[Kims Robot]

I wanted to throw one more option out there on the table.

You could go to a smaller college and get your associates first, and then transfer into one of the bigger names, thus graduating with your Bachelors from one of the bigger names. That will save you money in the long run, but it may be a struggle if you arent careful about the courses you take/miss at the big school.

And I have to agree with a lot of people here, apply to a large range of schools. I think I applied to 10, and Clarkson was #10 for me, I only applied because my biology teacher told me to... but once I interviewed, got my financial/scholarship package, and went on campus, I realized it was the perfect school for me. I have to admit I cringed a bit when Eugenia said it was about the atmosphere, but I think thats what won me over in the end. It appeared to me that Clarkson was the perfect balance of fun, hardwork, friendliness & outdoors that I wanted, and thought I could get in all these other schools but really couldnt.

Another factor is where you think you want to work. UCONN actually has a really good engineering program from many of the schools that I looked at, and it is fairly selective as well. So if you want to stay in the CT/MA area, you are probably going to do well with a degree from UCONN. However, if you want to work out in Silicon Valley, UCONN probably isnt as well known. As a Recruiter, I know that we get the majority of our college applicants and hires from within our "region", because those are the schools that we primarily recruit at, and the people that are most likely to stay with our company.

In the end, the ball is in your court. Apply to as many as you think you might like to go to (forget about money at this point), and see 1. if you get accepted, and 2. How much financial aid/scholarship they will give you. THEN once you see what they can offer, decided based on your financial situation. You might be suprised what a phonecall can do. Clarkson called me to ask how my decision was going, and I said I wasnt sure because I had gotten accepted to WPI, and was reviewing the financial packages... and immediately they offered to increase my scholarship! I never even said that WPI was offering more (which they werent!). Many colleges these days are hurting to get students into the Engineering fields, so a lot of them will do what it takes to get the good ones that they know will make it through the 4 years.

So make sure you apply to your "Reach" schools... I think I had 3 reach, 6 likely, and 1 safety.