GPA: 4.0 (weighted) 3.7 (unweighted) rank 75/623
ACT: 30 composite
34 English
28 Math
27 Reading
31 Science
9/12 Writing
I will be out of state.
Cousin graduated from University of Minnesota. I want to do either Pharmacy or Computer Science. I heard CSE is very competitive but I believe Computer Science is under there and I’m a reach for that. What are my other options if I want to go to Minnesota? Undecided? Transfer from another college (CLA) in there?
If senior year grades matter I can bring the GPA up to a 4.23 weighted and 3.78 unweighted. That will bring me above 10% I’ve taken about 10 AP classes total including 6 senior year.
I will be retaking my ACT in October.
Give me a realistic outlook and some advice if you have any please! Thanks.
So one option for you would be to specify CS (CSE) as your first choice and then CS (CLA) as your second choice. The application allows two choices. The College of Pharmacy is NOT a freshman admitting college.
Your application is due Mid December so well before first semester senior grades would be available, assuming the latter is end of year or January. Easier to raise your ACT than your GPA at this point. However, keep in mind that course rigor will be considered and all those AP’s should help a lot.
Even though CSE is a reach at this time I wouldn’t say you are out of the running so go for it - or consider one of the other colleges (bio. sciences, school of management) as your stats are super and you’d be competitive for those as well. It’s an easy application to complete. If UMN is your goal then you could always try to transfer from CLA later on, assuming that’s where you land.
Sorry. I know pharmacy is not a major but rather a path you take. I was going to major in a science such as Biology, Chemistry or Physiology and then pursue pre pharmacy classes to get into pharmacy school.
It is disappointing that senior year grades would not be factored in the admissions process. Will they not even look at my GPA for senior year? I thought they had rolling admissions up until spring.
I’m also curious as to if my senior year grades will matter for regular admissions to other colleges (assuming deadlines in January). I feel like my senior year is pointless now that I’m hearing colleges don’t consider actual senior year grades but just courses.
@Pho98 many colleges request a mid-year report and certainly all colleges require your final transcript before you arrive on campus. Senior year grades are considered to be a validation of whether they were correct in accepting you. If you blow off this final year you could put scholarships in jeopardy and could even risk having your admission rescinded.
Regarding U of MN, the priority deadline is Mid-December (check the admissions website for the exact date). A substantial majority of applications will be sent before that date. Applicants sending in their materials after that date have a much lower probability of being accepted, all else equal.
What they have is actually a rolling DECISION process. That means that, beginning in October, they will send out a decision anytime from a few weeks to a few months after you submit your application. Stronger applications are accepted first, even those which might have been received later than others. Last year I’m not sure anyone received a waitlist or rejection prior to February. Acceptances started in October and continued through end of January/early February.
Hope that helps. If you are considering biology I’d strongly recommend College of Biological Sciences (CBS). Check out the admission statistics by college here:
One further comment about a Pharmacy path. You really can take any undergraduate major as prep for Pharmacy- what matters most is that you get strong grades and do well on the grad tests. CBS (biological sciences) is almost as tough to get into as CSE (Science and Engineering). I recommend taking CSci in CLA (or CSE, if you get in) and take additional course work in chemistry and biology, if you are interested in computers.
A lot of schools offer pre-Pharm tracks, but Minnesota is not one. There is a pre-Pharmacy club, though, that you could join for information.
I am deciding between pharmacy or computer science. I’ve even considered optometry, although Minnesota doesn’t have a school for that I believe.
Anybody know how transferring into CSE or CBS is? Difficulty and course wise? Looks to me that those two are out of reach with my GPA but I will try my best to get my ACT up.
I disagree about your GPA- it’s right in line for both CSE and CBS. I feel like you have a decent chance for either school as it stands now, though by no means a lock (call it 50-50). A nudge to your ACT would improve your chances for either school significantly.
That said, to answer your question: if you were admitted into CLA, the process for transferring from CLA to CSE or CBS is fairly easy. Assuming you get strong grades in your lower division classes, both schools are fairly open to accepting transfers from within the University system. Not saying that it’s easy- you need to earn those grades after all. But it sounds like you are a good student and with a goal in mind that should motivate you further. Advisors in CLA can guide you to the best coursework and prepare you for a transfer.
Course work is going to be mostly the same the first two years, whatever college you get into (depending on how many AP credits you have coming in).
Best of luck! Let us know how it goes! We’d love to have you here!
To say the least I was an idiot my sophomore year. I took easy classes and could not get A’s in any of them. My overall attitude has changed tremendously since then and my course rigor has increased significantly along with my grades Junior and Senior year.
I will study hard for my last ACT and apply. If I don’t get into CSE or CBS I will work hard my first year to transfer! Thank you for the help!