I’d like to know what my chances are for Cockrell admission, specifically Chem Eng (1st choice) and Mech Eng (2nd choice).
-In-state Asian female
-SAT: 2320 (M 800, CR 720, W 800)
-GPA: 4.6585 weighted, 4.0 unweighted
-Rank: 31/796 (top 4%)
-Plenty of rigorous classes, PreAP and AP whenever possible (14 AP classes)
-5s on all AP tests
-Awards: academic excellence award from school, Le Grand Concours silver award
-PSAT: 1510
-SAT subject: Math 2 780, still waiting on Chem score
-ECs: Mu Alpha Theta, Student Council, volunteering club, NHS, Science NHS
-60+ volunteer hours
-Above average writer so essays should be decent
-Part-time job
-Good recommendations
My GPA and rank will both go up a little. I’m most worried about my ECs since they’re pretty weak.
I would be surprised if you didn’t get in. You can look through past results threads for students admitted to Cockrell, but I doubt there are many female STEM applicants in the top 5% of their class, in-state, with a 2300+ SAT (with an 800 Math score to boot) who were denied, if any. Also, a job is one of the best EC’s you can have in my opinion. If you can work that into your application somehow and show how you’ve grown from it and how it’s helped you in the real world, how you’ve applied it to your life, etc. then it can be hugely beneficial. It helps to show that you’re not just a stellar student, but that you’re on your way to becoming a successful adult who learns from their experiences. Good luck.
I also think you have a very good chance, but do not consider it a safety. I have seen 2 female valedictorians with 2300 SAT scores not get accepted to bioengineering. I also think it is harder to get accepted to chemical engineering than mechanical. Last year, UT did not consider 2nd choice majors, only 1st choice. Again, I think you have a good shot, write great essays and good luck but apply elsewhere for your safety!
I don’t know his stats but the valedictorian of my son’s high school (son graduated this year) did not get into UT Chem Engineering. I think there are only 100 or so slots for Chemical Engineering.
@parentof3kids Well, according to Cockrell’s website, undergraduate enrollment for chem eng was 742 in 2015. Mechanical and electrical/computer are much bigger, though.
Yes, with your scores A&M engineering would be a safety for yourself. At A&M you get accepted to general engineering and you have to apply for your specific major at the end of the freshman year. If you have a 3.5 GPA or better, I think your acceptance is automatic. If it is less than 3.5, you are competing more in the pool for a slot. Also, the first year they implemented this system (2 yrs ago), the hardest competition was in the mechanical engineering disc.
Check out the A&M threads for Engineering. GTAustin is correct for how to get into Engineering now but I thought I read for the Fall 2017 A&M is making all applicants, even auto admits go through a holistic process. So I think A&M is going to a process that is like UT’s and you will be accepted into your Engineering discipline as a freshman. I think A&M has realized that it is losing some highly qualified applicants because they are currently not guaranteed to get the discipline they want and they are guaranteed to do so at other universities if accepted there.
The competition to get into Cockrell is very tough but if you get in you know you got your first or second choice of major.If you look around on the UT Cockrell site you can find statistics for how many applicants each discipline received and how many were accepted.
For the Academic Index, UT uses your class rank and SAT math and writing scores. So with your 800s on those you will get the max points. From this point forward the only thing you can control is writing good essays and making sure you clarify your ECs on the application.
For what it is worth I got into Cockrell for PE for this fall with lower AI stats than yours. My class rank was slightly better 31/814 but my ACT math was 35 so slightly less than your SAT math and my ACT english/writing was 31 so a lot less than your SAT writing. Also with the current state of the oil industry PE is probably not as competitive as ChemE. Good luck with your application.
I had heard rumors about A&M going to a more holistic process for engineering majors. My take on that was they were not going to accept engineering majors on a first come if you meet minimal requirements any more. That they were going to wait to review all accepted applications by a certain date and then do a holistic review for acceptance. Previously, if you were a weaker candidate but submitted your application on 8/1, you increased your chances tremendously of getting in. I had not heard that they were doing away with all applicants going into general engineering and then applying for the specific major late freshman year. If you are interested in A&M, you should talk to them directly about their admission process for next year. This will be the 3rd year where the process has changed.
Within the last month, we attended an admission session at Texas A&M for prospective students for engineering. It was explained to us that you would be accepted to general engineering the first year, and then you would still need to apply for your specific major for the 2nd year. Due to this, our daughter dropped this school down in her order of preference. They did still advise to apply early for the best chance of acceptance to the general program.
My niece, an auto admit, was accepted to ChemE for freshman 2016. Graduated #26 of 700+ students and SAT score was 1990. No out of the ordinary EC’s or volunteer work. Attended Longhorn Camp 10 years, counselor the last 2. Varsity sport for 4 years. One volunteer service organization. No work experience except babysitting. Lots of AP classes. White female.
@Thelma2 that’s good to hear because I’m pretty confident about my test scores, rank, courses, etc but EC’s are definitely my weakest area. Do you think I have a good chance if I demonstrate interest in engineering? I did take a principles of eng class in hs
I think you have a very good shot at getting ChemE. I would find it very hard to fathom that EC’s would keep a highly qualified candidate out of ChemE.
In contrast to @NotSoPatient, we found it a benefit at TAMU to being accepted into general engineering and then applying to the specific major after the engineering core curriculum was satisfied.The earliest is end of freshman year. Students are exposed to the different disciplines before having to apply for a major, which have GPA requirements to get in and stay in. A 3.5 at a students first application attempt guarantees choice of major. I have heard of several students who were accepted into their choice of major who were below a 3.5 for 2017.
Do look into TAMU. While I believe you have a great shot at UT ChemE, it is good to have back ups. Sometimes plan B ends up being the best fit after all.
For 2017 admissions, anyone who puts engineering on their application will be holistically reviewed before being placed there.
From the admissions page: All applicants who select Engineering as a first choice major, including those who qualify for automatic admission to the University via Top 10% or Academic admission, will be reviewed holistically for placement into General Engineering. To qualify for Early Action notification, your admission file must be complete by October 15.
Research where you want to live. Start filling out your Apply Texas app and be ready to submit it Monday. You should hear back within a few weeks (I think my niece received her auto acceptance to UT email in September) then didn’t hear about her major decision until the 3rd Friday in February, when the last wave of acceptances went out.
Fill out and submit your housing application and contract with applicable fees, asap of being admitted to UT for best chance at first choice housing. Good Luck.
@Thelma2 I know it’s better to apply as early as possible, but I don’t think I’ll be ready to submit on August 1. Is it possible to just complete the application and send the resume, recommendations, transcript, etc later? Or is applying in September still a good option?
@funyunz yes, just get the app only submitted the first few days of August. You can upload the supporting documents until Dec. 31. You may need to get the transcript in also asap, as that is what confirms that you are an auto admit. The other documents can wait.
Yes, you can still apply Sept. You can apply Dec. 1 for that matter. Applying early has everything to getting housing, which is competitive, and you can’t do housing until you are accepted, and you can’t be accepted until you apply. Even for auto admits, it is based on when you get that application in and get accepted.