Hello my fellow CC peers!
I’m starting to be skeptical about my chances of getting into a good engineering school (ex. Cornell, NYU, Berkeley, MIT, UCF, name a few if you like) because apparently I’m behind what most top kids are doing who are heading for an engineering degree. I’ve been thinking that I want to study and get a degree in either Computer Science or Computer Software Engineering. I also want to know from you guys which classes would be necessary/pointless to take if I’m going for a degree in engineering.
Note: I’m a high school 11th grade junior and rising senior
My 11th Grade Schedule:
AP English Language
JROTC III
AP US History
Interning
AP Human Geography
Algebra II Honors
Chemistry I Honors
My 12th Grade Schedule:
AP English Literature***
Pre-Calculus Honors
Physics I Honors
AP Microeconomics & AP US Government/Politics
AP Chemistry
JROTC IV
AP Computer Science A
***I’m contemplating whether I should take AP English Literature because I don’t like literature all that much (not too great at it either) and I don’t think you need it if you’re aiming for Engineering. Although I’m aware that universities look at your schedule to see that you’re challenging yourself but I really don’t know what they are really looking for: challenging yourself while being competitive with top students or take APs that are towards your major?
Also would I be at a disadvantage taking Pre-Calculus senior year without taking AP Calculus or AP Physics if I’m aiming towards a Engineering degree at a top school. I’ve heard those classes are must if you’re ever to be considered at a top or even good engineering school.
Any help, advice, or criticism would be highly appreciated! Thank you!!!
You don’t need AP Lit but you do need an English course senior year.
Did you complete Level 4 or AP in a foreign language? If not, that’s a core course and you need to reach at least level 3 (bare minimum).
You have Physics Honors, so that’s fine.
Precalculus senior year is okay, although probably not for the likes of MIT or Olin, and bars you from CalTech and HarveyMudd (which require calculus senior year as a minimum). It may be a good idea to try and take Precalculus over the summer, although it’s very hard to do. :s Is there a community college near you where you could take that class? If you don’t do well, withdraw before the end of the W period (be careful about that!) and your HS nor colleges won’t know about it.
Berkeley and UCF are not compatible, since you can only be instate at one of them. Since few know of UCF outside of Florida, I’m guessing that’s where you live; remove UCB from your list unless your parents have no problem paying 240K for your college education. Note that UCB and UCLA will now have a cap on OOS and international students.
If your GPA is strong enough, look into FSU and UF, plus UMiami.
What’s your SAT/ACT score?
Are you sure I don’t need AP Lit? My guidance counselor brought it to my attention how it looks “competitive” and “rigorous” for universities regardless of what you’re majoring in.
As for foreign language I have skipped Spanish I but did Spanish II, III, and IV.
Now as for Pre-Calculus I wanted to take it online (on FLVS) during the summer but then I talked to the Calculus teacher and she told me that was a horrible idea (because she had students that did that) and should take Pre-Cal in school. Yes there is a CC near me which would be Broward College and I’ll have to talk to my guidance counselor about that one!
Thank you for clearing up that stuff about UCB and UCLA because I don’t have the money.
As for GPA I have 4.8 weighted and 3.8 unweighted. I’m also ranked 15 out 550 in my class.
My SAT scores aren’t looking so hot (I got a 1480 in all 3 parts) BUT I have yet to take the ACT which I will do this June.
Your guidance counselor’s view (which I agree with): just because you plan on applying to engineering schools does not mean you catch a break w/ non-science classes. While the fact that you are applying for engineering may influence how your application is viewed, it is of primary importance to be the best overall applicant and this means challenging yourself in non-science classes as well.
It’s probably not a big deal whether or not you take AP lit but this is important to keep in mind.
AP Lit is better to have, but considering your schedule (3 APs + 2 STEM honors), I’m not sure it’s wise. You’ll absolutely want an A in Precalc Honors.
I agree that in theory having AP Lit is good, and if you like to read it’d show intellectual versatility. But only if you think you can get at least a B in it, and A’s in all your other classes.
Check out Broward College, they have blended classes where you take the class in part online and in part in a classroom, it’s very flexible and it would be better than just online. I assume they’d offer precalculus. It’d be very fast-paced. Note that some classes may start soon so look into it quickly!
Study for the ACT - use khan Academy, read a lot of nonfiction, use prepbooks or online free tools like Question of the Day. Devote time to this.
To be honest I know I won’t be able to handle AP Literature just simply because I don’t like reading and I know I’ll be up long hours doing homework. So it wouldn’t be worth taking right?
Like you said I want to do everything within my power to get an A in every STEM class and AP class.
I know I can get a B in AP Lit but I’m not sure I will get A’s in all my other classes because of how tight my schedule is and each class needs a lot of devotion.
Even if I don’t have AP Lit the next most time consuming AP would be US Government/Politics. Plus I want to have some free time for college applications and fun for senior year.
In your opinion would taking English IV Honors instead of AP Lit be held against me?
Did not realize you were debating about what to take senior year. Your grades from senior year, even the midyear report, don’t carry that much weight so you will be mainly evaluated on whether or not you are continuing to take challenging classes. For this reason, I would stick with AP Lit. You took AP Lang so it would look a little unusual to downgrade to Honors English as well.
Thank you so much! Now probably the only thing I need to worry about is stuffing 6 heavy classes in my head and managing my time doing homework diligently. If you have anymore pointers I would be glad to listen for more advice!
Actually, grades may matter, it depends on the school.UC’s will only care abou your junior grades and senior course selectun, whereas private universities will consider your first quarter/semester gradea. And of course any d, f, or infractuon means you can be rescinded.
@MYOS1634 I speak from my own experience where I had all As except 1 B+ up through junior year and a B-riddled senior year midyear report (happened to send in a B- for AP Lit actually). I ended up being accepted to ivy/ivy-equivalents where I certainly would not have received acceptances had I done so poorly junior year. So while they might carry some weight, it’s no junior year. As long as you’re not dropping off too much you should be fine (so if you end up sending in a B for AP lit, it’s not a huge deal). Also senior year grades don’t factor into the class rank they look at so your performance would not harm that aspect either.