’t give you the warm and fuzzies of a U S News top university list.
I’m sure schools like Wash U and Vandy are great - but I don’t think engineering leaders look at them as top shelf. I could be wrong.
You’re a stud - literally. And thank you for wanting to serve.
But find the right school for you. Michigan is as prestigious as a private. A&M for engineering is very prestigious. So take the best fit amongst all these great names - fit should include budget as you noted - and if it matters to you daily transport to training/class and school size or whatever else matters to you
In the end, you’re going to do great. I work for a U West Georgia undergrad. I have two degrees from named schools. We had a Harvard Law working for Fairleigh Dickinson undergrad til a recent retirement.
Leaders lead and win. That sounds like you no matter what you choose.
In your list, you may want to note commute time/distance to off campus ROTC, which can help clarify desirability. Be sure to consider method of commute – most non commuter college students will not have cars to drive, so they will rely on walking, bicycling, or public transportation. Taxi and ride hailing can get expensive if used frequently.
All great advice. But let me just say…I have a (super happy) kid at WashU and he’s doing problem sets on Saturday afternoons! All of them. Except maybe the last weekend last spring? I’m sure it varies by major though!
Best case commute from Stanford to SJSU seems to be about 35 minutes by car (but can be much worse due to traffic) or about an hour by public transportation (Caltrain to bus). That would not include walking from the parking lot or bus stop to the ROTC location at SJSU.
As a bay area person, this would be a deal breaker for me. It will likely be a lot worse pretty frequently and so unpredictable that you’d have to put a good buffer in to not be late (unless drive time was very early in the morning, and even then I’d be anxious about it). I’d go somewhere else rather than deal with this just to go to Stanford as opposed to the other options likely to be on OPs menu of choices.
That’d be a hard no for me - but again, I’m not OP. Being budget constrained puts more doubt in.
Perhaps OP can find out how many upperclassmen there are or talk to the head of the department about reality of how often one has to spend to get there.
At least there’s a potential reimbursement opportunity but I don’t know if it’s ensured from reading this (OP can find out).
And is there an expectation that you have a car later - so you can return the favor to future Freshman?
At least questions I might ask at similar schools.
Sounds dreadful though.
Are you waiting for someone - to get to class - and you are late? Are you that someone they are waiting for?
Knowing St Louis and that drive, I wouldn’t think a bike is realistic in Winter but OP might ask.
I’ll go back to the original question - Should I ED to Wash U (or anywhere).
In my opinion not, for reasons if the last two days. Lots of learning and introspection by OP - that lots may have changed in their mind and still might.
They are strong in everything they offer — Ivyesque.
The nearby St. Louis Zoo is free. Having a hard day or need a break from studying? Walk around tte zoo and talk to the beasts for an hour or two.
The Hill, SSE of campus a couple miles, has great italian cuisine. And Gioia’s Deli is among the best sandwich shops in the country.
Fox & Hounds, in the Cheshire Hotel not far from campus (SE), is a real old English pub treat. You can’t drink till your ID says so, but the food and decor are great.
Bogart’s and Pappi’s serve great barbecue if you’re into that. The son runs the former; dad runs the latter.
You can eat fresh St. Louis-style pizza at Imo’s. It’s thin and crispy like chicago thin crust (the best pizza in the world), but the cheese is Provel: a mix of cheddar, provolone, and swiss. So there is a bit more flavor in the cheese.
So if WashU is your final destination, count your lucky stars.
All that said, if WashU is not your clear favorite, do not apply ED. Just apply RD everywhere. But if it comes down to WashU or any other school, don’t feel like you’ll lack greatness at WashU. It’s on the same line as CMU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rice, and Vanderbilt.