Need some help from Forum members...
Perfect Doaughter Deanna is getting to the point of choosing a college to attend after she graduates from high school. She will be attending on a 100 percent scholarship. Although we aren't asking y'all to make the decision for her, we'd like to get your thoughts and recommendations regarding the following schools:
Columbia - Fu Foundation School of Engineering
Annapolis
Brown University
Johns Hopkins
She intends to get her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. She has aspired to Annapolis in order to become a fighter pilot, but I have prevailed upon her to consider other schools.
So please let us know.
Thank you.
Doug & Deanna
Columbia - Fu Foundation School of Engineering
Annapolis
Brown University
Johns Hopkins
She intends to get her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. She has aspired to Annapolis in order to become a fighter pilot, but I have prevailed upon her to consider other schools.
So please let us know.
Thank you.
Doug & Deanna
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They're all fine institutions and having zero experience with any of them I can't make a knowlegdeable recommendation.
I, too, wanted to be a fighter pilot but I couldn't pass the physical for that MOS due to less than 20/20 vision.
My opinion is to let her follow her dream, she'll surely do well anywhere she goes.0 -
The Perfect Daughter? Stay out of her way and let her call the shot, she'll be fine. Nothing wrong with The United States Naval Academy on a resume. 0 -
This is probably no help, but all of those look like fine options. 0 -
EMM - I really appreciate your incisive analysis. Keep up the good work !!
joke
Doug0 -
I wonder if Standford might be a good choice. Keeps her on the West Coast and within 1000 miles.
I have had three relatives attend Purdue and think its a first class engineering school and a safe place to study. If an Ivy League school is the only choice then my two choices are not options.0 -
I take it she is going to school in the fall? I thought those decisions had to be done by now.
Personally I don't know jack about those schools besides they are good schools. I applied to mostly midwestern engineering schools except for west point. The one thing that should not come into play with this decision is where she can get a job after words. Those 4 schools you have listed will have plenty of recruiters crawling around campus for those students that get higher then a 3.0 gpa. The name on the diploma isn't everything, unfortunately that comes into play more then it should. The one thing about engineering schools is that they all have their pluses and minus. Knowing what I know now, I would look at the freshman engineering courses and choose a school that didn't want to kick every kid to the curb, but instead wanted to demand excellence without mayhem that presides in freshman engineering courses. I suppose that statement only makes sense if you have been through it.
The only advice that I would give you to give to her is work crazy hard in the freshman engineering courses, it will pay off in the next years and finding an internship during the end of the sophomore year will be much easier. If you don't have higher then a 3.0 during your sophomore year there is little chance of getting a much needed internship that summer. I would also not recommend taking 18 hours the first semester, I know, I know how can you get done in 4 years then? The answer is a person most likely won't be able to any ways. 4.5 to 5 years is the norm with engineering course these days.0 -
quote:Originally posted by sig232
I have had three relatives attend Purdue and think its a first class engineering school and a safe place to study. If an Ivy League school is the only choice then my two choices are not options.
I would agree [:D] Although I hate the president and screwed myself....0 -
Hopkins is in really crappy Baltimore. The engineering school is on the Homewood campus, here are their crimes stats:
http://www.jhu.edu/~security/annual_report.htm#HomewoodStats
Columbia is in crappy New York.
Brown is in nice Rhode Island.
Annapolis is in REAL nice, well Annapolis
I would go to Annapolis.
I gotta ask: why chemical engineering if she wants to fly?0 -
Thanks, everyone.
I didn't mean to give the impression that she was starting college next fall - she is a Junior in High School, now. At the moment she is deciding at which schools to apply, and then do a visit this summer.
Doug0 -
The real world sees this; Ten years after graduation nobody cares where you graduated from.
I salute your parenting skills and your daughters tenacity. With those in hand she is bound to make a difference in this world.0 -
All are fine institutions and all would look great on a resume. I have no experience with any of them.
So....assuming they're all academically equal, here's my $0.02: she should pick the one in the community within which she's most comfortable. Maybe one is more tuned to her interests than another, but I don't think an 18-year-old usually has that keen of a grasp on her real interests.
I think a large contributor to success or failure in college is the student's ability to begin self-motivating. All through grade school and high school students have (or should have) parents and instructors who ride them to do what needs to be done. All of that falls away in college. A college student who is comfortable in her surroundings will be better able to learn to self-motivate.
If they're all good institutions (and they are), and there's no compelling reason to do otherwise, she'll do well to consider what she thinks about the four schools and where they are located, and then just go with her gut. There's nothing like feeling comfortable where you are to encourage success....even if you can't explain why it is so.
edit for spelling.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Thanks, everyone.
I didn't mean to give the impression that she was starting college next fall - she is a Junior in High School, now. At the moment she is deciding at which schools to apply, and then do a visit this summer.
Doug
Ahh. When you visit Hopkins drive around the area a bit. Like up and down on Calvert and St Paul streets. Keep your doors locked.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Thanks, everyone.
I didn't mean to give the impression that she was starting college next fall - she is a Junior in High School, now. At the moment she is deciding at which schools to apply, and then do a visit this summer.
Doug
well then, for engineer schools on this side of the US she should look into these
Purdue
Rose Hulman Institute of Technology
Penn State
Minnesota
Michigan, although I don't think CE is their specialty
University of Illinois
Carnegie mellon
GT
Cornell
As for flying, Purdue has a top notch Aero engineering and aviation technology programs along with AFROTC that would be glad to take a top notch student. Expect to pay upwards of 40,000 a year for aviation technology program anywhere in the US, and application should already been at the university. At Purdue, the avi tech guys have to pay basic school fees, for out of state its now 22,000 and something, plus living, count 9,000 around here for the year, and then plane rental when they have to fly, which was something like $50 -100 an hour.
A couple of programs that go right along with CE, is materials, and biomedical and bioengineering.
notes from experience that you might not get from other people, get all applications in buy the first of Oct. and the end of Oct. at the latest. Find schools that fit the needs, not just the name and then apply. Application fees are expensive! Give here money to apply to 4 or 5 schools, any more and its up the her. There really is no reason to apply for her to apply to more then 5. Secondly, don't count on her getting a free ride, to put into perspective, my wife was valedictorian, 4.0 in HS, 28 or 29 on ACT, she didn't get free rides to any where, there was someone else in here class that also was valedictorian, scored a 32 on ACT, he is still paying for college. Colleges have plenty of students, they don't give out many full rides. Plan on needing some financial aid, get the FASFA done by March 1st of next year (March 1st, 2008), send it to all the schools that she gets excepted. Be prepared to get a loan, either private or government, let her pay it. Private schools give out more money then state schools. Don't be afraid of school loans, with an engineering degree, it should be paid off in less then 5 years. Now 80,000 in loans is pretty stupid for a teacher or someone that gets a liberal arts degree, but not for an engineer who will be making 60,000 by second or third year out of college.
Another note, I applied to 5 schools I think
West point -told to look into ROTC, I started the process the junior year
OSU - accepted, applied to late
Purdue - accepted
Tri-State - accepted, tons of money should have went there to play football
Ross Hulman -decline
Erie - accepted, but I can't remember why I never took a visit
Some things in life you want to change, how I went about my first year of college would be a whole lot different now, 4 years later....0 -
I agree with Dak. Let her make up her own mind. It seems to me that you and the wife are showing an interest in her education and career choices with your post here. Continue to let her make any and all decisions that are going to directly affect her future, and just support her where you can. If she wants to become a Naval Officer to fly fighter jets, then put her in touch with the folks who can make it happen and go from there. Encourage her to develop contingency plans so as to help her be better prepared to achieve her goal(s), and/or get off to a smoother start altogether if need be. 0 -
Tell her to research the schools she's interested in to find out which one has the best program for what she's looking for. That's the best way to do it. 0 -
Doug
go for annapolis,she can get both things she wants.0 -
Tell her to forget those foolish ideas. Marry the kid working at the Conoco and start having babies.
Oprah comes on at 2 PM PST.[;)][:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
Tell her to forget those foolish ideas. Marry the kid working at the Conoco and start having babies.
Oprah comes on at 2 PM PST.[;)][:D]
Doug, you can see from sky's post just what she'll have to contend with should she become a sailor! Then, too, she could be a Marine fighter pilot and be in better company. [8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
EMM - I really appreciate your incisive analysis. Keep up the good work !!
joke
Doug
[:D]0 -
You have to ask her this:
Why does she want to be a fighter pilot? Did she watch Top Gun one too many times or is it something that is really in her blood? Because she will get a lot of s*** from the jocks who still see it as a boy's club. She will get s*** from commanding officers and instructors, all of whom see it as a boy's club.
If she is honest with herself, and she wants to be a fighter pilot for all the right reasons, and she has the courage to face those hurdles, then by all means, back her 110%.
But if she can't say, with complete and absolute honesty, that she want to be a fighter pilot for any other reason than the glory, tell her to go to someplace, any place, other than Annapolis. It's not worth getting that kind of a whupping over a flight of fancy.
As far as the other schools, if she wants to be a chemical engineer, Johns Hopkins would be excellent if she is considering a medicine related career. The others would be just as good for a non-medical related career.0 -
I would also agree with Dak, let her make up her own mind. But you can threaten to cut off her checks if she doesn't go to Annapolis. Really she would be better off at Annapolis and she wouldn't have to use her MMA skills quite as much. 0 -
MMA ???
Doug0 -
of course "let her do what she wants", but when she wants to go to college, that's what she needs help with. make a list of things that are important about a college, then look at those colleges on the above list and figure out how they rank.
there's a lot to consider. that's the hardest part. sorry I can't help you on that. maybe, rate of placement after graduation; cost of tuituion; sucess rate (grades) of students; which ones do the recruiters favor? talking to recruiters may help.
when she graduates, employers will look at where she went almost as much as what the grades were. that's important, because that's what gets her the first job or 2; and after that, employers look at where she worked at first and what she did there, then grades, then where she went to school at. it's a snowball effect.
so yes, the prestige you get with the name on the sheepskin does make a large difference to start off with, which makes a large difference with where you'll end up at. it shouldn't, but it does.0 -
Annapolis is a fairly long term commitment, especially from a teenage perspective. Four years of school followed by a minimum five years active duty, and if she gets flight training, that will add to the commitment. Assuming she knows what she's getting into, Annapolis would be a good choice.
If she decides on Annapolis, unless you have political connections or have an Admiral in the family, it's not to early to start the letter writing.0 -
quote:MMA ???
Doug
Mixed Martial Arts, She is a brown belt right? I know she can defend herself, but it would be much better if she didn't have to.0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
rate of placement after graduation
In the engineering field, specifically CE, the rate of placement is near 100% no matter what school you go to. With decent grades (2.5 or better) finding a job right out of college in the engineering field is easier then finding the peanut butter at the grocery store.0 -
doug and deanna,
having spent the better part of a decade as a college student, i feel a little qualified to assist.
1) all schools listed are wonderful institutions. but don't limit yourself. find the school that is the best fit for you.
2) deanna...dreams or no, don't settle on a major until you have at least one year of general studies out of the way. degrees in any subject are tough to get on their own let alone trying to squeeze them into a schedule filled with general classes. the opposite is true as well.
3) judge each school on its variety of subjects. what you want now, may not be what you are best at doing. i wanted to be a photographer. i had the skills, but not the financial backing (my first semester alone i spent nearly $10,000 on materials alone just for 2 classes). as you can see yourself doing just about anything right now, have a back up just in case the first doesn't pan out. find a complement to possible majors, music with education, art with theatre, underwater basket weaving with marine biology.
4) full scholarships only pay for the classes, you still have to buy the source material (text books alone are a small fortune let alone anything else a prof may require for their individual class)
5) unless you doug are paying for everything else, deanna look into a job on campus. extra money in your pocket and on many occasions, a place where you can study. i was a night security guard for my dorm. did some of my best artwork on my shifts.
6) don't be afraid to make friends with some of the dorks that play d&d. they have some wonderful minds that are hardly ever tapped, and quite often have ideas that could help out on ways you never thought. plus, they could always use a friend that doesn't dress like a wizard[:D]
7) don't take it too seriously. you'll burn out. trust me.
8)profs will advise you to join a group within your field of study. good idea, but also find one that has absolutely no relation, you increase your networking and blow off stress.
and, most importantly, regardless of how things are going, good bad or just fair, friends are great to have, but you most valuable resource for advice and insight is mom and dad. plus they can give you money[;)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by shoff14
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
rate of placement after graduation
In the engineering field, specifically CE, the rate of placement is near 100% no matter what school you go to. With decent grades (2.5 or better) finding a job right out of college in the engineering field is easier then finding the peanut butter at the grocery store.
okay, so getting a job is not something to worry about. next step would be to figure out which school gets her a *better* job.0 -
What a great fund of knowledge you all have!!
Thank you so much !!
Doug0
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