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^^I would add to toobusytoday's post-the OPs kid thought the University of Denver was too urban; I can just imagine what he'd think of Boston! DU does have a great business school.
Maybe we should look at DU again. He saw that school with his Dad and I didn't get much feedback on it. They didn't really spend much time there - just a quick walk through. We then went to Boulder the next day and did a more formal full day tour of that school. Maybe he just meant DU was more urban as compared to Boulder.
Based on this I really think you should focus on Boston schools. Not sure if he is MIT material (no offense but it's one of the best schools in the country and very hard to get into) but Northeastern has a co-op as does Wentworth. Boston University and Tufts are excellent schools too.
If you come out to Boston to visit you could easily make the trip worthwhile and visit a few out of state campuses (RI, CT, or NH aren't far).
But based on what you describe he is looking for and hoping to get out of a college I feel any of the Boston schools would give him a competitive edge. Go anywhere in the country and chances are an employer has heard of MIT, Northeastern, or BU. would give the "networking" advantage and also a solid education
Thanks for the suggestions... We plan on taking a college road trip to Boston. We will also bring my younger freshman daughter who is really interested in several schools in that area - she is more the MIT material - lol. And Bruins - she's a hockey player. She has already researched MIT and knows they have a women's club team.
I would wholeheartedly agree with Wentworth except for two things - it's a very gritty urban environment and a real liberal vibe. Boston area colleges are also super urban. This kid liked PSU and Boulder. I don't think you could get much more different. They're also REALLY expensive. My son was accepted to Wentworth and was offered so little merit aid that it dropped off the list so fast that it didn't make it into the final six.
I will put in a plug for CSU in Ft. Collins. We took a mini-tour there when we were visiting family. Beautiful campus, nice location and the engineering is probably just as good as University of Colorado. Price is reasonable too: Colorado State University | Best Engineering School | US News
Will check out Ft. Collins. You're right about him not wanting too urban or liberal. Maybe he has spent too much time in the gritty parts. It's interesting because my daughter really prefers a big city school environment.
Michigan State - DS liked this school. He liked their programs (esp. business school which is well-ranked). He liked the vibe - students/staff seemed very friendly and laid back/down-to-earth. Liked it has lots of student activities, Big 10 sports, football stadium on campus. He liked the weather here (cold and snowy) and the campus green space. The GPA/test scores are lower than other schools in his range, so he considers this a "safety school."
Purdue - This school felt a bit too urban, crowded and fast-paced/competitive for him, but boy were we impressed by the academic programs/research being done here in engineering/STEM. Might think about this school for another child, who is a better personality/academic fit. Also, the student recreation center is very impressive. So many activities and intramural sports, which he loved. Lots of campus spirit/activity, reasonably sized dorms, some cool historic buildings, lots of food/meal plan options, huge lecture classes (biggest I've seen), not enough green space, surrounding town was unappealing to him.
University of Illinois - Visited it again and still no interest for similar reasons as Purdue - too urban and crowded. Also, it is in the state of Illinois.
Valparaiso - Another school I was very impressed by, but DS thinks this school is too small for him and he doesn't like the location. Really impressed by engineering (toured the labs) and business programs, foreign study, internship/job placement. He was impressed by the students and staff we met - lots of student support/individual attention due to its smaller size. There is also a very high bang-for-the-buck here (ratio between school costs and higher starting salaries - I think it ranks very high on this). Also, this school seems to be really expanding - lots of new construction going on with strong endowment. If only I had a child who liked a smaller school environment...
So his updated college list:
- U of Colorado
- Penn State
- Michigan State
Will report on upcoming college visits. Planning trips east and northwest..
Always open to feedback!
Thanks for the update! Have to say though- never heard of anyone calling the U of I 'urban'! LOL.
LOL - you're right. I think when he says "too urban" he really means - school is within a few hours drive of my home in Chicago and that's too close. (I think he also said Valparaiso was "too urban" - lol). We are urging him to keep an open mind.
Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO is a great engineering school. I have several friends that go to Mines and love it. If he's into skiing/winter stuff, then Colorado is a great place to be with several decent college options.
Penn State is known as a top notch school, especially in engineering. As good as it gets in engineering.
BUt, if I am an 18 year old living in Illinois, I would just go to Uni of Illinois or another public college in-state to avoid the extra travel time, and to save my parents money. in my view, these colleges are all similar so why pay twice as much or more for the same thing.
the rankings done by US News are by people who majored in liberal arts programs who don't know anything about engineering. Employers that hire engineers love Penn State.
I have to agree with this. We did visit some State U's but when it came down to the cost to go out of state vs. in-state, there really wasn't a reason to seriously consider OOS. Go private, or go instate.
Last edited by toobusytoday; 11-03-2016 at 07:41 PM..
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for similar reasons as Purdue - too urban and crowded. Also, it is in the state of Illinois.
