Good ideas listed. If this is MoCo W school, that GPA will miss at UMDCP, but is probably solid for UMBC. RIT hasn't been mentioned yet. Good option.

The profile is excellent but it’s engineering and let’s just say that he will be competing with kids who make up a ton of BS. One recent UCLA admit in our school is running around bragging how he listed he is CEO of a start up with investors but it’s really only a GitHub page and the investors are relatives. The scam has worked for others in his large extended family. Hundreds of volunteer hours that are made up and a hardship story that is also BS. My favorite is he lied about spending hours volunteering for the Harris campaign while in reality he wears a MAGA hat. He thinks he is brilliant for hustling his way into UCLA.

So my advice is to either -
Lie, cheat, fake it till you make it.
If you are too ethical for that, shotgun approach. Ignore up to T30 unless you don’t mind the app fee but send as many as you can to T50-T150 schools that have engineering.

Rose hullman, WPI, RPI, state flagships outside of the top 20 for engineering. You’ll be fine.

He'll get accepted at less competitive schools, which is most of them, and will be fine. He can always transfer to somewhere more prestigious or competitive if he puts the work into his first year or two.

My friend is sending her kid to Marquette and he is doing great there and has had luck with internships.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t sell your kid short. GA Tech is a reach for most, but your kid may have a shot there.

Your kid would also have a shot at Purdue, in fact I would any public with those grades is a possibility. MIT, the Ivies and a few other privates might be tough but at every other school will be competitive. Don’t’ worry about ECs, they are overrated unless you want MIT

Don’t sell your kid short. GA Tech is a reach for most, but your kid may have a shot there.

Some ideas:

Target: U Rochester, Lehigh

Safeties: regional state universities. For privates, something like Gonzaga

Rolling admission school that can give an early acceptance and thus become a safety once that happens: Colorado School of Mines

Michigan State

Plus look at smaller engineering schools for cultural fit.

I will be looking at these for my kid soon.

Names on my mind to investigate fit...CWRU (family ties), Rose-Hulman, Drexel, Olin, WPI.

Should probably be looking to start at a community college with those low stats.

A couple safeties with Engineering (&ABET accreditation) all in PA
Elizabethtown College
Saint Vincent College
York College of PA

Anonymous wrote:I'm hoping to get some advice from those of you who just went through the application cycle. My kid is a rising junior, so I know this is early but I think over the next year I need to set expectations for what's realistic and start directing him to look at possible schools. I'd love advice about possible schools to look at -- I think any region, any type of school (big, small) would work. Not hugely into basketball or football or the big party scene, so I'd say none of that is a draw, but also wouldn't bother him.
White male, MCPS. SAT between 1500 and 1550, GPA between 3.5/3.6UW, 4.4/4.5W, all Honors and APs with 10 APs through Junior year including Physics, Chem, Calc BC, Java. Extracurriculars are pretty ordinary -- has stuff he does, but no national awards or anything exciting.
What might be some safeties, targets, reaches?

I am reading your post and am annoyed and cannot tell if you are trolling. This profile is excellent and stop with the humble brag. Your kid is motivated and will let you know.

State flagships and Pitt are a good start.

Lol

I'm hoping to get some advice from those of you who just went through the application cycle. My kid is a rising junior, so I know this is early but I think over the next year I need to set expectations for what's realistic and start directing him to look at possible schools. I'd love advice about possible schools to look at -- I think any region, any type of school (big, small) would work. Not hugely into basketball or football or the big party scene, so I'd say none of that is a draw, but also wouldn't bother him.
White male, MCPS. SAT between 1500 and 1550, GPA between 3.5/3.6UW, 4.4/4.5W, all Honors and APs with 10 APs through Junior year including Physics, Chem, Calc BC, Java. Extracurriculars are pretty ordinary -- has stuff he does, but no national awards or anything exciting.
What might be some safeties, targets, reaches?