I recently got accepted into TAMU College Station and have been put in the applicant pool for engineering review.
I’m currently on track to getting the IB diploma, however my courses don’t include IB physics and I’m taking SL math. I’m worried about the choices of these courses as I was not set on engineering while choosing classes for IB, and TAMU engineering likes to see experience in those two subjects. I do have have some physics knowledge from freshman year, when we were required to take Pre-AP physics. Below are the IB classes I’m taking this year:
IB Economics HL Year 2
IB Biology HL Year 2
IB Chemistry HL year 2
IB math SL year 2
IB literature SL Year 2
IB Chinese SL Year 2
Our school doesn’t calculate our GPA in a 4 point scale, but my overall GPA so far is a 94 and weighted is 98. SAT is 1430 (670 R/W, 760 M)
I’ve also demonstrated interest by touring the new Zachary engineering building, as well as interviewing. My dad is also an alumni from TAMU college station.
Are you in state? What is your rank? I think you are OOS, so explain how you will get in state tuition rates?
I doubt your course choices are going to factor hugely in acceptance, SL math should have rendered you capable of sitting the AP AB calc test (I imagine that is moot but the point is, you cover quite a bit of the material). Your math sub score is decent. You took physics as a one year course as a freshman? What was it called?
Hi @Sybylla , yes I’m in state, I just go to a school with the IB curriculum. My school also provides rank only for the top 10%, which I’m not part of.
My physics course was just called “Physics Honors” in freshman year, and it was Pre-AP level.
Then I think you have everything covered. TAMU is well versed with IB. Your HLs are plenty rigorous. I doubt SL physics is of any more value than your physics honors. Only lunatics take HL math.
I’m also a lunatic’s mom. My son is taking HL math and HL physics. He’s going to be well prepared for engineering math because HL math is HARD. I don’t know exactly what engineering is looking for in the holistic review. I see people say math and physics readiness but who knows what classes they feel deems a student as qualified.
HL math with a good score should do more than prep for eng math, it should give you credit for calc 1 and even 2. But the rub is always in the score. HL score distributions reflect the rigour of the course. You need a 5 for just 151 at TAMU. a 4 in BC calc gives you credit for 151 and 152. That is arsebackwards.
A word of warning for you. I’m a lurker here (Aggie who initially hoped her engineering daughter would select TAMU).
My daughter had a full IB diploma with SL math. No Physics and no chem (she did HL Bio instead). Thank goodness she was able to squeeze in AP Calc BC her senior year.
Her first year in engineering was ROUGH. Your honors physics class will be nothing like Physics 1 which is calc based. She almost failed Physics at her school.
IDK how it works with TAMU and engineering but if you can even remotely take Calc 1 at summer school you really should. The good news for you I guess is that TAMU doesn’t require Physics 1 that first semester I don’t think?
IB prepared her well to critically think and she actually has very much used her writing skills. But you just need to step back and be super aware of your deficit going into it and plan accordingly.
@carachel2 Sorry for the late reply, but thank you very much for that information! My math SL teacher informed me that we will be covering the majority of Calc 1 this year, and the remainder isn’t too much. I’ll see if I can to try and learn some core physics during the summer before freshman year. Again, thanks for the advice!