<p>I am planning on applying into computer engineering, but if there is an easier way to get in, let me know...</p>
<p>4.0 gpa
public school Oregon (not too competitive, most go to StateU)
1/392 rank (valedictorian)
current courses (4 AP's and the rest are college credit courses) My school only has a few AP's I am taking all of them.
31 ACT
Bad SAT 2's, 640 math 2, 590 chem <----this would probably kill me
2060 SAT superscore (probably wont send</p>
<p>Assuming I have good EC's and good essays/recs, what are my chances for admission?</p>
<p>I got accepted into CIT (ECE) for early decision, and my stats look really similar to yours as well. Your GPA is perfect and you have the rank to match. My UW GPA was lower than yours, and I wasn’t even number one in my class. My school had only about 4 AP courses as well. Even though your school offers very few AP’s, I think the admission officers will take into consideration your college credit courses depending on how well you did in them.</p>
<p>Your biggest weaknesses are DEFINITELY your test scores. If possible, I would retake them especially your subject tests. You should definitely take Physics as well because I am assuming you are serious about computer engineering. If you took an AP Physics test and did well, I would not worry about it. Then again, I have no idea how much test scores are taken into consideration. I had a 1 on my AP Calculus Exam showing on my application with a 710 in Math 2 and a 600 in chemistry, and my ACT composite was the same as yours. I wonder how I got in. But ECE is so competitive so do not do yourself a disservice by any means.</p>
<p>Remember that you will be going against a pretty big applicant pool and your test scores will not help you in the slightest. Your chances are low, but still go for it. Make sure your essays are really persuasive and show your passion for engineering and the school in general. Make sure they convey your personality also. Good luck.</p>
<p>Your SAT II scores are going to hurt you, but I think they’ll take in to consideration that your school isn’t offering an AP Chem or SAT II level Chem class. (I’m making that assumption, correct me if I’m wrong.) With that in mind, I think it won’t hurt you nearly as much as someone who got such a score and took a class like AP Chem. From what I’ve heard though, Carnegie Mellon looks a lot at how well you fit them, so if you’re essays are really good, then I think it’ll do quite a bit to make up for your low scores.</p>
<p>I think if that’s the case they won’t hold it against you. I had a friend (who went to a different school than me) who had the exact same problem, the only AP level science classes offered to him didn’t have corresponding SAT IIs (eg. AP Environmental or AP Psych.) He goes to MIT now. If I MIT didn’t hold it against him, I doubt Carnegie Mellon will. Really your only major weakness is your SAT II scores (your SAT and ACT scores aren’t THAT far off of what CMU would expect.) And I honestly think that if you haven’t taken classes that are going to prepare you for the SAT IIs and you have to mostly self-study for them, then they really won’t hold it against you.</p>
<p>ECE is the 2nd most difficult major to get accepted for. You have a decent shot, but I still think ECE will be a reach for you. Make sure you apply to less competitive CMU colleges/programs, like MCS, DC, and IS.</p>
<p>^ Contrary to popular belief, IS is actually a pretty competitive program. It’s only about 50-60 people and transferring in is a whole process. I don’t think you can even double major in it, you have to major in it first and then pick a separate double.</p>
<p>According to admissions statistics, the SAT ranges for IS are the 2nd lowest among CMU’s academic colleges (DC has the lowest). Although the acceptance rate for IS is low, the standards for the program are not that high. I’m not trying to be mean to anyone in IS, as CMU’s IS program is definitely one of the best. I’m just trying to interpret the admissions statistics.</p>