Auburn is one of D’s top choices. She’s been accepted with an academic freshman scholarship. Because she would be attending as an out-of-state student, the scholarship is what makes Auburn possible. Without the scholarship, the school is too expensive.
I have read some things online that suggest that Auburn is a school where it is more difficult than many to get As. Do any current or former Auburn students agree with that thought?
In order to keep her academic scholarship, D would need to keep a 3.0 gpa. I believe that she would need that same gpa to keep the scholarships she’s been offered at each of the schools in final consideration. But would that be harder to get at Auburn than at other similar schools?
S1 is a sophomore engineer, also on scholarship. Loves it. Great experience so far. I wouldn’t say there is grade deflation at Auburn (in engineering) per se, but they won’t pass out As in the science/math/engineering courses unless you earn them on a curve (and a lot of very bright kids will get a C or two before they graduate). Grades are As, Bs, Cs, Ds - no +/- modifications. The 3.0 requirement is cumulative GPA at the end of the year so 1) take all your classes seriously, 2) one bad semester won’t automatically kill the scholarship; and 3) it pays to plan your schedule and front load a few easier A introduction/distribution courses just in case there are Cs in CalcIII or organic chemistry down the road. If D is smart enough to get an academic scholarship, she is smart enough to reasonably keep a 3.0 if she is diligent. 3.0 GPA is not a bad requirement, I’d be more wary of a 3.3 or 3.5 requirement.
I believe so in Engineering anyway. 2.987 is not a 3.0 - no rounding on scholarship numbers. Don’t use all your AP /IB credits to skip English, history etc - you should take those to soften the blow. I took the advice on CC and told my son to take the credit and use the extra time to study - that’s not the right philosophy here when the entire class is failing. Mix the Crip classes with the math and science classes - your grades will be all over the board.
Seems to smooth out Junior year…maybe the Profs feel like the kids still in Engineering are here to stay.
More context: Engineering, pre-med, and a few other majors are difficult by design and require four+ years of diligent effort anywhere. We know a half dozen of S1s friends at GaTech (a higher ranked/tougher school) who have complained about the more cut-throat environment there and who are or were sweating losing their Ga Hope Scholarships. Auburn engineering is serious, but not as overtly high pressure an environment. S1s friend group (of mostly overachievers) seem to be enjoying the experience more, and none of them have lost scholarships or had to switch out of engineering yet.
At least in engineering, Auburn is similar to Purdue, as they are both have fairly low requirements (compare to their peers, like Georgia Tech) for getting admitted, but still have a fairly rigorous program (which is why it has a good reputation). That combination leads to a lower GPA, as some students may need a few semesters to adapt to the rigor.
One thing that you need to consider is that Auburn does provide a grace period to regain the scholarship. If your S GPS falls under 3.0 at the end of the Spring semester he will lose the scholarship period. No leniency here. S learned this the hard way and Auburn is very obscure on that policy. If we would have known he would have gone to another school for sure. To big of a chance to take.
Other schools like Alabama can give you up to semesters to bring your GPA before before stripping the scholarship away. I would consider these first or make sure that you understand the fine print of the merit scholarships that you accept.
That being said, S is graduating this Spring with a Chem Eng degree and he loves Auburn.
I do think there is a little of grade deflation. My son is in the business school. I think the professors like to be harsh from the beginning (which I am not complaining about). First semester freshman year, my son turned his first English paper in one hour late ( due at 10pm and he sent it at 11pm). His prof gave him a 0! The class only had about 5 grades so he was digging his way out all semester.
Engineering at Auburn is a tough major; several classes are intended to “weed-out” the less academically committed students in the program, with a couple having 70% failure rates. My son is in his sophomore year in the program, and of the 12 or so that he hung out with in his specific major, only 2, him and another, are left. As was noted, he has figured out to balance the technical in major classes, where a C is a decent accomplishment, with more fluffy easy A’s like Golf I and Golf II, taken last semester and this one, as well as a couple of English courses. Those 10 credits of 4.0’s have worked great math into the overall GPA.
They also will allow you to “GAP” up to three classes where you attained a D or F, assuming it was retaken with a C or better obtained. The procedure eliminates the bad grade from the overall GPA calculation.
Interesting thread. We are all Auburn grads, including my daughter and son-in-law. My youngest son, always the rebel in the family, may be headed to Georgia Tech but is concerned about the academic rigor. It is a very demanding school. However, since most of its students are engineering students that explains some of the rigor. Which brings me to the point, @MostlyDolores,what is your daughter planning on majoring in? Some majors, as mentioned here, are more difficult than others. Also, how prepared is your daughter? For example, how rigorous a high school schedule did she take? Did she take AP’s and if so how did she do? How good of study habits does she have?, etc. All of these play into how well a student does in college, especially at first. Both the engineering and pre medical/pharmacy/vet have a high drop out rate due to rigor, and the fact some kids find out they just don’t like it. My daughter made straight A’s with the exception of one semester of organic and got a B in that one. She is a pharmacist (now that is a challenge) and son-in-law got all A’s and has a BS in EE and an MS in software engineering. They both thought Auburn was very doable especially in the early years. They both had gone to a private prep school with lots of AP’s so they where well prepared. Bottom line, if your daughter can and will do the work she will me fine!
None of the first two years of core classes are easy, but from what I’ve heard anecdotally from my son the ones where engineering students are put through the grinder are Calc II and Physics II. Chem I is difficult too, but there at least the Lab portion is a separate credit and grade from the classroom portion.
It isn’t necessarily just Auburn that does this; it’s a function of the curriculum in any ABET accredited engineering program, as well as the limited number of seats a given school has in the more specialized in-major Junior and Senior year classes. I’m a degreed and licensed engineer myself, and it was the same 30 years ago when I was in school.
What I’ve learned from engineering students at different schools is this is sort of the norm for the 1st 2 years - it is more a weed out of those not determined enough to stay the course - problem is that many face losing their scholarships in those first 2 years and decide to change their major as opposed to having to change schools or drop out altogether. Georgia Hope Scholarship allows you makeup semesters and also allows you to gain your scholarship back after 2 successful semesters…not Auburn, and likely not other out of state schools as well. It is a shame that many good future engineers give up early due to finances…doesn’t quite seem fair.
