<p>“A question - how can I get a feel for these schools without actually visiting them?”</p>
<p>Actually, that is pretty hard to do. Eventually you should visit. But before visiting… since you are interested in Aerospace Engineering and do not want to be around all guys, first you should find schools with the AE major and then look at the male/female mix. This information is easily available.</p>
<p>A couple of people have mentioned the University of Alabama in Huntsville. It meets both of the criteria above, plus is modest in size and, yes, has close connections to NASA. The academics could be exactly what you want. The only down side might be the social life. For years, UAH was a commuter school with almost all students living at home with parents. This has been changing lately, but still appears to be the norm. Make sure that you understand the current situation and that you can live with it (literally).</p>