Hi,
I am planning on transferring next spring. I have been through a lot recently…lots of deaths & health problems and I eventually became extremely stressed and almost gave up completely on life. I am trying to transfer to engineering school but…I am not sure if I can get in because of my GPA. I have about a 3.6 GPA but if I stay longer and either retake classes or take others then I could bring my GPA up to a 3.7 or 3.8. I am scared I might not be able to get into engineering school or at least the schools I am looking at. It is making me unmotivated because I feel my dreams have been crushed ?. What can I do? What if I never get into college? Is this a decent GPA? Any tips for GPA increases? Thanks!
You give so little information about where you are and what your target schools are that others have to look in your post history to see that you are currently in college somewhere in Texas.
Assuming that you are a Texas resident, surely there are Texas public universities where a student with a 3.6 college GPA and completion of the specific course work for the desired engineering major (e.g. calculus, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, calculus-based physics sequence, chemistry for some majors, computer science or computing for engineers, English composition, etc.) should be admitted.
UT Dallas assured admission with 3.0 GPA: https://www.utdallas.edu/enroll/transfer/admission-requirements/
University of Houston assured admission with 2.5 GPA: https://uh.edu/undergraduate-admissions/apply/transfer/
UT San Antonio assured admission with 2.25 GPA: https://future.utsa.edu/admissions/transfer/
Prairie View A&M assured admission with 2.0 GPA: https://www.pvamu.edu/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission/
Your other threads suggest interest in some out-of-state public universities, of varying levels of selectivity. But you need to check if their out-of-state costs will be affordable to you.
@ucbalumnus Thanks for the feedback! I’ll try to add more detail next time. I just didn’t want it super long. So basically I’m in a specific engineering program and am at the end and need to start apply for either fall or next year. I could technically stay longer and increase by GPA but I have to make sure not to pass the limit of transfer credits. Yes, I am a Texas resident. Haha I would never go to Prairie View (there is a big joke about that place here). It’s not even referred to as a school here. So I went ahead and talk to certain out of state schools & they’re willing to let me do my degree online so I pay a flat rate “in state tuition”.
Here are some Universities that I’m looking into:
UT Austin
Baylor University
UTSA (UT San Antonio)
University of Arizona
Arizona State University
University of Florida
Florida State University
Auburn University
St.Edwards University
Kennesaw State University
Florida International University
Liberty University
I could technically go to University of Houston or UT-Dallas. They’re fantastic schools but…I would have to figure out commuting situations. Especially because my friends, my crush, & some family are here. I looked into some of these schools and was able to qualify for scholarships as well. That helped a lot financially!
It sounds like you’re concerned about leaving your friends and family for college – that’s perfectly normal, especially if you’ve been through something difficult, like the illness you described. One thing that I discovered unexpectedly as a parent when one of my children decided to gap before college is that other students–my child’s friends–all had something else to do after high school. They all moved along their own paths. In other words, though my child stayed in place after high school, everyone else had other places to go (metaphorically and literally) and this child’s friends were no longer close by.
This should have been obvious! But going through this was a surprise and we weren’t entirely prepared for this emotionally. Figuring out some sort of path for this child, became especially important because of the unexpected lonely feeling. After high school, people are changing and growing and they will move along their own paths and get further apart. They grow and change, just as you will, and – as a result – you may want to consider that you will need to find your own path with a forward momentum on your own. Think about this now so that you’re prepared for that time.
Consequently, I would encourage you to also consider schools that require you to move away … and I see a few on your list.
All seem fine candidates except maybe skip Liberty U as it’s mostly online classes and degrees, and it’s unclear (as a parent saying this) how capable the leadership is as it refused to shut down for Corona. Several students as a result returned to Lynchburg VA (a tiny town with few hospital facilities) carrying the disease. So … considering that there are about 2000+ schools out there, maybe substitute one of them in for Liberty.
If you’re concerned about your very respectable GPA of 3.6, you can find the average GPA of students accepted at any college by googling and – that will take you to a website fo a SAT prep organization. They list the average GPA and SAT/ACT scores for each college.
Best of luck to you.
Where in Texas is “here”?
First off, a 3.6 is definitely respectable, and a 3.8 is universally GOOD.
Don’t give up! By persisting and aiming for that 3.8, you’ll gain things even more valuable than even to an engineering school: work ethic and resilience. You can do it! :))
I’d take commuting to UT Dallas or U-Houston over an online degree, especially for engineering which would require labs/hands on learning/team work.
Now if you can live near one of the other universities and they’re affordable, why not but choosing an online degree for undergrad engineering is probably pennywise/pound foolish.
@Dustyfeathers Majority of my family lives out of the country but yes I am afraid to leave my friends especially my crush 
a lot of people I know moved post college. I am no longer in high school (thank goodness lol). Yes! Especially after losing my father that took a sharp blade to my heart. I actually got a random letter in the mail from an Ivy League & it I get accepted is the only how I could move far away. The most I could move is about an hour or two away but even then I’d commute back to town. I am still applying to liberty as a backup school but it’s definitely not a first choice. It’s more of an if all fails kind of thing. You know? Oh wow, I didn’t know they were still open during the corona. The problem is I’m very limited to where I have a shot of getting accepted ): especially as close as I need. UT my GPA is laughable. For the average GPA I remember U of A & ASU were reachable. Same as UTSA & St. Edwards I think. I am considering University of Houston but I’d still figure out the commuting situation. I want to be in a different city but close enough to where I can go home when I need to. You know? I don’t have to take the SAT/ACT luckily but I do have competition. I’m just really stressed out especially with my GPA ): I’m considered dumb by engineering school standards. Thank you so much for the support! I’ll definitely take the stuff that you said into consideration:)
@ucbalumnus here means Austin, Texas 
Now it is obvious why you are concerned about your GPA. Your most local commutable public university (UT Austin) happens to be a highly selective one. There is another one that is commutable from Austin (Texas State), but it has only electrical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering (and computer science).
But if one of those majors is what you want to do, you should be able to go there, since Texas State has assured admission with a 2.25 GPA and 30 credits, with C grades in major prerequisite courses.
https://www.admissions.txstate.edu/future-students/transfer/admission-requirements.html
https://www.admissions.txstate.edu/future-students/additional-program-requirements.html
@MYOS1634 haha to drive in Houston is a suicide wish. If I go to University of Houston I’d have to take backroads. That’s the furthest I’m willing to drive right now. Maybe even University of Dallas. The thing is I want to stay as close as possible especially because of my friends & crush. I have too many people here for me to just get up and move. I consider online as well especially because I might want to get a full time job while still being in school online. I personally don’t learn in actual class BUT I will say my favorite class was my DC Circuits class that was hands on. I’m a visual learner. I don’t even talk to any of my classmates nor could I tell you who’s in my class or not. I definitely agree the labs and stuff are in person. From what I remember labs I’d probably take at my community college since certain classes aren’t offered online. I definitely made sure to apply to in person colleges close to my city where I can commute and still go to school. You know?
@ucbalumnus yes! UT is highly selective. Two people I knew has perfect 4.0 GPA’s and even they got rejected from UT. I would never apply to Texas State. Nobody in the STEM world respects or even acknowledges Texas State. It’s an extremely huge party school. It does have good reputation in nursing & education though. I’m a Computer Engineering major but if needed I could do computer science if it was a dream school. So in my case I’m limited because not every school has my major. I could go to UTSA, Baylor, or University of Houston so far as far distance goes. I could however apply to St.Edwards under computer science since they’re in Austin. Otherwise, I have to find somewhere commutable. Thanks for the links! I’ll for sure still check them out so I can see about the programs
@shmu61 thank you so much! Your support truly means a lot I’m just waiting to see what happens. Hopefully I can get that 3.8 if not I might just have to stick to my 3.6. I don’t want to stay in college rather than I already am. You know?
Computer engineering is often a subarea of either EE (as it is at Texas State) or CS. So do not write off a college just because it does not have an explicit computer engineering major.
But something has to give. Unless you get into UT Austin, your choices appear to be:
- Texas State with a reasonable commute, but you will have get over your disdain of that college.
- St. Edwards with a reasonable commute, but it would be much more expensive than a Texas public university, and its CS department does not have much in the way of hardware oriented courses that you are presumably looking for as a computer engineering major.
- UTSA, UH, Baylor, PVAMU, etc. with a very long commute, allowing you stay near your social network, but you will have little time to socialize with them due to all of the time spent commuting.
- Relocate to a university that you like and can get admitted to, perhaps doing weekend trips to socialize with your social network (but you could also try to find new social networks in and around the university). Note that temporary distancing from SOs has been done before by many others.
- Stay where you are near your social network and do your degree through distance education. While that may work for some people, many others find in-person to be more effective due to easier contact with instructors and fellow students. Labs could also be an issue.
Are all of the above options affordable to you?
@ucbalumnus I didn’t even know Texas State has an Engineering program. I know they have computer science though. PVMAU is not even a consideration. I would not even let my fingernail enter that place. As for Texas State I’ve seen the campus before. I’ll look more into it for sure as an option even though it wasn’t even a thought. What about University or Arizona, ASU, Baylor, or UTSA? I contacted St.Edwards and they technically have an Engineering program but it’s through another school. St. Edwards I would have to do Computer Science. University of Houston I’d apply to but I’d have to figure out the commuting part. I really will just be back here once a week or twice a month. So far as I’m able to commute when necessary. Yeah that’s true…it has been done. My situation there is a bit more complex if you knew the situation. I literally don’t even talk to my classmates now. The only time I’ve ever contacted them is if we had a study group or something. Otherwise, I don’t talk to my classmates and couldn’t tell you who’s in class. I’m not that kind of person…I go in and then I go out. I have taken online before and actually preferred it however, certain classes I would need in person. I talked to some of my schools about the distance education and most are online but some aren’t. For those ones I’d have to take at my community college. I would definitely have to look for scholarships or help from family from most of them worst case. Now, if I continue working I should be able to afford most. The most affordable is UT because my tuition would be free.
@eldonjacob177 I actually can get into a lot of colleges but because I want to stay close to where I am it makes things a bit more limiting. That’s true! The sad part is the engineering world is very competitive and very selective and they put a lot of pressure on where you went to school. I do agree it is a huge money business!
Engineering is generally seen as much less college-elitist than some other professions, such as management consulting and investment banking. Also, if you want to work in a small geographic area, there may be a preference for local colleges, particularly by smaller employers. A recruiting preference for UT Austin that you may be seeing in the Austin area may have a lot to do with local preference, although prestige (as well as large size and high visibility) certainly does not hurt the students there.
@ucbalumnus I would like to be able to have a high paying job anywhere. That would really be my main focus is stability & pay. Management is popular here I feel business related are popular. I also want a good job with benefits especially prescription coverage. I think hat’s lenient haha. Yes that’s true! I know UT is the first place they look for future recruiters. UT is treated as an ivy league! What makes you say it’s less college elitist than the ones you listed? I’m genuinely interested as to hearing why.
Some articles about a study regarding the effects of college prestige for post-graduation earnings of graduates in different majors. Engineering graduates tended to have a lesser effect from college prestige than business and humanities graduates.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/does-college-matter/400898/
https://www.boston.com/news/jobs/2016/02/02/going-to-an-elite-college-only-matters-for-some-professions
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/you-dont-need-an-ivy-league-degree-to-make-a-lot-of-money-in-these-fields-2016-02-02
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3029091/with-stem-degrees-its-not-the-school-that-matters.html
Engineering is all about the skills you’ve shown. You must be in class and working with others.
Are you a first generation student by any chance? I’m asking because many first generation students make the mistake of thinking their classes will lead to a job, when (as long as they keep a ~3.0) what matters is everything they do on campus to show how thy apply what they’ve learned and what sort of a team player they are (the engineering honors society, the leadership shown through clubs, the networking, the internships, etc.) Just going to class and going home isn’t going to cut it.
Even if you’re close to your family, surely you can connect through Skype or FaceTime or whatnot during the week, and go home on weekends?