I want to start by apologizing if I am posting this in the wrong place. I am new here. I am a senior in high school right now and currently in the application process. I have a lot of questions and so far have not found any answers. I love space-ultimate goal is to be an astronaut, but I know it is improbable-and would like to either major in astrophysics or aerospace engineering. I’m leaning toward aerospace because of the higher job security, and I can’t really see myself as a teacher. Which should I major in? Also what are the best schools for those majors? Right now my college list is as follows:
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Barbara
University of Washington
CU Boulder
Cal Poly SLO
Virginia Tech(instate)
UVA(also instate obviously)
I currently have a 3.5 GPA, which I know is low, but I had really bad freshman and sophomore years. I cleaned up my act though and got straight A’s junior year, including AP Calc BC, in which I got a 5 on the exam. This year I am taking 3 APs including Physics C, as well as multivariable calculus and matrix algebra. I got a 1530 on my SAT. Any help at all would be very appreciated.
Thanks!
The UC’s are good competitive schools, so your GPA will impact your admission to Berkeley, but you also need to know that these will be expensive choices for an OOS student.
The UC’s are public schools funded by the State of California and are $55K, per year, for OOS students. Cal Poly SLO is $40K per year. You are not eligible for university financial aid help (scholarships/grants) because the state schools do not fund OOS residents. The best financial help comes directly from the universities themselves and the public state schools typically do not fund OOS residents. UW and CU Boulder are publics as well.
Check out Univ Alabama at Huntsville. Your stats would automatically qualify you for a full-tuition scholarship, plus you could apply for the Honors program. Aerospace engineering is one of their biggest draws.
Ask your parents how much they can afford. As stated earlier, the UCs will cost $55K/year, no scholarships. Same with UW. It’s a good thing you have a great option, VTech, in-state. You can’t go wrong there.
UW is about $45K for OOS tuition, room and board, and you might qualify for a Purple & Gold Scholarship. All U.S. (OOS) students admitted as freshmen are automatically considered for the Purple & Gold four-year scholarship. For autumn 2016, scholarship amounts ranged from $5,500 to $8,500 per year ($22,000 to $34,000 over four years). However, Virginia Tech and Virginia instate are great options.
I’ve been telling a lot of people to avoid UC Berkeley and other UCs as out of state students. It’s really not worth the tuition for the hassle they put students through here.
Also, your GPA is a bit on the low side for it, but if you’re doing well in Physics, maybe consider CalTech. They might require a Physics SAT, but I think they’re the best Astro school (at least on the west coast).
Edit: also, between astrophysics and aerospace engineering, I would lean towards anything with the word “engineering” in it, but that means its probably harder to get into. Still think CalTech has the best aerospace engineering program.
If you want that specific major, I’d highly recommend Cal Poly SLO. I have a friend there studying Aerospace Engineering, and from he has shared they have a very strong program. Plus, a 1530 would get you some great financial aid!
My friend who works in this field told me that MIT and Michigan were the top schools for aerospace engineering (he didn’t go to either of them). This was years ago and things might have changed.
Astrophysics is a very different field of study, more academic and theoretcal. For that, look at the top physics schools, places like Princeton, Chicago, CalTech and again, MIT.
My son also wants to study aerospace engineering and is considering JHU, UT Austin, GA Tech, Purdue, Co School of Mines, along with some of the other schools mentioned. Not every school has an aerospace engineering major, but you can also consider mechanical engineering, I understand that as an undergraduate the two programs are nearly identical. Also many schools have minors or affiliations with other institutions to get you the aerospace specific exposure. I believe Mines and CU Boulder have a 5 year program that allows you to get BS in Mech Engineering from Mines and a MS in Aerospace from CU Boulder – an interesting option if you plan on going to grad school.
Purdue, GA Tech, Arizona State U and Washington State U.
A previous post mentioned Cal Poly SLO - which is a great choice - but if you’re out of state (similar to the UC’s) it may not be worth the extra tuition. Additionally, small amounts of merit aid may be available, but is typically reserved for in-state students. There’s no such thing as ‘great’ fin aid at any CSU or UC, even as a California resident, as the lower tuition baked-in for instate students is already considered the advantage.
You want a target UC GPA of 4.0+ for the best chances at any of the UC’s on your list along with Cal Poly SLO. I also think as an OOS applicant, $55K/year is a pretty steep price to pay to attend.
If you really want a UC, consider UC Santa Cruz. Excellent Astrophysics program and may be within your stats range. Again, a very expensive school to attend.