UMaine for mechanical engineering vs 3-2 program at LAC [Wheaton(MA)->Dartmouth]? [late admissions: SUNY New Paltz, UConn Storrs, URI]

[vwlizard]

UConn has a number of programs for students with ASD. There is even one specifically for students in engineering. https://neurodiversity.engineering.uconn.edu/about/

[aquapt]

Great news, congratulations!!!
This sounds like a really promising option.
I updated the chart I posted earlier

[ArtMom22]

MORE LATE-BREAKING NEWS: D24 just got a response from her late application to URI—admitted to engineering, Honors college, merit, the works! Now she really has a few choices. New Paltz is coming off the list (too far), but we will go see UConn and URI tomorrow and Friday and do another drive around the Trinity campus and area so she can assess whether she would still consider it if she comes off the wait list.

[happy1]

Wonderful news! URI may be a great option - especially with the honors college. Let us know how the visits go.

ETA: Before the visit, I’d spend some time reading up on the benefits of the honors program at URI. https://web.uri.edu/honors/

[aquapt]

Exciting - congrats to her!! Honors at URI confers an early registration benefit, which can be huge in terms of getting the classes you want/need, and being able to choose sections with better instructors and times, which can be an especially big deal for kids with learning differences.

Here’s your new chart, haha!

Since she’s not 100% wedded to MechE (as evidenced by considering Wheaton at all)… a couple of thoughts about alternate majors and programs:

1. One very cool thing, if it’s of any interest, is the International Engineering Program offered by both URI and UConn. This turns what would have been the senior year into a full year abroad (one semester of classes, one semester of internship), followed by a fifth year to finish degrees in both the chosen engineering discipline, and the chosen language/culture. Language options at URI are Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, & Japanese. UConn has Chinese, French, German and Spanish. Students in these program seem to have great employment outcomes.

2. I am not sure how the New England States reciprocity discount would interact with her existing merit offers, but there are a number of majors at UConn and URI that would be discounted for a Maine resident. Maine | New England Board of Higher Education Particularly notable possibilities include:

   • For URI: Data Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Ocean Engineering (< an especially strong program at URI)

   • For UConn: Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Management & Engineering for Manufacturing, Materials Science & Engineering, Multidisciplinary Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Data Science & Engineering, Statistical Data Science, and Cognitive Science

[ArtMom22]

Thank you! I called UConn to see about the New England tuition break and merit and they reduce the merit amounts by 2/3, but it still ends up costing about $5 k less per year. She would probably switch to a covered major like robotics or multidisciplinary engineering for the first year as the curriculum is pretty much identical to MechE for the first 2 semesters. Hoping for good vibes at these schools. Very grateful these April apps yielded fruit.

[ArtMom22]

Just wanted to follow up on our campus visits. D24 loves UConn and she just committed. She doesn’t think coming off any wait list will change her decision. We connected with the disability services office while we were there. Their accommodations offerings are very robust and organized. I hope that level of accommodation can help ease some of the challenges with large intro classes. I believe UMaine could have offered a similar overall education and support, but she is truly happy with the choice of UConn. UMaine was not much closer (2 hours 15 min away vs 2 hrs 45 min) and D24 felt it was in the wrong direction.

[happy1]

Great that she could choose a college that she is truly excited to attend. Wishing you and your D all the best.

[jbean45]

Congrats on UConn. You should check out the Dog Lane Cafe in Storrs. One of my favorite places in that area.

[ArtMom22]

With D24’s first semester of UConn Storrs Engineering in the books, I wanted to come back and let the community know how it went.

She loves it.

Socially, the adjustment has been easy. She seemed to have a small group of friends immediately, some of whom she met at orientation.

UConn office of students with disabilities has been terrific about meeting her accommodations requests—primarily a single room and some extra time on exams—and she is finding the services easy to navigate.

Academically, she did very well. First semester classes included chemistry, computer science, and calculus (among others). She didn’t attend all of the large lecture classes in person, but lectures followed the written material very closely and she kept up with all reading and assignments and attended all labs and discussion groups. She struggled a bit with learning how to study, but only briefly. She got A or A- in all classes.

I think she truly enjoys the independence and autonomy that going away to college out of state has provided and has found a sense of her own self-efficacy.

I was also glad she was only a few hours away. Early on in the semester she got super sick and went to the health center, where they said it was viral and sent her off. But 2 days later, she couldn’t eat, drink, or sleep from the pain, so I went there to bring her home and immediately to our local urgent care. They suspected it was an abscess, and treated with antibiotics and steroids, which worked quickly so I could get her back to campus after a long weekend.

She has been attending basketball games and even met and took a selfie with Paige Bueckers.

All in all, it has been a terrific choice for her so far with minimal adjustment challenges. I’m sure UMaine would have gone well, but her enthusiasm for UConn may have helped her be in the right frame of mind to greet the challenges of starting on a new path.

Thanks again for everyone’s help and advice in the spring.

[happy1]

What a wonderful update!! Thanks.

[fiftyfifty1]

Oh this is lovely! Thank you so much for the update!

[Bill_Marsh]

Thanks for the update. As a Connecticut resident who lives not too far from Storrs and a UConn hoops fan - both men & women - I’m so happy that your daughter has found a home-away-from-home in Storrs.

Here’s a little piece of trivia which might interest your Maine-to-UConn basketball fan daughter. Stacey Porrini-Clingan was the mother of Donovan Clingan, the 7-footer who played center on UConn’s last 2 national championship men’s basketball teams. Stacey tragically died of breast cancer when Donovan was only in 8th grade. The trivia which might interest your daughter is that Stacey played college basketball at the University of Maine, graduating in 1997, where she still holds school records for blocks in a game and blocks in a season. She is also 5th on the school’s all time rebounds list and 17th on the all time scoring list. She played on the first UMO women’s team to go to the NCAA tournament in 1995 and made it 3 straight by returning to the tournament in 1996 and 1997, serving as team captain in her final season.