Im an out of state student.
SAT: 1550
SAT Math II: 750
SAT Bio M: 760
CSU GPA: 3.41
9th Grade Courses: Honors English 9, Honors Bio, Honors World History, German 1, Honors Algebra 2
10th grade: Honors English 10, Honors Chem, AP Physics 1, Honors Pre Calc, Geraman 2
11th grade: AP Lang, AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics C, Honors German 3, US History
EC: Summer volunteer at ASU Biodesign institute (i maintained cell lines for researchers and helped restock supplies and was exposed to biotechnologies)
Volunteering at food shelters
Science Olympiad Club
Soccer
I know my SAT scores and course load are upto par with Cal Poly’s standards, but i think my gpa ruins my chances a bit cuz the average for engineering admits was 4.1. Does my SATs and course load and ECs make up for my gpa? And do you think i’ll have a better shot if i apply early action?
Also what about UCSD for Biomed Engineering as well?
SLO’s uses MCA points to rank applicants by major. GPA and Test scores are the biggest contributors to the points along with HS course rigor. EC’s offer only a small fraction of points. Your test scores are excellent but your GPA will be tough to overcome for both SLO and UCSD.
SLO has about a 14% acceptance rate for BioMed Engineering.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/1694769-confused-about-mca-score.html
I assume your family can pay full fees at both schools since you will receive little to no financial aid?
UCSD will consider your EC’s and essays along with your test scores and GPA but again, your GPA is way below the average of 4.14 (2016 Freshman profile). You will be competing against applicants with much better stats. Do you have a compelling explanation for your lower than average grades? If so, this could bump up your chances.
Based on 2016 data:
Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79:
UCB: 2%
UCLA: 3%
UCSD: 6%
UCD: 15%
UCSB: 14%
UCI: 13%
UCSC: 59%
UCR: 78%
UCM: 92%
Apply broadly, make sure you have 1-2 safety schools on your list and good luck.
Cal Poly eliminated early action.
Cal Poly uses an algorithm based admissions system which will hurt you. It makes no distinction about EC quality, just quantity. Your ECs are very good and might stand out in a holistic admission system. They won’t at Cal Poly.
Worse though, the biggest portion of the algorithm, 45%, is GPA. Your GPA will drop your MCA over 400 points. That alone might push you out of the running.
There are two things to consider. First, out of state MIGHT an easier admit than in. You compete only against other out of staters. The competition might be less because Poly isn’t as well known beyond the west and it isn’t as good of a deal OOS (even though it’s still a good deal). Second, if you didn’t know, and this might hurt or it might help, Poly uses 9th grade marks in the GPA calculation.
Good luck.