We walked the campus at RHIT on the way to STEP at Purdue. She thought it was really small. It might not make the final list.
RHIT did such a great job marketing to her. It was the first school that contacted her and she was excited about how much they “wanted her.” They mailed her lots of nice pieces about being ranked the #1 Engineering School with a PhD program.
I will take a look at the International Engineering programs.
I will second Lehigh. It’s a very strong engineering school. Beautiful campus.
Let me know if I can answer any questions re: WPI - my older son is a rising junior there and really happy.
He also really liked CWRU - ultimately he chose against them just because WPI felt more right.
He loved Lehigh too - it’s a beautiful campus that I think your daughter will like based on some of the other things you’ve highlighted. I will note, though, they don’t seem to give as much merit aid as WPI/RPI/CWRU
Lehigh and Lafayette are a hop and a skip from each other, so visit both! They can be fit in the same day if you do one in the morning.
I couldn’t get my S24 to even consider Rice. Texas was just a non-starter for him. Oh well.
If your D is an ardent Michigan fan, then this next suggestion might be a no-go, but I’d take a look at Ohio State. Or for a very different feel closer to home, has she given any thought to Howard?
I do not think GaTech is a good option for the OP. It is very unlikely and very challenging option. OOS acceptance rate is very low and bar is very high.
I just want to echo this. Chemical engineering and chemistry are not as closely related as one might think by the names.
Chemists might work with substances in a lab to develop new products.
Chemical engineers might design a system that allows a product to be produced on a large scale.
I would make sure she has looked at what jobs each degree leads to and what might be the day to day duties at those jobs. Again, just bringing this up as some students get caught up in the names and maybe assume they are more similar than they are.
Thanks, that’s a good point. Right now, she likes engineering and she likes Chemistry. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up with a different engineering major once she takes and introductory class. If she likes AP Chem a lot, she will have to give some serious thought to what she actually wants to do.
If they are interested in the school, I don’t see why they wouldn’t apply. OOS may be hard (10% overall but likely higher female) but the SAT is in range and the female acceptance is much higher than male.
By nature of being a reach, an acceptance wouldn’t be expected but I would think OP would get reasonable consideration. It’s not just about applying to safe bets. The worst that would happen is they wouldn’t get in.
When students are looking for something more practical/applied than a theoretical chemistry major, but aren’t sure they love ChemE which, as others have correctly pointed out, is very different, there’s another possibility that is often overlooked - the applied fields such as Food Science that are offered at land-grant universities with ag schools. These majors are academically more chem than engineering (although there are engineering aspects too), but they get into practical applications much more quickly than a traditional chem degree program - and a lot of the research areas in these departments, and the career paths the degrees can lead to, are very interesting!
Some examples at colleges already under discussion here:
)Many of these programs have their own study abroad programs too. And when looking at reachier schools that admit by major, anything in the ag school will usually tend to be an easier admit, simply because these majors are more overlooked (especially by suburban/urban students who don’t get much exposure to the possibilities). Cornell’s food science major might even be possible (albeit a reach), whereas Cornell engineering would be a pretty big long shot. These programs have great employment stats (the food industry isn’t going anywhere!); it’s a way to have a very chemmy career without having grad school be the only realistic path to employment, and without going the full-on engineering route. Even if applying to a major like this feels like too big a commitment right now, having it as a possibility to switch into, at one of the schools that offer it, could be a point in the “pro” column.
Thanks so much to everyone for the thoughtful responses. There are so many additional schools to research -it will take me a while! I have learned so much on CC, and appreciate your help with her list!
We have done some research and decided to try to visit Lehigh, Lafayette, Case Western and WUSTL. We still have more on the list of recommendations to consider/research.
She thinks she will take off U of Michigan and move Wake Forest and Rose Hulman to maybes. She wouldn’t choose RHIT over WPI, so I’m not sure if it’s worth applying.
An app (RHIT) never hurts. You have 20 spots. You’re only accepting one of multiple offers.
How did she feel about engineering after STEP?
Wake engineering is now ABET accredited but it is new. And you might ask about specializations. It seems generalist. You might ask for career / internship outcomes thus far as well.
She loved STEP and engineering. I would really recommend it to anyone thinking about engineering. It was a fun introduction to engineering and college. She feels so confindent now about staying in dorm with a roommate, eating at the dining hall, walking on campus, etc.
She likes Wake because it has accredited engineering and almost all engineering students double major. She can double major in Engineering and Chemistry. Good idea to research their career outcomes.
Very interesting! D25 read this and she likes the idea - especially the research opportunities. This is not something she has thought about. Good idea!
I like that it has real job possibilities without grad school.
Could do Pitt and CMU visit on same trip.
My wife is a Chem E from Lafayette. She got a masters in Environmental Engineering from CMU.
Lafayette (I went there as well) is a very nice LAC with the added benefits of a good engineering school. Has very pretty campus located about 70 miles west of NYC, 65 miles north of Philly, an hour or so from the Poconos and about 2.5 hours from the Jersey shore.
Lehigh as others have said is about 20 minutes from Lafayette. But I think there is a different vibe. Lehigh is about 2.5 times bigger and has graduate programs. That could be a plus or a minus depending on your view of things. Lehigh is more of a more of party school than Lafayette but as will most schools the non partyers can find their people
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