College Search/Application List -- Am I doing this right?

[FaithManor]

I would love to know more about the Coursera Robotics course. Ds is considering robotics engineering and is already adept at paralax programming and arduino. I've been wanting to work in a credit of introductory robotics engineering, but need a way to have at least a little verification of non mommy content because, well, its engineering, non standard, and I want to give academic credit in the sciences not extracurricular activity. I noticed that if they go through the course and successfully complete a capstone project, they receive a certificate. I am wondering what this would like to colleges. To be honest, I'd like this a lot better for next year when I return to work, than having him commute the 65 miles to U of MI Flint four days per week for the four credit physics class we were going to do. He could do that later, not the same semester that we have such a big adjustment as a family. 

 

Any thoughts? Has anyone had a student complete a capstone project? What did that entail? What would you estimate the time commitment was in addition to the coursework and regular assignments? 

 

One option would be if the rocket team has a top 20 finish and we find two members to join him since the other two are graduating, they could do a Student Launch Initiative engineering project with NASA, dh mentoring since he is going for his NAR level two certification. "A" is interested in that project having a robotics payload, so possibly we could roll his captstone project into the SLI project. 

 

The hard thing to know what to do with the SLI is how to count it at college application time. Our friend who has mentored TARC teams for several years has done SLI three times. It is a lot of work, and his school has allowed him to do it "as a class" just for the rocket team that qualifies and they receive a credit of introductory aerospace engineering. I want to count it as an extracurricular activity, but in reality is a lot more time commitment and also very academic. 

 

This is the only time in all of these years that I've questioned how to go about handling things like this. None of my other kids were of an engineering bent, and their sciences were so straight forward in comparison. 

 

So if anyone knows the ins and outs of that coursera robotics class, I'd love to hear about it! Especially if it isn't enough content and work to be for credit. IF that's the case, I could flip robotics and SLI so there is a credit of introductory aerospace engineering, and an extracurricular activity in robotics.

[*LC]

I've gotten my big list down to just reach schools that DS is truly interested in:  USNA, Webb, USMMA, Notre Dame, Duke and Stanford.  With the CSS Profile issue and the inclusion of our LQA, we still fall under Stanford's 100% Meet Need, and I began a conversation with Notre Dame who has assured me they look at the whole picture and things are very much not cut & dry when it comes to figuring out aid.  Our financial safeties are:  U of A, O of A-Huntsville, U Miami, U Kentucky, Louisiana, U Michigan, Mississippi, Davidson, U Pitt, Clemson, UVA,  and Washington & Lee.

 I thought your son was considering mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and architecture. Putting aside the military academies, of your reach schools only Notre Dame has an accredited architecture program. Only Notre Dame has an accredited aerospace engineering program. It also has a Naval ROTC program as does Duke. Stanford is a cross town affiliate. (I didn't look into mechanical, because lots of schools have that major. )

 

Of your financial safeties, 

U of A, No NROTC, No Architecture, Yes Aerospace

O of A-Huntsville, No NROTC, No Architecture, Yes Aerospace

U Miami, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

U Kentucky, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

Louisiana, affiliate NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

U Michigan, Yes NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

Mississippi, Yes NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

Davidson, No NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

U Pitt, affiliate NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

Clemson, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

UVA, Yes NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

Washington & Lee No NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

 

The only two of your safeties that have all his interests are schools I have seen mentioned as expensive for out of state students. Of course, you may be in-state for Virginia. 

 

If I was making a list for a student with those interests, I would look for schools that have all 3 (and mechanical). I would then look at those schools web sites to look into their merit aid and need-based aid. (We didn't have luck with the NPC being accurate, my senior ended up with an extra 10,000 in automatically renewable merit aid on top of what the calculator showed. I am not complaining.) If I read right, your son has  lots of time to change his  mind, but I would want him at a school he could change back if interest changed. 

 

Good luck.

[LisaKinVA]

 I thought your son was considering mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and architecture. Putting aside the military academies, of your reach schools only Notre Dame has an accredited architecture program. Only Notre Dame has an accredited aerospace engineering program. It also has a Naval ROTC program as does Duke. Stanford is a cross town affiliate. (I didn't look into mechanical, because lots of schools have that major. )

 

Of your financial safeties, 

U of A, No NROTC, No Architecture, Yes Aerospace

O of A-Huntsville, No NROTC, No Architecture, Yes Aerospace

U Miami, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

U Kentucky, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

Louisiana, affiliate NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

U Michigan, Yes NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

Mississippi, Yes NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

Davidson, No NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

U Pitt, affiliate NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

Clemson, No NROTC, Yes Architecture, No Aerospace

UVA, Yes NROTC, Yes Architecture, Yes Aerospace

Washington & Lee No NROTC, No Architecture, No Aerospace

 

The only two of your safeties that have all his interests are schools I have seen mentioned as expensive for out of state students. Of course, you may be in-state for Virginia. 

 

If I was making a list for a student with those interests, I would look for schools that have all 3 (and mechanical). I would then look at those schools web sites to look into their merit aid and need-based aid. (We didn't have luck with the NPC being accurate, my senior ended up with an extra 10,000 in automatically renewable merit aid on top of what the calculator showed. I am not complaining.) If I read right, your son has  lots of time to change his  mind, but I would want him at a school he could change back if interest changed. 

 

Good luck.

 

I started by looking at programs and then Merit Aid.  That proved ultimately extremely frustrating.  So, I then changed my approach and focused on Merit Aid first (since honestly, his choices will ultimately be decided based upon costs).  My list is back to roughly forty schools, some have architecture design, some have architectural engineering, one or two combine architecture with engineering.  Some schools call architecture engineering construction engineering.  Some schools are a 3/2 Engineering or 4/2 engineering program (essentially Physics).  I've also listed (on my spreadsheet) the various scholarships (automatic, competitive, NMF), deadlines, types of engineering, type(s) of architecture. I've put most of the 3/2, 4/2 programs "at the bottom."  I do have a professor friend at Wake, who I may reach out to if he winds up seriously needing to consider that.  

 

Our issue at the moment, is that our LQA (living assistance) is going to be counted by many schools as income.  Our rental assistance (alone) here is $4,500 a month (rents are exorbitant - it's rigged, I tell you!).  If that is counted as "untaxed income" by the schools in question we could have an EFC roughly 1/3 of our taxable income.  We just won't know for certain until we get there.  

 

While we *hope* to be able to get him into a great fit, the odds may not be in our favor.  Hopefully, he'll be able to learn enough about these programs and his interests to help weed some out.  He is starting out with far more choices than I was given (I was given 3...I applied to one.  It was not even remotely a great fit, but I did make the best out of a rather bleak situation).  I'm still in the weeds with this stuff -- but focusing on the financial aspect first really has to be our top priority.  If he doesn't get the scores he needs -- well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

[LisaKinVA]

I don't see any way for my son to be a "Cornellian."  A friend of his pointed out that Cornell had a good architecture and engineering program.  Yes.  They are a CSS Profile, 100% Meet Need (not including family contributions).  Their 100% meet need applies to families with incomes $60,000 or less, and they are at least very clear that outside scholarships do not reduce the family contribution.  First, outside scholarships will replace work-study and student loans, then grant aid from the university will be reduced (or eliminated).  So, in order for LEGOManiac to be a Cornellian, he'd have to come up with roughly $280,000 in outside scholarships.  Lessons we learn along the way.