Engineering/CS at a LAC

[Anonymous]

DD is a rising senior. She is interested in Engineering and CS but she loves LAC’s.

Stats are good but not great (1440 SAT, 4.4 W GPA). Any suggestions. Please indicate whether it would be a safety, target, or reach.

[Anonymous]

Lots of LAC have 3 -2 programs. 3 years at the LAC and then move to 2 years at a school with the engineering degree. The flaw is often times kids do not want to transfer and change majors.

[Anonymous]

Bucknell, Lafayette, Union. All pricy but good.

[Anonymous]

Mudd obviously. But it would be a reach.

[Anonymous]

Smith. Probably a reach with the SAT?

[Anonymous]

CS much easier to find at LACs than engineering, obviously. I’d be wary of 3-2 programs. Everything I’ve read indicates that vanishingly few students choose these options. It’s hard to just up and leave your whole friend group and go somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mudd obviously. But it would be a reach.

No chance. Way below the 25th percentile score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mudd obviously. But it would be a reach.

No chance. Way below the 25th percentile score.

A lot of schools are test optional this year.

[Anonymous]

Lehigh, Bucknell, Lafayette, all solid accredited programs with a smaller LAC feel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smith. Probably a reach with the SAT?

I don’t believe that Smith has engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lehigh, Bucknell, Lafayette, all solid accredited programs with a smaller LAC feel

+1

Also, Trinity College in Hartford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lehigh, Bucknell, Lafayette, all solid accredited programs with a smaller LAC feel

+1

Also, Trinity College in Hartford.

And she should be a match at all of these schools

[Anonymous]

My DD also constrained her list to Engineering/CS with liberal arts. Had Robotics/CS/etc. in HS and wanted to ensure she had Engineering as an option. As others have posted and I'm sure you've found elsewhere, LAC with Engineering is nearly non-existent. Because the list of LAC/Engineering schools was so small, DD ended up expanding her list to include smaller universities - RPI/Leigh/CWRU/... That still ended up a fairly constrained list...

In the end, DD ended up in CS/Math - NOT Engineering. Had she started with CS/Math, there are a LOT more LAC options.

If your DD decides that it'd be OK to forego Engineering, I'd suggest starting with the NSF Doctoral feeders list... https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/

For Engineering and LAC, google "abet accredited LAC" - There are several good conversations about LACs with Engineering/3+2/Physics Major with MS Engineering & a small number of additional LACs with engineering or engineering LACs that haven't been discussed yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith. Probably a reach with the SAT?

I don’t believe that Smith has engineering.

It does.

[Anonymous]

Dumb to attend a LAC for Eng/CS.