3.52 CSU GPA
marching band and lacrosse ( although I hear that doesn’t count for CSUs)
SAT 1220 composite
California resident and URM
hopes for mechanical engineering
What do you’all think ought to be considered for applications at this point?
Tuition Cost is considered so I am not too keen on OOS non WUE or privates since merit with these numbers is unlikely
SAT/ACT did well in math and not so good in Lang. Arts
will retake in Sept.
CSU eligibility index is 4036 (= 800 * 3.52 + 1220).
SJSU’s fall 2017 threshold for ME was 4000, but using a modified eligibility index with greater emphasis on math scores: http://www.sjsu.edu/admissions/impaction/impactionresultsfreshmen/index.html . Threshold may change next year depending on application volume.
Other popular CSUs may be difficult to get into, such as CPSLO, SDSU, CSULB, CPP. However, CSUC, CSUFresno, CSUFullerton, CSULA, CSUN, CSUSac, and SFSU may not be as difficult to get into.
UCR admitted 78% of 2016 applicants with GPA of 3.40-3.79, according to https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary , although there may be variation by major. For UCM, the admit rate was 92% for this GPA range.
Thanks! Anyone else?
URM doesn’t matter at all - first gen student gives a small bump at competitive CA public schools.
He’s got a very good shot at all the CSUs except CP SLO and SDSU - even there, he should apply because he isn’t too far out of range. most of the CSUs have solid ME programs so, i’d let other factors decide. Does he want to live in a big city like SF or LA while attending a school most people commute to? or, is he looking for a ‘residential, 4 year’ experience?
UCM will probably take him, the other UCs will be a challenge. UNR, NAU and Or Inst of Tech are solid drive to WUE options, - or if he’s willing to fly, the list gets a lot bigger.
NCalRent Thanks for the response.
His dream school is Cal Poly Slo BUT they told me that ME has 4.17 average GPA and 32 ACT!
I think SDSU would be a high reach. He also want to go to SDSU.
He doesn’t like big city commuter schools. But with his scores and GPA, beggars can not be choosers! I warned him along time ago.
I know there is Chico, but I am a little weary of that party thing and the heat. Northridge seems like a good ME program, but I heard its a " commuter school".
Regardless, I am still considering due to the “pick your poison” philosophy I have. I am way to practical to send him to something super expensive with out value.
We are considering Oregon Tech and one in Colorado. If anyone has any personal experiences with NAU, including quality of the engineering dept. in terms of employability, I’d love to hear it!
SLO’s ME acceptance rate is around 17% and the 2nd most applied major (CS first) in the College of Engineering.
The average GPA and SAT/ACT are listed on the website:
https://admissions.calpoly.edu/prospective/profile.html
The averages of a GPA of 4.16 (9-11th grades used by SLO), ACT of 32 and SAT of 1467 are for the whole College of Engineering. SLO does not breakout each major individually. SLO also uses MCA points, instead of Eligibility index to rank applicants. SLO is a Reach school.
Around an EI of 4100+ is competitive for SDSU but still worth an application but the # of applicants and the average stats continue to climb.
I think CSU Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona and Long Beach are within reach especially if he bumps up his SAT score.
I cannot speak for ME at NAU, both my son’s had friends that were really happy with their college experience (Academics/Social) at NAU, so worth a look.
Unfortunately, majority of the CSU’s are commuter schools but if a student makes an effort to get involved in their campus activities, they can still have a great college experience.
Thanks for responding, Gumbymom.
Yeah, at around $50 per application, it can add up to apply to a place he doesn’t have a chance. I decided it isn’t worth the app fee to even try for UCSB, for example, when I learned that out of 14K just 350 were admitted for the entire engineering program! And the people that work at the universities ALWAYS encourage us to apply anyhow. There must be incentive for the schools to get many applications (yield). But, I don’t want to be wasteful.
When you say that Cal Poly Slo is a “reach”, do you mean that with his stats of 3.52 and 1220 (better in math than English) he’s got a chance there? Do you think its worth an application?
We will try for SDSU and Long Beach, but not count our chickens til they are hatched. Northridge will be our safety. Too bad CSUCI doesn’t have an ABET accredited program…I think a trip to Chico will be needed. We drove through CPP last month. There weren’t students there. He claimed he didn’t like it. I didn’t due to the heat and the location and traffic. But, it seems like a fantastic program. I will need to check out Fullerton.
I am going to try to plan a trip to out of state WUE schools. With NAU, I think he would be happy there, but I just need to make sure he’d be able to get a job as an ME afterward.
@Themathaw: SLO’s acceptance rate for ME is around 17% as stated above and his GPA and test scores are below the averages that admissions had given you. Last year SLO had 3123 applicants for 180 ME spots.
SLO admits by major and MCA points and the bulk of the MCA points are GPA and test scores. I will send you a PM MCA point calculation. There is no harm in applying if SLO if it is his top choice as long as he knows the odds are against him.
Highly recommend CPP’s program since their philosophy is also the “hands on” approach. They have a great track record in hiring from the local Southern California Engineering companies. Sometimes a couple of visits are needed to make sure the school is a good fit.
Thanks Gumbymom. He actually has a better shot at SLO’s engineering than UCSB, although slim. He didn’t like CPP, but I haven’t given up on that one yet, because I see your point. I am not going to even bother with the UC apps, since it seems Mered would be the only choice for him. He loves UCSC, but they don’t have his major.
If he likes Cal Poly SLO, he probably would like Chico a lot. Both schools have the same “vibe”. The heat shouldn’t be that big of an issue, because students usually go home for the summer before it gets super hot. The only really hot times for a student are the first few weeks of school, and by then, the days are a bit shorter, so the heat doesn’t last as long.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Chico’s rep as a party school. Even when I went there in the Stone Age, there were plenty of things for non-partying kids to do. My local Chico friends have told me that the current University administration is working hard to get rid of the party school rep, too. If you haven’t been up to Chico, I encourage you to go up and take a look.
Forgot to add: since you mentioned that tuition costs are a concern, note that the cost of living in Chico is much less than many areas in CA. Housing costs would be significantly lower than areas like San Diego or Northridge.
A word of caution about SLO for next years prospective students. They are overenrolled for this coming year so I would assume they will be a more difficult admit for next year. This was the first year that they did not offer Early Decision, so they probably underestimated their yield.
I would also like to mention that SLO is a very popular school for both my son’s HS. Many of my son’s friends applied to SLO for ME in particular and the majority of them were denied, however, they did end up at very good schools like UCLA/UCSD/UCSB so you can never predict any of the admissions outcome.
Apply widely for the best chances and hopefully he will have several choices from which to choose.
Vineyardview -thanks for responding. This is good information. I think early October may be a good time to see it.
Vineyardview- this is true. Its less expensive than the others for rent. Any of the CSUs or WUE schools are ok I told him. He wanted to go to Boulder a year ago and then I found out the OOS price. They don’t offer WUE, so I had to draw the line. The privates have been sending glossy marketing papers every day! Schools I have never heard of! They must use the tuition of current students to solicit new ones.
Gumbymom - It is surprising to me that some were denied at SLO but accepted at UCSB for ME? I would’ve never guessed with those numbers of 14K applying and just 350 accepted in the whole engineering department. But yes, SLO was THE MOST common school our students chose to attend just after the local CC.
For WUE schools, you could also look at Boise State. My friend’s daughter is an Engineering major there and loves it. She is staying in the brand-new honors dorm there and says it is fantastic. They even have single bedrooms!
Here’s a link to the new honors dorm:
https://housing.boisestate.edu/housing-options/honors-college-first-year-residence-hall/
Since you mentioned that your son is a URM, also note that Boise State also has the STEM Institute & Diversity Initiative. It looks like there might be possible scholarships from there.
Here’s a link:
https://stem.boisestate.edu/
If your son wants to continue marching band, the Boise State Blue Thunder marching band is great and goes to lots of fun places. Even better, there are non-resident tuition waivers given to a limited amount of Blue Thunder marching band members. Boise State’s tuition and fees for residents are pretty affordable, so if your son got the waiver, it could possibly cheaper than even attending a CSU.
Here’s the info on the tuition waiver for marching band students:
https://thunder.boisestate.edu/nrfw/
Thanks, vineyardview.
This is one that will be on our list as well. Even with just WUE (with out the band OOS waiver)
This one is reasonably priced. My son did HS marching band for 3 years and stopped this year (senior year). I was the one really pushing band, because he was too into video games as a HS freshman and sophomore. He has started mountain bike racing instead and has a job now as a bike mechanic in a bike shop. He wants to go to a university that has biking opportunity around. Idaho fits that criteria for sure. He barely meets the criteria to qualify for the WUE there, which they treat as a scholarship.
Hi again vineyardview,
What I notice with URM scholarships ( including the one at Boise Sate) and I could be wrong, is that they seem to all have a criteria of "demonstrating need as per Fafsa ". So, because I have a husband that earns too much for any FAFSA aid ( but he isn’t my son’s father and happens to have his own respective son) it disqualifies my son from any of these. This is why I work with what I have…stats not good enough for merit and a step dad that disqualifies from need based aid. So, to work around that I look into the WUE and CSUs. I’m sure there are many other moms in the same boat.
Utah is a mecca for MTB. It would be WUE but he wouldn’t get a scholarship. He could get instate tuition after one year though. He might well struggle in engineering period, unless his SAT breakdown is somewhat skewed. He could look at USU (the aggie school, small and what I would call the country) or the U.
Hi Sybylla,
Yes. His scores are waay skewed! With around 90th percentile in math and just around 35th in Lang. Arts. I think he can do better with the reading comp., so he has one more shot Sept. 9. Regardless, engineering is no cake walk! Like others on this site have wisely advised… he can try first for engineering and then default to a science if need be.
Utah, indeed is great for MTB. However, the universities seem not to allow everyone OOS into WUE, just the people with the highest stats (scholarship for those with around 3.9). I didn’t check USU, just the U.
I never knew that they’d allow instate tuition after just one year. I know that Colorado doesn’t.