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Is your high school student thinking of possibly becoming a future engineer?

Engineering Next helps students find and apply to their best fit engineering college programs!

Welcome! We offer personalized, up-to-date professional college admissions advising services for students considering engineering majors. We also offer engineering resources for counselors. These services complement the many resources already available on college admissions with our experience-based insights from the engineering industry.

While the college process has its ups and downs, we aim to keep the process educational, calm, inspirational, and fun! We offer these services (as grade-appropriate) for students and families from 10th - 12th grades:

Services

Begin with an understanding of your unique strengths, interests, values, professional aspirations and financial considerations.

Inventory Assessment

Major Exploration

Explore the latest emerging areas in engineering, along with traditional engineering pathways, supported by our firsthand industry experience and knowledge from ongoing engineering program visits.

College Search

Explore your best fit engineering college choices where you will grow and thrive. Understand options such as combined engineering programs with liberal arts or graduate studies. Understand, early and throughout the process, how your personal and family situation factors in to financial aid.

Benefit from our experience with engineering faculty meetings, and engineering design day visit opportunities which we have also personally attended and participated in.

Program Visit Guidance

 

Showcase your best self throughout your applications, including on testing, essays, and supplemental questions.

Application Support

 

Learn what to expect, how to showcase your unique story, and participate in mock interviews informed by our expertise conducting alumni admissions interviews.

Interview Preparation

 

Make informed decisions once you've been accepted! Includes customized guidance on financial aid awards and waitlists.

Decision Support

Internships And Career

Benefit from personalized support regarding summer internships, programs, job interviews, professional licensure, and more.

For more details or to schedule an initial consultation, contact us.

Counselors, click here for specific additional resources!


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About

MARGARET CORTES, MS, PE
Educational Consultant, Professional Engineer, Maker Enthusiast

Highlights

  • MIT, MS in Technology and Policy

  • MIT, MS in Transportation

  • McGill University, B.Eng, Civil Engineering

  • UC Berkeley, Professional Certificate in College Admissions

  • Active Member, WACAC, HECA, IECA

  • MIT Alumni Admissions Interviewer for 6 years

  • Judge, EngineerGirl Essay Competition, 2017-Present

  • Judge, Girls Inc. Design Contest, 2016

  • Community Volunteer, East Bay Schools, Engineering Week, College Track

  • Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in California with 20 years of experience

I’m Marge Cortes, and I would be honored to support you and your family in your engineering college journey! 

As an Educational Consultant, I offer a unique combination of industry experience, admissions expertise, and knowledge of engineering programs.

I'm a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in California. In the course of my engineering career, I've scaled bridges, inspected gas pipelines, programmed traffic controls, and designed voice-recognition applications. My managerial responsibilities also included college recruiting and interviewing. I can bring these industry and recruiting perspectives to your college planning.

As my career progressed I realized firsthand how much we still need to strengthen, and diversify, our engineering workforce. At the same time, through family and community activities I became increasingly aware of student and parent concerns about college. Putting these together, I completed the Professional Certificate in College Admissions at UC Berkeley so that I could more effectively mentor students interested in engineering as they were starting to make career and college choices. I keep this admissions expertise current through regular visits with engineering programs, along with collaborating with my professional colleagues.

I've personally visited and evaluated all ABET-accredited engineering programs in California, US service academies, and many more engineering programs throughout the US. I've actively participated in engineering design days and project showcases speaking directly with students and faculty about their cutting-edge programs. I've also explored amazing campus maker spaces! We can leverage these insights to inform your college search process. We can also discuss traditional engineering paths as well as a growing number of innovative engineering programs. 

I welcome the opportunity to work with you and your family to determine which engineering programs would best fit your academic and personal aspirations!


ENGINEERING NEXT IS A PROUD active member of these professional organizations
and adheres to NACAC'S Statement of Principles of Good Practice

 
 
 

I can’t believe I was accepted to UCSD. Your encouraging guidance and experience made an incredible difference. Thank you Marge for helping me (and my parents!) through the process!
— Anita C., UC San Diego
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Contact

Click here to book an introductory consultation, or call/email:

650.285.2385
888.781.8880
toll free
marge@engineeringnext.com

Serving California communities, and online throughout the US and globally.

 

SILICON VALLEY | SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
75 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113

 

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY | LOS ANGELES
87 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103