Engineering?

[Anonymous]

Boy, this got off-track quickly. Back to the OP's question, I have relatives that got engineering degrees at Union College in upstate New York and Bucknell in Pennsylania. All of them loved their college experiences and went on to very prestigious engineering PhD programs. Good luck to your son!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

I said mine played 3 sports, not everyone. 3 is probably not common but certainly 1-2 are very common. Most of the kids at my Ivy played at least 1 varsity sport in high school, most more than 1, and were probably team captains. But the point is that there are plenty of kids who are smart and athletic. OPs son should not feel like an outcast because he is a smart football player, nor should he think that it will help him stand out from the crowd in college applications.

Well since he is not at an Ivy (yet) he is in a school where it is probably <1% of the kids that play Varsity sports and plan to go to a highly competitive Engineering program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

Yes, and there are many kids who don't even go to college. What's your point?

For the students at my DD's school who were at the top of the class, many of them were also decent athletes with at least one varsity letter. Many had two, a few had three. There were also other athletes who weren't at the top of the class, but if you are talking about a certain population -- students applying to competitive colleges -- then, yes, many of them were also athletes.

Anyway...

[Anonymous]

OP - is he specifically interested in aerospace engineering?

[Anonymous]

I'd have him look at:
GA Tech
Purdue
UT Austin
UC Boulder
Texas A&M
RPI
Notre Dame
UW
Michigan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

Yes, and there are many kids who don't even go to college. What's your point?

For the students at my DD's school who were at the top of the class, many of them were also decent athletes with at least one varsity letter. Many had two, a few had three. There were also other athletes who weren't at the top of the class, but if you are talking about a certain population -- students applying to competitive colleges -- then, yes, many of them were also athletes.

Anyway...

#worsthumblebragever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

Yes, and there are many kids who don't even go to college. What's your point?

For the students at my DD's school who were at the top of the class, many of them were also decent athletes with at least one varsity letter. Many had two, a few had three. There were also other athletes who weren't at the top of the class, but if you are talking about a certain population -- students applying to competitive colleges -- then, yes, many of them were also athletes.

Anyway...

#worsthumblebragever

#insecure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

Yes, and there are many kids who don't even go to college. What's your point?

For the students at my DD's school who were at the top of the class, many of them were also decent athletes with at least one varsity letter. Many had two, a few had three. There were also other athletes who weren't at the top of the class, but if you are talking about a certain population -- students applying to competitive colleges -- then, yes, many of them were also athletes.

Anyway...

#worsthumblebragever

#insecure

#lowEQ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NASA in DC offers internships w UMD. He is very interested in that. We love UMD but don't want DC to be solely focused on one school.
And yes, our family is very diverse. That being said, my son has definitely felt discriminated against in some of his AP classes. That is what he bases his thoughts on. His classmates actually call him a stupid white football player. That offends our family.
He buys into what these super intelligent kids tell him constantly.. Yes it is ignorant, he's been listening to it for years.

Really confused about the white football player thing. Given the demographics of the country aren't the majority of high school football players white? Think Indiana, Ohio, etc. At our MCPS high school the majority of the football players are white, and are in the same AP classes as the soccer players, band members, etc. You need to expand his world view a bit because if he says something like this in an interview he may offend, or puzzle, the interviewer.

Not OP...

I do think it is rare to be smart and athletic. My son is smart and athletic and he gets the "dumb jock" comments all the time, the assumption is that he is stupid or does not take school seriously. I do think that if you have a 4 year Varsity starter with the same stats as somebody that did not play sports, the colleges know that is a huge commitment and to be able to handle both is a star in the positives column.

I don't think it's that rare and the OPs kid needs to get the chip off his shoulder. My DC played 3 varsity sports in high school, and nearly all of his friends were stars of the soccer, basketball, baseball, track, and yes even the football team. They were all in AP classes and are now at Ivy League or other top colleges (most not playing sports, because that's not what they wanted to do long term). Now I do think that athletes at the top D1 programs are selected for their athletic talents and not their academic strength, but that's a tiny fraction of high school athletes.

OP you need to encourage your DS to start speaking up in class a bit more and have some confidence. That will help him in college and beyond. It will also help him get a good teacher recommendation for colleges. Engineering is super competitive and with his profile he will need a good recommendation.

You think it is common to play 3 varsity sports and to go to an Ivy League school?

Not PP, but most of the Ivy Leaguers I know did play at least 2 varsity sports, if not 3. I don't think they lettered all 4 years of HS in all sports though. And also had tons of other activities of course - music, organizations, etc.

The question is do you think that is common? Is it common in your child's HS that many children have 3 Varsity sports and go to an Ivy League school? What percentage of kids from your child's HS are Varsity Players that are going on to very competitive Engineering programs?

Among my DD's friends - yes, it seemed common. But out of those only a handful (incl. my DD) went into engineering. Most were liberal arts, pre-med, etc. And most didn't play a varsity-level sport in college - just club/intramural.

Compared to the general population, you're right - "Ivy League athletes" are not common, but out of those going to competitive schools almost all were also strong athletes. Seems part of the typical profile.

So >50% of the class, or even 20% of the class were Varsity athletes going to competitive schools? No. They are not. This is the "W" affect, where people can't see the reality in the world. In reality, outside your tiny bubble, it is not common to be both a Varsity athlete and at the top of your class.

Yes, and there are many kids who don't even go to college. What's your point?

For the students at my DD's school who were at the top of the class, many of them were also decent athletes with at least one varsity letter. Many had two, a few had three. There were also other athletes who weren't at the top of the class, but if you are talking about a certain population -- students applying to competitive colleges -- then, yes, many of them were also athletes.

Anyway...

#worsthumblebragever

#insecure

#lowEQ

#whyareweusinghashtags
#hashtagsarestupid
#lowEQ>lowIQ

[Anonymous]

Lehigh or Lafayette - both have great engineering and STEM and just played each other at Yankee Stadium with 48,000 alumni in attendance. (These are small schools). Tell him to check out footage from the NYC celebrations.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input! His list so far as of now: UMD Purdue Michigan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the input! His list so far as of now: UMD Purdue Michigan

Good list. Michigan will be a stretch with the GPA/scores. His profile is a bit below the overall admission profile and the engineering school is much more competitive (as is OOS).

[Anonymous]

That is definitely his reach school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boy, this got off-track quickly. Back to the OP's question, I have relatives that got engineering degrees at Union College in upstate New York and Bucknell in Pennsylania. All of them loved their college experiences and went on to very prestigious engineering PhD programs. Good luck to your son!

slight s/o here: What do people with engineering PhDs do besides teach? (I'm curious b/c 2 of my kids will be getting BS degrees in engineering, so DH and I -- both history majors -- are trying to educate ourselves about this profession.)