<p>Hi everyone. I’m a freshman currently attending UT-Austin. I’m a biomedical engineering major, but I want to switch my major to actuarial science. UT does not really offer a solid actuarial program (they tell you to take lots of math and econ classes, and some finance classes if you are in the business school), but they do not have a technical degree for it. So, I am trying to transfer into Wharton. I did not apply to UPenn for freshman admission, but if it serves as any indicator, I got into some competitive schools (although not as competitive as UPenn) from HS (Caltech, Rice, Duke, …etc)</p>
<p>I don’t specify race, but I am male, and do not need financial aid.</p>
<p>Here are HS stats:
SAT I: M: 800, CR: 700; W: 690 (10/12 on essay)
SAT II: M: 800; Chem: 780; BioM: 770; Phys: 760
ACT: W: 31 (10/12); M: 36; R: 32; S: 36 Comp: 34</p>
<p>APs:
Calc BC: 5 (AB sub: 5)
Chem: 5
Bio: 5
Phys C M: 5
Phys C E: 5
Microecon: 5
Macroecon: 4</p>
<p>My high school does not rank, but my overall weighted GPA was 4.34 (I don’t know how to calculate UW, but it should be between 3.9 and 4.0). My average grade throughout all high school was a 93.4, with my class’ average as 86.7. My high school is a nationally respected private school, with a graduating class of 160, with 100% going to college.</p>
<p>High School ECs (I’m doing this off the top of my head, so I may miss a few, but I think I have most of the major ones covered):
2006-07 Siemens AP Award Winner
Caltech Signature Student Award
University of Rochester and Bausch and Lomb Math and Science Award</p>
<p>4 years on math team, captain during senior year
4 time AIME qualifier (scoring 1, 8,7,8, respectively) [school winner for last 3 years]
I don’t recall my exact AMC 12 scores, although they were all around 120 plus or minus 5 points (I’ll look these up for admissions)
Multiple top finishes in various math contests (UNM-PNM, Go-Figure!, Mandelbrot, AMC/AIME, Purple Comet)</p>
<p>4 years of participation in regional science bowl, 3 time champions, 3 time participants in National High School Science Bowl (also qualified for nationals twice in middle school), captain during junior year (although captaincy has very little value for science bowl)
3 years of participation in state science olympiad, 2 time state champions, 2 time participants in National High School Science Olympiad, captain during senior year
2 years of participation in HS Quiz Bowl team. 2 time state champions and national qualifiers</p>
<p>2 years of chess club
3 years of card-playing club, founder and captain(started in 10th grade)
Founder and Captain of school bridge club (started senior year)
2 years of writing for school newspaper
50 hours of community service for Hindu Temple Society of New Mexico</p>
<p>7 years of classical guitar lessons
6 years of piano lessons
3 years of JV tennis </p>
<p>HS work:
1 summer TA for Intro Chemistry class (after 10th grade)
2 summers Day Camp counselor (after 11th, 12th grades)
1 summer working in cell bio lab (after 10th grade)
Shadowed an ophthalmologist during last 6 weeks of school, and the summer after senior year (volunteering)</p>
<p>For UT, I’m not trying to sound conceited, but I expect to have a high (3.9+) GPA. So far, I have not missed a single question on any quizzes, tests, homeworks, papers, labs or group activities.</p>
<p>Right now, my classes are:
BME 102 (intro to BME)
BME 303 (intro to computing)
ACC 310F (foundations in accounting)
M 408D (the second half of Calc BC and also Calc III) [I actually took Calc III and Linear Algebra junior year, and Differential Equations in my senior year of high school, but UT would not give me credit for them]
Bio 205L (cell biology lab)</p>
<p>For the next semester, I’m still hammering out the details, but my course schedule should look something like this:
M 427k (Differential Equations)
ECO 420k (Microeconomic Theory)
CHE 318K (Organic Chem)
CHE 118k (Organic Chem Lab)
EE 312 (intro to computer programming)
ECO 304L (introduction to macroeconomics)[if my AP grade isn’t accepted] if it is accepted, I’d plan to do:
M 326k (probability I)</p>
<p>College ECs:
Plan to be on the 3-member team representing UT in the Putnam Mathematical Contest this December (I will know for sure by the time I send in my application)
Engineering Honors Program
Texas Global Investment Group
Biomedical Engineering Society
Texas Quiz Bowl Club
Texas Economics Assocation
UT Out of State Students Association
ACBL Club Master (started playing for the ACBL about 6 weeks ago)
Intramural Flag Football (coed)
Intramural Soccer (coed)
Continue to play guitar (although I am working by myself, and not taking lessons anymore)</p>
<p>My only job in college has been playing poker, but I don’t know whether that would be a good or bad thing to include (since a lot of poker is just putting your money in statistically favorable situations, much like what actuaries have to calculate), but I don’t know if it would be frowned upon to include that.</p>
<p>I would love to take another business-oriented class, but to do that, I need to be in the business school, which I currently am not. Transferring into the business school can only be done for the fall semester (the same time I’d transfer to UPenn).</p>
<p>My reasons for transferring are four-fold:
- The UT BME program is decent, but it doesn’t have nearly the facilities, research, coop, or internship opportunities that the other engineering disciplines in the College of Engineering have. Since BME is the only field of engineering I am really interested in, and I have a strong interest in economics, math, and now business (after taking ACC 310F), I think I should pursue that instead. The BME program does not allow for many free credits, so it is very difficult to pursue both.</p>
<li><p>UT does not offer an actuarial science major, although they have a math class designed for the first test for the Society of Actuaries. Penn’s Actuarial Science is very strong, and its mathematically-driven business school philosophy fits well with my math background. Penn’s economics and math departments are also stronger than UT’s.</p></li>
<li><p>These stronger departments invariably mean more work and more challenges for me, which I am more than excited to take part in. So far, UT has been much easier than any of my 3 years in high school (at my school, 8-9 was mid school, and 10-12 was high school). However, I don’t really have a sense of accomplishment when I’m not working hard, and I feel that others are getting a leg up on me in what they are learning. I feel like I have a potential to succeed in an environment such as UPenn’s, which thrives on not only working hard, but working together in the community (which doesn’t really happen much in UT; at least in the classes I’m currently in). </p></li>
<li><p>(the most iffy one, because I’m not sure of whether or not I can apply to two separate schools at Penn). If Wharton (ie the toughest school to get into for admissions) rejects me, but the College of Engineering and Applied Science accepts me, I would still go to UPenn, because of their magnificent faculty-student ratio, research and internship opportunities in BME. They also let people outside of Wharton take business school classes (which UT strictly does not allow).</p></li>
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<p>Also, if you have any advice for me, or can suggest another university that I might want to look into, please feel free to suggest them.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your input.</p>