Choice for Engineering?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accepted at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn State, Florida and Maryland. Out of state for all, and with various merit, all are within $12k of each other.

Setting aside cost, thoughts for mech engineering? First choice, second choice please? Thanks!

Wow you really picked as many non-targets as possible. But if you really want to know

Colorado
Penn State
Maryland

Second tier:
Ohio State
Florida

Bottom tier
Wisconsin( hardly even has an engineering program)

[Anonymous]

What does a target vs non-target mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the replies all, here is some quick info for those who asked:

Student is 3.9uw/4.8w/35ACT from MCPS. Is taking Physics C and Calc BC as a senior. His highest priority is to successfully manage his way through what is clearly a rigorous major at any school (Mech E). As of today in conversation with student:

Wisconsin - lower on his list, concern is the 3.2 Mech progression GPA. He does not want to risk it and combined with cold weather, not so excited.

Florida - did not have a great visit, they have tracking requirement, liked the weather, seemed heavy greek. Lower on the list.

Ohio State - medium on the list, also a re-apply program.

Colorado - definitely liked the outdoors vibe, and as a direct admit he just needs 2.0 and move on. Does not mean it is easier, but at least a lower threshold. Little concerned about party scene and what some friends have said is higher than expected drug culture. But he is definitely interested.

Virginia Tech (not Penn State sorry) - also has threhold but seems more manageable.

Maryland - has limited enrollment program.

The kid will do the work, he just doesn't want an axe over his head first year of college - Colorado seems to avoid that a bit.

He is on the wait list at Cal Poly, which seems cool but obviously means he would likely stay out there, tough for the parents.

And thanks to one of PP for the idea for the other thread, I did find it.

Wait - you said out-of-state for all. Are you actually in-state for Maryland coming from MCPS? And are you saying he was admitted to UMD-CP but not engineering?

He should go to UMD-CP. Although you said cost didn't matter, it will still be the cheapest. Save the money for grad school.
https://www.lep.umd.edu/engineering.html
He takes MATH141 and PHYS161 in the fall and should be able to get a solid grade B+/A- if he's currently taking AP BC Calculus and AP Physics C. Round that out with high interest but easy Gen Eds to boost GPA freshman year. He needs a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be admitted, but only has to maintain a 2.0 after that.

[Anonymous]

I mean, just sit down with him and talk. You can pull rankings and all that, but it's also X factors like feel. While you say money is no cost would he be taking out any additional loans himself? As someone who just cleared that millstone, it's easy to wave it off when you're 17/18 and not realize the effect.

He's going to be fine. He has many good choices.

[Anonymous]

All fine, I would look at the interning/ co-op options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Accepted at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn State, Florida and Maryland. Out of state for all, and with various merit, all are within $12k of each other.

Setting aside cost, thoughts for mech engineering? First choice, second choice please? Thanks!

Wow you really picked as many non-targets as possible. But if you really want to know

Colorado
Penn State
Maryland

Second tier:
Ohio State
Florida

Bottom tier
Wisconsin( hardly even has an engineering program)

What are you talking about? University of Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s land grant university and happens to be the state flagship. It has a very complete offering of engineering majors.

[Anonymous]

I am OP, thanks for the replies.

He was able to finish out MCPS but we have a unique situation where we are/will be OOS for UMD, though we may be able to fix that. Long story.

Like the poster above, I am not clear about target or not, is that for hiring?

He did not get into Michigan, GA Tech, Texas, UC schools. He would have liked to see one come through.

We are a bit surprised to be honest. I realize it is competitive but thought he had a shot. We are grateful to have choices though and just trying to figure out the right one.

As for our student, I think if Cal Poly was not so distant or also far from larger cities, he would like it and had a good visit. Though he is uncertain also given the difficulty some have discussed re getting classes.

Colorado and Florida are interesting to him, but for VA Tech it is also a bit isolated and Colorado he is a little concerned about party scene though loves the outdoors.

We do not know much about engineering and are grateful for input! Have read a lot of threads here?

[Anonymous]

A lot to process OP but I will try to help.

Target here likely refers to schools where companies are more likely to recruit from - so GA Tech and Michigan would certainly qualify. It is easier when there is a pipeline of employers who historically have ties to the school and come to fairs.

In your case, these schools will 100% give a solid degree.

Maryland and VA Tech are better for DC area - think contractors and federal government.

Ca Poly for companies in CA.

The schools you have are slightly more regional and less national. Where does your student want to be and where will they thrive and that is the likely answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the replies all, here is some quick info for those who asked:

Student is 3.9uw/4.8w/35ACT from MCPS. Is taking Physics C and Calc BC as a senior. His highest priority is to successfully manage his way through what is clearly a rigorous major at any school (Mech E). As of today in conversation with student:

Wisconsin - lower on his list, concern is the 3.2 Mech progression GPA. He does not want to risk it and combined with cold weather, not so excited.

Florida - did not have a great visit, they have tracking requirement, liked the weather, seemed heavy greek. Lower on the list.

Ohio State - medium on the list, also a re-apply program.

Colorado - definitely liked the outdoors vibe, and as a direct admit he just needs 2.0 and move on. Does not mean it is easier, but at least a lower threshold. Little concerned about party scene and what some friends have said is higher than expected drug culture. But he is definitely interested.

Virginia Tech (not Penn State sorry) - also has threhold but seems more manageable.

Maryland - has limited enrollment program.

The kid will do the work, he just doesn't want an axe over his head first year of college - Colorado seems to avoid that a bit.

He is on the wait list at Cal Poly, which seems cool but obviously means he would likely stay out there, tough for the parents.

And thanks to one of PP for the idea for the other thread, I did find it.

In your original post you said all were OOS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, thanks for the replies.

He was able to finish out MCPS but we have a unique situation where we are/will be OOS for UMD, though we may be able to fix that. Long story.

Like the poster above, I am not clear about target or not, is that for hiring?

He did not get into Michigan, GA Tech, Texas, UC schools. He would have liked to see one come through.

We are a bit surprised to be honest. I realize it is competitive but thought he had a shot. We are grateful to have choices though and just trying to figure out the right one.

As for our student, I think if Cal Poly was not so distant or also far from larger cities, he would like it and had a good visit. Though he is uncertain also given the difficulty some have discussed re getting classes.

Colorado and Florida are interesting to him, but for VA Tech it is also a bit isolated and Colorado he is a little concerned about party scene though loves the outdoors.

We do not know much about engineering and are grateful for input! Have read a lot of threads here?

Your DS did fine. Engineering and computer science - particularly for OOS - are pretty much the toughest admits there are these days. Albert Einstein would have a hard time today getting into Texas or the UCs as an OOS applicant. I suspect the poster referring to "target schools" was referring to investment banking and consulting recruitment, which has an antiquated focus on Ivy and Ivy-adjacent schools. For anyone actually interested in pursuing a career in engineering, pedigree degrees don't matter that much. There really isn't much of a difference in career outcomes between an engineering degree from Michigan and one from Colorado. There's no easy way through an engineering degree regardless of where one goes to school. The Maryland engineering students are suffering as much as the Berkeley students. So choose the best fit. Freshman year is going to be a grind no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the replies all, here is some quick info for those who asked:

Student is 3.9uw/4.8w/35ACT from MCPS. Is taking Physics C and Calc BC as a senior. His highest priority is to successfully manage his way through what is clearly a rigorous major at any school (Mech E). As of today in conversation with student:

Wisconsin - lower on his list, concern is the 3.2 Mech progression GPA. He does not want to risk it and combined with cold weather, not so excited.

Florida - did not have a great visit, they have tracking requirement, liked the weather, seemed heavy greek. Lower on the list.

Ohio State - medium on the list, also a re-apply program.

Colorado - definitely liked the outdoors vibe, and as a direct admit he just needs 2.0 and move on. Does not mean it is easier, but at least a lower threshold. Little concerned about party scene and what some friends have said is higher than expected drug culture. But he is definitely interested.

Virginia Tech (not Penn State sorry) - also has threhold but seems more manageable.

Maryland - has limited enrollment program.

The kid will do the work, he just doesn't want an axe over his head first year of college - Colorado seems to avoid that a bit.

He is on the wait list at Cal Poly, which seems cool but obviously means he would likely stay out there, tough for the parents.

And thanks to one of PP for the idea for the other thread, I did find it.

Colorado and VT are fine choices. Let him pick between those. Colorado is a place where a lot of young outdoorsy types aspire to live. So he'll get a first-hand look.

I passed through Boulder on vacation about 10 years ago and picked up the student newspaper. It was full of weed advertisements. Pretty shocking to me since when I was in college only the occasional liquor ad would show up in the student paper. So, I guess I would recommend understanding how people socialize and where the straight-edge kids hang out. Maybe try a Reddit post to get clarity.

VT seems to be the home region choice and it's good.

I think your son is smart to prioritize not getting weeded out.

If you want different decision criteria, then research employment outcomes and major employers for all the schools.

“Let him pick between those.” LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accepted at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn State, Florida and Maryland. Out of state for all, and with various merit, all are within $12k of each other.

Setting aside cost, thoughts for mech engineering? First choice, second choice please? Thanks!

I’m a mechanical engineer who loves the outdoors so I’d pick:
1. Colorado
2. Virginia Tech

Cal Poly if he gets in.

Maybe if he loved them:
Wisconsin
Maryland

Big fat no to FL and OH.

[Anonymous]

To PP, are you saying Cal Poly would be #3 or that it would move ahead of Colorado or VT if accepted? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To PP, are you saying Cal Poly would be #3 or that it would move ahead of Colorado or VT if accepted? Thanks.

Move ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, thanks for the replies.

He was able to finish out MCPS but we have a unique situation where we are/will be OOS for UMD, though we may be able to fix that. Long story.

Like the poster above, I am not clear about target or not, is that for hiring?

He did not get into Michigan, GA Tech, Texas, UC schools. He would have liked to see one come through.

We are a bit surprised to be honest. I realize it is competitive but thought he had a shot. We are grateful to have choices though and just trying to figure out the right one.

As for our student, I think if Cal Poly was not so distant or also far from larger cities, he would like it and had a good visit. Though he is uncertain also given the difficulty some have discussed re getting classes.

Colorado and Florida are interesting to him, but for VA Tech it is also a bit isolated and Colorado he is a little concerned about party scene though loves the outdoors.

We do not know much about engineering and are grateful for input! Have read a lot of threads here?

Engineering is going to be very similar at all of these. He should consider things like the network (Penn State) and environment (Colorado). I doubt the engineering party scene at Colorado will be much different from the engineering party scene at Florida; they both have equally scarce free time.