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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]For anyone with experience with their kids at honors programs, is it a way for incoming freshman to make friends? My very introverted ASD DD wants to go to a big state school for engineering and I am nervous that it will be too big or overwhelming for her socially. [/quote]

My honest assessment is that you can't know that ahead of time.

I was a female liberal arts student in PSUs (much more prestigious now) Honors College during my freshman year long ago.  I had a manic depressive roommate who was struggling/flunking (also liberal arts).  We had dorm safety problems (dorm not locked until late at night, co-ed dorm).  I couldn't get out of my roommate assignment.  The program was dominated by male engineers and they were super nerdy.  Calculator speed races, a guy who regularly carried brine shrimp in a gallon jar down to the student lounge as a conversation starter, and a bunch of awful people taking a "Purity Test" quiz are a couple highlights.  I transferred out.  Told this story so many times people on here recognize me and one of them told me they were tired of hearing me tell it.  I do hear that after my time, the program was diversified and better balanced away from Engineering.  Just too late for me.

With a female engineer, I'd look for a program where there is a good-sized contingent of women.

I'd also look into living-learning communities.

Also look into the nature of engineering project teams (for co-ed friendship opportunities) and the SWE (Society of Women Engineers) activities.

Be careful and honest about filling out roommate questionnaires.  (I was blind assigned within the population of Honors College women.  The only person's room I could have swapped into was a girl whose roommate moved out because the person would invite dates back to have sex in the room and the roommate woke up to that a couple times.)

If it helps, I know many women who have graduated from the University of Michigan Engineering college and 100% recommend the ones I know.  Nice, grounded, smart people.  But it is a big school.

With respect to small schools, I have heard good things about Kettering University and Rose-Hulman for ND students.  I've also read some chatter about Olin being very female-friendly.

I work with women who graduated from Kettering. It seems to be a small tight-knit community.  There is a fraternity/sorority scenes but it's non-traditional and not exclusive.  Kettering is co-op-oriented so grads are highly employable.  The most common majors are mechanical engineering and business.  Business is the only non-STEM major.  It's a little similar to Drexel Engineering.  It's a feeder to the auto industry.  Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, attended Kettering in an earlier school name format.[/quote]

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