Profile: Rising senior. Female. First gen. Low income, if that matters.
STATS:
32% class rank
26 ACT (I plan on retaking)
Haven’t taken SAT yet
Extracurriculars:
HS Newspaper Editor (staff for 2, co-editor 1, upcoming year I’ll be editor)
Environmental Science Club (3 years)
Secretary of Political Activism Club (4 years)
Part time job for 9 months
Possible internship at a local newspaper
I know my class rank sucks, but if I raised my ACT would I still have a chance? I plan on taking the SAT soon also. The 26 was without studying or prep at all so I’m feeling semi confident. I made an 1160 on my PSAT with no prep either. My essays + letters of rec should be great also, but I know A&M cares more about class rank and test scores than anything else. My intended major will either be in business or biomedical science. Do I have a chance?
*Edit to add: I will be taking some CC classes this fall to help with figuring out my career path, since I’m thinking about going into CS. Classes will be programming and possibly biology.
You would definitely need a higher ACT because your class rank means you are a review admit. You have decent EC’s, which should be good.
Studies showed that many students believed their essays/recs were 9/10, when they were usually 4/10 or 5/10 (average). So don’t really rely on your essays/rec letters.
Your major is good because it means as long as you apply early and get admitted, you will get your major.
The reason I’m confident about my recs is because I’ve had to get them from the same teachers I’ll be asking this time around for a previous application, and I was allowed to read them (was a summer program). They were definitely good then and I have a great relationship with them so I doubt they would be bad this time. You’re right about the essays though, I’ve always been a decent writer but I’m already panicking about my essays. They could end up being trash tbh. How high do you think I’d have to get my ACT to to be considered? @RMNiMiTz
Business is a very popular major and competition is stiff for the last few slots ( they do save a few spots for reviews but it fills quickly every year with automatic admits). Biomedical science is also popular with those going into medical school. Computer Science is in the school of Engineering, but Information management is within Mays (business). If your major is full, you will be asked to pick another major.
Your bigger challenge is to be admitted to the university. The way that works is you will be reviewed 50% will be scores & rank, the other 50% everything else. A 30 ACT is what is needed for academic admits, so it is a good goal number. You are in the 2nd quartile, so you will not be an academic admit no matter how high you score - but obviously the higher the better. You can update scores until Dec 1. Your essays once submitted can’t be changed so make sure you are satisfied with them. If you have any special challenges do mention them within the essays (creatively). The income portion will come to play with scholarships & some special programs available, although it can be a factor in admissions if there is in impact. There are study programs available for free online (Khan Academy is one), do not take too many units at a college before you apply - you limit your options for Blinn Team selection. Good luck!
Howdy, I’m a current high school senior who is trying to get in to the TAMU Civil Engineering department!
-Top 8% in my class
-Sat : 1060, 1070
-Act : 22
-9 AP/Pre AP courses taken, 5 dual credit courses taken
-Over 500 volunteering hours
-Student Body Reporter
-Varsity Baseball 3 years, and a letter
-2 years in Chior
-A few teacher selected awards
-UIL member for 1 year
-Written all 3 of the required essays
-Part time job
Any idea on my chances? Also, is there any way to submit SAT/ACT scores after you have officially applied? My scores are clearly poor and I hope I can submit a more respectable one.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks y’all.
I will say that the 1060/1070 SAT is a tab bit low (as is the 22 ACT). However, top 8% means you will be able to get autoadmit into the university (unless you are OOS).
Auto-admit does not mean auto-admission into engineering though, so you will have to watch out for that engineering holistic review.
Is your SAT/ACT math score especially high (with low reading/writing)?
@CarterH yes, you will gain admission to the university provided you go to a Texas HS, as top 10%. However, you will face quite a bit of scrutiny with the engineering review. It is your type of applicant that pushed the university to go to this system - high rank + low scores. I’d imagine you would get offered an off-campus option for engineering ( Blinn engineering or Galveston), unless there was a reason behind your low scores. You will need to step up your game in the testing scores - study & retake them- Khan academy online is free. Even if you’ve already applied, continue to pursue higher scores so that you can potentially appeal later. Only scores that have been taken prior to the end of the application period ( Dec 1) will be considered if you do end up in an appeal situation. Why the scrutiny? Historically students with low test scores & high rankings from ‘less competitive’ schools end up dropping out of engineering. Where they lack is normally a firm foundation in math/sciences & study habits. I don’t know your situation, but I would certainly try to improve those scores - you will need to know the background information to succeed in college, so it isn’t a ‘waste’. Vast majority of your college courses will grade based on exams only, if test-taking is a hurdle for you then more practice can only help.