What Engineering School is realistic for my kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:as for columbia, i never said direct entry. he has no shot at direct entry. however columbia has a 3-2 engineering linkage with tons of schools where you do 3 years at your original school and have guarunteed admission to columbia for the last 2 years for your engineering studies if you maintain a 3.3 gpa in your science classes.

Columbia alum here. The 3-2 programs is real and there are a fair number of engineers (about 75 students/year) who go to Columbia SEAS using this route. The actual requirements are pretty hard (think pre-med requirements) and one bad grade can throw off the plan. There are also a few things to keep in mind - you're paying for a 5th year of undergraduate studies at $65k, Columbia does not guarantee housing the 2nd year (not a small consideration in NYC), and Columbia does not promise to meet 100% of financial need for students in the program as it does for other undergrads.

[Anonymous]

What about a kid who has terrific grades in math/physics but not-so-hot SAT/ACT scores (<700 math) and really wants to study engineering? He has another hook (athlete on a top-5 nationally ranked sports team) but hasn't found a school with the right combination of location/admissions/his sport/engineering major. Thoughts? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about a kid who has terrific grades in math/physics but not-so-hot SAT/ACT scores (<700 math) and really wants to study engineering? He has another hook (athlete on a top-5 nationally ranked sports team) but hasn't found a school with the right combination of location/admissions/his sport/engineering major. Thoughts? Thanks.

What sport?

Umuc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a kid who has terrific grades in math/physics but not-so-hot SAT/ACT scores (<700 math) and really wants to study engineering? He has another hook (athlete on a top-5 nationally ranked sports team) but hasn't found a school with the right combination of location/admissions/his sport/engineering major. Thoughts? Thanks.

What sport?

Umuc?

Meant umbc sorry.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the recommendation. UMBC has a good STEM reputation but has a commuter-college vibe which is a bit of a turn-off. (We've gone to recruiting events there for soccer.) What about a mid-level school like Loyola in Baltimore - has an undergrad engineering program. Can a student get good career traction at a liberal arts school like that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Olin College of Engineering in Boston (Needham)

While Olin receives excellent press, the school is very small and still finding its identity. The admissions director definitely wants students with The Hook--extroverted students with charisma and leadership skills. He also wanted students with unique talents like being an award-winning bluegrass banjo picker, an authority on drumming rituals, an expert on (insert newest trend here), etc. My student applied (TJ graduate, top grades, nearly perfect test scores, activities, etc.) and did not make it into the semi-finalists for applicants. It genuinely surprised the guidance counselor. Examine Olin carefully before applying because they have a very particular type in mind and many of the admitted applicants defer enrollment for a year, which makes the next year even harder for interested students to get admitted. But they do want many applicants so they can look even more selective and build up their reputation.

Our student ended up receiving a full tuition scholarship at one of the midwestern schools mentioned above and has had a rewarding experience at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Purdue

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute Indiana. Ranked #1 for undergraduate engineering schools that do not have doctorate programs. They also have an excellent hiring rate of their graduates.

Rose is a GREAT school and they take really good care of their students. The college experience is so fun but you will work really hard. I would check it out.

[Anonymous]

check out Harvey Mudd for a great engineering program on the west coast.

also, the 3-2 or 2-2 programs that were mentioned above are pretty great. you do 3 or 2 years at the liberal arts college, and then 2 years at an engineering program at a top school, and then graduate with degrees from both schools. i know that oberlin has one with WUSTL, and many other schools, such as pomona and occidental, share this program with caltech. good luck in the search

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:check out Harvey Mudd for a great engineering program on the west coast.

also, the 3-2 or 2-2 programs that were mentioned above are pretty great. you do 3 or 2 years at the liberal arts college, and then 2 years at an engineering program at a top school, and then graduate with degrees from both schools. i know that oberlin has one with WUSTL, and many other schools, such as pomona and occidental, share this program with caltech. good luck in the search

haverford links with caltech too but the problem with the caltech version vs columbia is columbia is garunteed entry if you maintain 3.3 in science/math/cs classes.

caltech is not garunteed admission. the schools that link with caltech, you still have to apply and there is no 'do this, this, and this and you WILL get a spot at caltech".