Time to start thinking about college

[Annie7]

One piece of advice I'd give is don't discount a private school thinking you can't afford it. They might give more aid than public schools. Most schools have a net price calculator which will tell you what the expected contribution will be from you (sometimes less than what FAFSA says). Do that for the schools you/son wants to apply to.

Regarding how many of each - reach, target and safety - as tractor said, not just the fees, but the essays add up too. So, do a couple of reach, a couple of target and a couple of safety at most.

Early decision is binding, so choose carefully. Early action is not binding. If doing early decision/action, you can probably wait until you hear back to apply to the other schools. Most early results come in around Dec 15-20th and the deadline for regular applications is Jan 1st.

My ODS did early action to a reach/target school + 2 safety schools + 2 reach/target schools. He got into his early, safeties and one of the reach/target. The 2nd reach/target waitlisted him. He went with his early action school.

My YDS did early decision to a reach/target school and 1 safety school (state college) and got into both. He went with the early decision school. He was waiting to apply to the other schools and would have done it if he didn't get into his early.

Good luck.

[alabamagal]

I think it is fine to apply to just a few. Unless you are applying to super competitive schools, you can pretty much figure which one you will get into. With your sons high ACT scores he will likely get into #2 school and probably #1. I wouldn’t apply to Purdue or Va Tech - they are state schools and likely to be very expensive. Huntsville is state that has good out of state scholarships guaranteed based on test scores - my DD did that at a different AL school.

We had a pretty good preference for in state schools since my kids would get free tuition. Oldest DD applied to competitive state school (accepted), AL state school (accepted with full tuition scholarship), top level private school (rejected) and mid level private, which gave her 75% tuition which was her favorite. But when we reviewed cost she chose AL school that had better program for her major than the GA school, and was also closer to our GA home.

ODS didn’t know what he wanted to study. He applied to same AL school as DD and 2nd level GA state school. He would likely have got in to top level school, but I was worried about him going to competitor school with his unfocus and immaturity. He got good grades first year then chose his life path and hadn’t looked back since!

Youngest applied to 3 state schools. He got deferred admission at GA Tech due to my alumni status, counselor screwed up his application to main university and he got into same school his brother was at, went 2 years then transferred to top state school.

I think 3 or 4 is plenty. All 3 of my kids had nearly identical SAT scores, gpas and high school activities and had 3 applying in 4 years, so we knew what to expect especially with #2 and #3

[Deleted]

#2 is a slam dunk. When we were there last week they said he was in the 90th percentile when compared to last years accepted applicants.

#1 I don't know. We haven't talked to anyone there yet. The admission calculators online that give your odds have him in the running, but that's based on overall admission statistics. The specific college is much more competitive.

Looking into Milwaukee School of Engineering too.  He has a good shot of getting in and they give out a lot of aid, but I'm a little worried about him still trying to find his path.  I could totally see him deciding he wanted to go the route of Chemistry or something instead, so we're trying to stick with schools that aren't so focused. 

[stillmovingforward]

Engineering rocks! And there are lots of different kinds of engineering in case he changes his mind.

[alabamagal]

If he is unsure of major or you think he might change is to at least get him to a place he has options.

My DS who had “no idea” what he wanted to major in, I told him that freshman year he had to take calculus. I secretly hoped he would go into engineering, but he decided to be an actuary, majored in finance and economics with all his electives in math. He also worked with career counselors at the school which helped him focus - they told him the same things I did, but kids don’t always listen to mom.

[Deleted]

He's not "no idea", but it's a pretty broad idea. 6 months ago he wanted electrical engineering after realizing he probably wouldn't get in an aerospace engineering program, then he started talking chemical engineering recently, and while on the tour the tour guide mentioned they have an engineering physics program and his ears perked up at that even though he has no idea what they do. I'm not convinced he'll even stay in engineering at all,  but if he bails it will be for a science major as that's where all his interest/natural ability lies. He just picked engineering for practical reasons. I told him if he starts in engineering it will be easy to switch to something else later, but not the other way around. His first year of engineering is pretty much just Calc, chemistry and Physics.

Both his #1 and #2 choice have tons of options in engineering and science.  

[countrygirl2]

Son, finished years ago, he did not go to school out of high school was out of the army for years.  Had an associates at that time from their accredited schools, finished from there so called correspondence schools, all paid for as he went along.  He waited to long to get his masters paid for. 

Kid makes 6 figures and has for some time.  No top tier school, one of the considered not so good colleges to a lot of people, no debt, he said he really had to bust his butt though. He made excellent grades.  So I'm not sure about mortgaging your soul.  His BIL same route, just finished his masters, retired military, making a bunch of bucks too.  If you measure in dollars guess they have both done ok as have many of their friends.  Must be the military industrial complex route.

[countrygirl2]

My friends daughter took chemical engineering, she is brainy, has not had any problems finding jobs. I think she is in Minnesota now.  But she has a DD from a one and only marriage with major issues.  She is 19 I think, my friend has to go stay with her when mom travels.  Not sure how she will handle it when mom can no longer do it, she is getting old like me.  But its a great career with great money.  She had to finance all her degree herself, been out quite a few years, not sure how far she has paid down her debt.  She had work help her for awhile, went to a 2 year college for some of it, then finished up at a university.  It had not hindered her getting jobs, I think she has finally found a place she really likes, believe this is her 3rd place of employment.

[countrygirl2]

Maybe they could both have made a lot more money if they went to top tier schools, but I think they are both doing great. I would imagine graduating from one should put you on a fast track or faster track for your working life.

[tractor]

I will jump on the bandwagon here. My oldest graduates this week with a dual degree in Physics and Astrophysics from the University of Michigan. He has a very advanced analytical mind, but no clue what he wants to do, planning on mission work until he figures it out.

Boy #2 is just finishing up his first year in Mechanical Engineering. Did average for his first year at a very tough school (50% drop out rate after the first year). He has had several offers for summer work, which will only increase with time. Engineers are in high demand and if the kids can make it through the first year or two, they usually are well on their way to a successful career. Now if we could only figure out how to get extroverts interested in engineering..,,

[Deleted]

I appreciate the input.  I don't really have anyone in real life to discuss this with so I'm constantly second guessing my choices.  Most of my family thinks he should just go to the local school and live at home while working somewhere in town so they won't even entertain the idea about out of town options.  No doubt there are lot of advantages to that route, but I think he needs to leave the nest or I'll be constantly micromanaging him.  

[TheOtherMe]

That alone is an excellent reason for him to go away for college.  His classmates and friends will be making similar mistakes right along with him, many of which you won't find out about.

He will learn to problem solve for himself.

[Deleted]

He's so easy to do it with too. He's the most compliant kid ever. Even school choice is "whatever you think is best mom". I don't want him in my basement forever!

[stillmovingforward]

Aerospace engineering is not hard! So encourage him to go for it. He can also do mechanical and then get a job in aerospace. Guess what field I'm in 😁? We can't get enough good engineers out here.

[stillmovingforward]

Tractor- extroverts with engineering degrees are called manufacturing engineers. They have to be extroverts!

[Deleted]

He would love to do aerospace.  The problem is only one school in the state offers it and it's really hard to get into, but he's going to try.  That's why he's considering Huntsville.  Aerospace, right by NASA (his dream employer), and potentially free tuition. 

I told him if he doesn't get into U of M - Twin Cities he can start in Duluth and maybe transfer in a couple years if he still wants that program.  It would probably be easier to transfer from one campus to another than to get in as a freshman.  Either way his diploma is going to say University of Minnesota. 

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2019 9:41:05 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Tractor- extroverts with engineering degrees are called manufacturing engineers. They have to be extroverts!

Then DS can't do that. 

[stillmovingforward]

Manufacturing engineers translate other engineering speak into normal words😂. Aerospace or mechanical will be fine. NASA will hire mechanical. And also look for general defense companies. We do cool stuff too. Like SpaceEx

[Deleted]

SpaceX is a dream of his too.  Anything to do with space exploration, rockets, or he'll settle for just a job that designs planes for flying on earth.

We looked at the NASA job descriptions and they hire from every engineering field.  I told him they probably needed chemical engineers for the rocket fuel.  

[stillmovingforward]

Remember this in 3 years when he's a junior..... I'll have an internship waiting..... we do cool stuff here.

[alabamagal]

I think many kids can benefit from going away to college (take away my YM card for that!).

For my kid that had “no clue” and struggled with maturity and life skills, I think he really prospered being sent away to college. We gave him 50/50 chance of surviving the first year of college. He really found his way in college, got decent grades (A and B), found his focus, started getting all As after that, and has really found his way in life. Of course he could have ended up in our basement!

I think the local community college option works for some, but for kids who have a lot of ability and need to find themselves, forcing them to grow up may work (or could fail miserably).

[TheOtherMe]

If I could go back 50 years, I would have gone away to college before grad school.

I did not grow up and become my own person until being 700 miles from home before cell phones forced me to.  That was the best decision I ever made.  

Wish I could have seen it as an undergrad.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2019 17:56:08 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Remember this in 3 years when he's a junior..... I'll have an internship waiting..... we do cool stuff here.

I'm totally putting a reminder in my calendar.  

[tractor]

Apr 24, 2019 17:56:08 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Remember this in 3 years when he's a junior..... I'll have an internship waiting..... we do cool stuff here.

So you want someone after their junior year? I might reach out when my mechanical engineer reaches that point (in two years) 🙂

[sheilaincali]

www.udayton.edu/engineering/departments/mechanical_and_aerospace/index.php

MPL- I can not say enough good things about University of Dayton.  The Boy loves it there.  He's a computer engineering major but they have an aerospace program too. They are located near Wright Patterson AFB and do a lot of joint work with them.  Their merit aid scholarships and grants are VERY generous.

DS ended up with over $100,000 in merit aid. Annually our out of pocket is around $20,000 which is pretty much what it would cost for me to send DS to MSU, Mankato if he were living in the dorms.

If you have any questions let me know.

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2019 11:19:35 GMT -5 sheilaincali said:

www.udayton.edu/engineering/departments/mechanical_and_aerospace/index.php

MPL- I can not say enough good things about University of Dayton.  The Boy loves it there.  He's a computer engineering major but they have an aerospace program too. They are located near Wright Patterson AFB and do a lot of joint work with them.  Their merit aid scholarships and grants are VERY generous.

DS ended up with over $100,000 in merit aid. Annually our out of pocket is around $20,000 which is pretty much what it would cost for me to send DS to MSU, Mankato if he were living in the dorms.

If you have any questions let me know.

Well, they use the Common Application and don't charge an application fee, so it would be easy to apply. 

How did you come to choose that school?  There are just so many out there that I'm overwhelmed.  DS doesn't even know where to start.  I figured I'd do the initial work and then give him a much smaller list to look into himself.   Ultimately, he has to choose.  I will not make the final decision, but I'll only let him pick from ones we can afford.

I ran the Net Price Calculator on University of Dayton and it has us at 26K/year with 17K/year being merit aid and 16K need based.  My HOPE is to stay around 15K Net price, so it's a little steep for us, but they had like 8 questions on their calculator so I'm not sure how accurate it is.  I do like that they guarantee their scholarship for 4 years.  I've been hearing horror stories of private schools offering large scholarships to incoming freshman and then cutting them way back after that. 

[sheilaincali]

My husband's aunt lives in Dayton. I had posted our summer college tour schedule on FB and Anita commented and said "come tour UD, you'll love it. I'm friends with the Dean of the Engineering Department". We figured "eh, what the heck". Over the two years of college tours he toured/interviewed at: University of Manitoba, University of Winnepeg, Washington University (St Louis), Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Carnegie Melon, UD and Case Western in Cleveland.

About 5 minutes into the UD thing the Hubs and I were hooked. 10 minutes into the tour DS turned to us and said "This is it. This is where I'm going". Haven't regretted it for a minute.

They lock the price in for four years- if tuition goes up, your aid goes up to compensate for it. The merit aid is spread out evenly over all four years. They offer housing all four years- DS was in a dorm freshman year, a town house last year and a bigger townhouse this year. Next year he wants off campus so he's looking for apartments.

They are pretty clear with the grant levels- it's based a lot on test scores and GPA's. It's tiered out with ranges- like 3.8 to 4.0 GPA and an ACT of 32+ = $xx,xxx.  GPA of 3.4 to 3.79 and an ACT of 28+ = $x,xxx.  Stephen was the highest tier.  We qualify for very little financial aid- like $5,000 or so a year. Otherwise everything else is his merit aid. Paying full R&B we are at around $20,000 a year. With him in an apartment off campus we'll cut $10,000 off that UD bill but his half of rent will run us around $5,000 a year. So we'd be at $15,000 out of pocket next year.

The research grant he's working under (AI for the military) is paying for grad school at UD (we just found that out). He's got friends in a few of the different engineering disciplines.  They've all lined up really solid internships and job opportunities so far.

There's also a direct flight via Delta from Dayton to Mlps or it's about a 12 hour drive.

[oped]

$5k his part of the rent ... why did my boy choose city. Sigh.

[sheilaincali]

For a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment DS is looking at his half being $450 per month. So $5,400 for the 12 months. He'll be there all summer building robots for the government so he needed housing. He decided he'd rather be off campus. His roommate next year is also a Comp E major and has an internship in Dayton. For grad school his current roommate wants to move in for that. Current roomie thinks he wants to live in party central next year to maximize his college experience. DS is of the eff that school of thought and wants no part of that.

[Deleted]

The difference in cost in housing between schools is crazy.  I'm finding I have to look at that more than tuition.