What engineering schools should DC add to their considerlist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, fast replies, thank you!
Good student, first SAT was in the 1400s, looking at mechanical or aerospace engineering.
Doesn't really know what kind of environment, but not super-urban -- doesn't want to be in New York City but has said meh to Iowa State as well. Likes MIT, but it's a reach. Might consider a small school but is also looking at big state schools. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to gather up as many ideas as possible.

1400 isn't on the reach scale for MIT unless there are other hooks, like varsity athlete or some such.

and even if my kid got into MIT with scores like that, I wouldn't want that for him... why be mediocre? Kid will never have access to the good stuff MIT offers.

[Anonymous]

University of Minnesota.

Yeah, it is cold, but the school is quite good and the program well-run. The school has merit aid. Urban, but no more urban than MIT. Different approach to some of the others with direct admit to the engineering school (but not the specific majors).

[Anonymous]

Our son had a great experience at Rice, where he majored in mechanical engineering. He chose Rice because he wanted a school that wasn't focused only on STEM (so he has friends who majored in music, English, architecture, etc.) He considered liberal arts colleges with 3-2 programs, but several engineers counseled him that those programs might not provide the research and team experiences that "make an engineer an engineer". Indeed, he looks back at his research work at Rice as the most important aspect of his engineering education. Rice is located next-door to the Texas Medical Center, one of -- if not the -- largest concentration of hospitals and medical research facilities in the world. As a result, even undergrads have abundant research opportunities.

Socially, Rice's residential college system makes it a great choice for students who want a fun social scene without fraternities and sororities. Rice has a beautiful tree-lined campus, yet is located in a vibrant urban area. Houston is the 4th-largest and the most diverse city in America, with thriving arts and culture, fabulous restaurants, and pro sports. Rice students are friendly, smart and ambitious, but not elbows-out competitive. Kids who are seeking an intense, yet more collaborative academic culture will love Rice.

[Anonymous]

Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

+1

Baffles me why people don't consider in-state schools (UMD, VT) more for engineering. UMD CS is great. For VT, it seems like parents/kids look at the admin rate and don't think it's prestigious. VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

your answer isn't helpful because:

a) Some schools weed people out so getting in is just half the battle. Why do that?
b) Kids can get merit aid at OOS flagships and make the cost comparable. They don't even have to be tippy top students.
c) Not everyone can get into their own state's flagship.

Glad your son is so special that he can get a PhD from MIT. Truly happy for you that he is so talented. Who needs advice if their kid is the top of the class? It is the rest of us that are looking for more varied opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

+1

Baffles me why people don't consider in-state schools (UMD, VT) more for engineering. UMD CS is great. For VT, it seems like parents/kids look at the admin rate and don't think it's prestigious. VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into.

1. Because "VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into" and then weeds people out. Maybe that isn't what works for your kid/family.
2. Maybe your kid would rather not be in Appalachia, but in a city. Maybe it doesn't cost that much more (after merit and financial aid) to pay for that.

Have an open mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you said no super urban places, but I’ve been really impressed with Stevens Institute of Technology in NJ.

My take was she wanted nothing as "urban" as Manhattan. That's what my kid said when he said "no urban" - he ended up at a city school in a more mellow city. The girl liked MIT, which is certainly urban.

We were also impressed with Stevens, although didn't want him so close to family (that's not Stevens' fault)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

your answer isn't helpful because:

a) Some schools weed people out so getting in is just half the battle. Why do that?
b) Kids can get merit aid at OOS flagships and make the cost comparable. They don't even have to be tippy top students.
c) Not everyone can get into their own state's flagship.

Glad your son is so special that he can get a PhD from MIT. Truly happy for you that he is so talented. Who needs advice if their kid is the top of the class? It is the rest of us that are looking for more varied opportunities.

a. getting in not half the battle. if you have hard time getting in, eng is not for you
b. instate cost about 25k, OOS cost about 45k/privates cost 65K or so. tell me which school given that much merit for middle of the pack students
c. see a.

[Anonymous]

1. Because "VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into" and then weeds people out. Maybe that isn't what works for your kid/family.

I graduated from VT (BS CpE). In my experience, those who were weeded out, weren't going to be engineers in the first place. I hear the "weed out" sound bite a lot, but I just didn't feel that way (and I wasn't a top student). If you like engineering and "should" be in that field, you'll be fine. I had friends change majors because they realized they didn't like engineering. I never had any friends not get into their desired engineering major unless they just didn't study. Some of the kids I saw fail out were the ones that played games in their dorm room all day or partied more than should have.

[Anonymous]

your answer isn't helpful because:

a) Some schools weed people out so getting in is just half the battle. Why do that?
b) Kids can get merit aid at OOS flagships and make the cost comparable. They don't even have to be tippy top students.
c) Not everyone can get into their own state's flagship.

Glad your son is so special that he can get a PhD from MIT. Truly happy for you that he is so talented. Who needs advice if their kid is the top of the class? It is the rest of us that are looking for more varied opportunities.

Pitt is a good alternative for eng majors having a tough time getting in to state schools Generous with merit aid as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

+1

Baffles me why people don't consider in-state schools (UMD, VT) more for engineering. UMD CS is great. For VT, it seems like parents/kids look at the admin rate and don't think it's prestigious. VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

+1

Baffles me why people don't consider in-state schools (UMD, VT) more for engineering. UMD CS is great. For VT, it seems like parents/kids look at the admin rate and don't think it's prestigious. VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into.

+1

+1. I have an open mind but not open checkbook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

your answer isn't helpful because:

a) Some schools weed people out so getting in is just half the battle. Why do that?
b) Kids can get merit aid at OOS flagships and make the cost comparable. They don't even have to be tippy top students.
c) Not everyone can get into their own state's flagship.

Glad your son is so special that he can get a PhD from MIT. Truly happy for you that he is so talented. Who needs advice if their kid is the top of the class? It is the rest of us that are looking for more varied opportunities.

Pitt is a good alternative for eng majors having a tough time getting in to state schools Generous with merit aid as well.

Pitt engineering might be easier to get into than UMD or VT but the merit aid is nowhere near enough to bring it down to an in-state cost, even for the top students. Certainly a student who would get denied for engineering at UMD or VT isn't going to get much if any merit aid at Pitt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which is your instate? I think it’s crazy to pay OOS cost for engineering majors. If MD, go to UMD. If VA, try VTech. If he is interested in research, bigger schools offer more research opportunities. Research exp is also necessary if he wants to get PHD at some point. I am an engineer and my son got his bs from UMD then PHD from MIT. Just as a reference.

+1

Baffles me why people don't consider in-state schools (UMD, VT) more for engineering. UMD CS is great. For VT, it seems like parents/kids look at the admin rate and don't think it's prestigious. VT COE has gotten very difficult to get into.

+1

Of course our kids consider in-state schools for engineering. My DC applied to 10 schools, 2 in VA (VT and UVA). But my kid is looking for biomedical engineering - VT, doesn't have an undergraduate major in BME. UVA has a great program but at $38k/year in-state, we were going to shop around. Merit aid at several privates and even publics got close to UVA's tuition and fees.

Also, UVA and VT are huge schools. There are wonderful smaller schools that appealed to my DC.