or maybe extend your trip a day to see FAU and UCF.
I’m just saying and maybe I’m wrong - but UCF seems unlikely to me. FAU more likely.
ERAU is Florida Tech….except more Aero focused. ERAU is solely Aero focused. FIT has a lot of aero but it’s not solely aero. GIven you want auto, ERAU likely not worth your time.
Sorry to bother, but how would you stack rank these four FL colleges for ME and getting internships/jobs out of the program?
Great advice and agree on Clemson.
Will need to look at FAU and perhaps drop an application there. Perhaps and hopefully now the last one!! Too many applied to (I know that now, but we are first timers lol & smh.
We are in NorCal so Fullerton is not near us. Good point on it being a regional school.
Yep, thanks. Will drop ERAU and look at applying to FAU. So appreciate your time and advice! Invaluable.
our heads are spinning and we’re only half way there lol
I wouldn’t.
I’d stack rank how many roles your kid applies to and how persistent they are.
You can look at outcomes - but in the end, it’s going to be your kid.
But ERAU might have aero recruiting and FIT is surrounded by defense/aero companies.
Personally, I see them all as equals.
Make no mistake - schools don’t give you internships and jobs. Kids have to find/earn them.
For during the year stuff, FIT is likely best located. But kids work in summers so that wouldn’t matter to me.
You’re in state - so it’s ok. Have you looked at UNR? Closer to you and cheap (WUE).
Some kids (I had one) love getting acceptances - for ego, confidence, or what not.
The flip side to so many great acceptances is - you have to choose one.
UAH, like FIT, is another that you can afford - and is surrounded by aero companies. It’s also where NASA is moving its space command.
In the end, you have tiny and huge - find the right fit for your son - where he can excel, be happy.
There are no assurances of jobs from anywhere and you can even see today, at UCB in the 2024 report, 24% of their EEs couldn’t find jobs. Not sure the last time stamp but the point is, your son will be the one driving that search - hopefully with tools provided by the schools. But the schools, even the perceived top ones, aren’t getting him a job.
We haven’t looked at UNR. I think out of the colleges out west he has some good choices already. UNR may confuse us with decision making even more lol
Great points on the intern/job topic. Do you have a link to that UCB data? I’d love to see that. Scary though!!
Note that there is no EE major at Cal. I assume you are looking at EECS majors. Most EECS students are CS focused, rather than EE. There is a general slowdown in the market for entry level CS hires.
If you are looking at Cal’s first destination surveys, note that this is a survey taken of graduating seniors (so it’s not surprising that some would still be looking for work), and the response rate in 2024 was 38%.
If interested in UAH for this reason, might as well also apply to nearby AAMU and see which gives a better scholarship and net price. But also realize that these two state universities are a legacy of segregation (UAH is a HWCU while AAMU is a HBCU).
Yes, sorry if I got the major wrong. The main point to OP is - you’re on your own in finding a gig - just assume that.
Yes, and one would assume those responding were even in a better plight.
But it just goes to show you, don’t pick a school for career success. Another poster had put up some Purdue data and it showed unusually high unemployment.
I’m sure schools in all tiers will show the same this year. It’s the economy!!
Kids will have to fight for their employment.
The McDonalds CEO just put something out about this - he told people in summary, no one cares more about your career than you. So you need to do something about it and not rely on others.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski gives blunt career advice | Fox Business
Mind spelling out some of these acronyms? Thank you.
UAH - U Alabama Huntsville. Huntsville is a very fast growing and educated city in Northern Alabama. One magazine called it the top place for young kids. The city is called Rocket City - given the US Space and Rocket Center are there - and soon to be, the US Space Command. It’s a well known commodity.
I’ve never seen (but must have been close) to Alabama A&M. @ucbalumnus makes a fair comment. They are ABET accredited and less expensive. It’s a historically black university. If you ever made it to Huntsville, you could do two for one - but then we can get you to Bama or UT Chattanooga or UA Birmingham or Tennessee Tech 
You’re likely good to keep your list where it is - it’s big
Point is, there’s lots of great schools out there - but the selling factor is going to be your student!!!
UAH = University of Alabama Huntsville
AAMU = Alabama A&M University
HBCU = Historically Black College or University
HWCU = Historically White College or University
HBCUs and HWCUs are common in areas where education was subject to de jure race segregation before 1954. But even today, many of them have student populations that overrepresent their previously designated race and underrepresent the other race.
I would say so… aren’t most US universities HWCUs (at least in historical practice)? Or are you referring only to universities that had, or operated under, specific rules about race segregation?
Yes (for HWCUs).
I don’t think we classify schools by race except HBCUs - and then some Native American although I know few about them.
There are Hispanic Serving Institutions like U Arizona, some UCs, Texas schools such as UT Austin, and more - but we usually don’t single out as such.
So for OP, not to be confused, I don’t think you need to think about classifications - but as @ucbalumnus brought up the cost arbitrage of Alabama A&M, then you may want to know about HBCUs - but there are none on your list.
These would be like Grambling, Jackson State, Southern U and more - but I don’t think you need to be concerned with these. You have a fine list already which schools you hand selected with research.
Congratulations on the additional admits! Looking back through the thread, I think this is where things stand with the applications. Is that correct?
| Acceptances | Awaiting Response | Deferred |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | Cal Poly - Pomona | Clemson |
| Cal State - Chico | Cal Poly - SLO | Santa Clara |
| Cal State - Sacramento | Cal State - Long Beach | |
| CSU - Fullerton | Loyola Marymount | |
| CSU - Los Angeles | NC State | |
| CSU - Northridge | Northeastern | |
| Florida Inst. of Tech | Purdue | |
| Oregon State | Rutgers | |
| U. of Hawaii | San Diego State | |
| UNC-Charlotte | San Jose State | |
| Washington State | Texas A&M | |
| UCs | ||
| U. of Central Florida | ||
| U. of San Diego | ||
| U. of Washington |
I assumed your son applied to these; am I correct?
I’m going to tag @sbinaz who can share what her D24 did and D26 is doing. But I believe it entails doing a close study of the class requirements for both the university and the major and also rating a school on a number of categories of value to the student.
Also, are the admissions affordable, unaffordable, or still pending financial aid and scholarships?
Yup, we did both of those things too (for S23 and D26).
One spreadsheet with ratings on various features; this is very very student-dependent. For example, S23 valued things like “great FSAE team” and “access to high quality student orchestra for non-music majors,” while some of D26’s desired features include “video game orchestra” and “lots of restaurants near campus with all kinds of food.”
Separate spreadsheet with a page for each school where the kid is accepted, summarizing all the major and gen ed requirements, what does the four-year plan look like, AP credit match, etc.