Chances for a girl in Engineering?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Thanks in advance for looking!</p>

<p>Me....
Caucasian Female Junior</p>

<p>School....
Small Public in Rural Nevada
Rank: 1/59
GPA: 4.0UW 4.42W
Unfortunately, my school offers very few honors or AP classes, but I'm taking all that are available.... It also deviates from the standard math curriculum in that it combines everything into a dreadful 'Integrated' system. I am taking classes at the local community college in an effort to expand my curriculum. (I've gotten all A's at the CC, but they are not factored into my GPA)</p>

<p>Freshmen Year (we were on a block schedule w/ 8 periods)
English Honors I
Science Foundations (required elementary science class)
Integrated II (equivalent of Geometry)
Spanish II
Art I
Band
P.E.
Health/Speech</p>

<p>Sophomore Year (We switched to a 6 period schedule)
English II Honors
Integrated III Algebra/Geometry Honors (equivalent of Algebra II)
Band
Biology
Chemistry
World History
I also took one quarter of Spanish at the community college</p>

<p>Junior Year
English III (H)
AP US History
Trig/Precalc (H)
T.A. for a Science FOundations class
Psychology
Physics (H)
2 Quarters of Spanish at community college, one in Flash Web design
Summer APEA program at Carnegie Mellon - I'm taking Java Programming and Intro to Computer and Electrical Engineering( A's in both)</p>

<p>Senior Year (projected, but I doubt it will change much)
AP English
AP Calc AB (highest math offered)
U.S. Gov't
Bio II
AP Chemistry
Economics</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
Nothing spectacular, but not non-existant. I'm very involved with my church and varsity cross country.</p>

<p>Tests
SAT: 2300: 800CR 700M 800W - I'm goingt to retake for the math, which I typically consider my strongest subject, in December.
SAT IIs: US History - 800, Math II - 780, Chem in October
AP: US History - 5
National Merit Semifinalist (218 PSAT)</p>

<p>Colleges
Harvey Mudd
Scripps
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Case Western Reserve
Boston University
Carnegie Mellon
Stanford
Princeton</p>

<p>Is this list at all realistic?</p>

<p>Thanks Again! (Wow, that was long!)</p>

2

<p>CMU- match
harveymudd- high match
OLIN - out of reach
case western - low match/safety
BU- safety (might waitlist u coz they probably know they are safety)
Stanford - reach
princeton - reach
scripps -low match??/</p>

3

<p>Very good shot at HMC, but be sure you have a real passion for math and science if you seriously want to come here. If you find you want to do something else, you almost have no choice but to transfer.</p>

4

<p>oh ya..i forgot OP's a girl....HMC would be a match now...they try to take girls</p>

5

<p>i know a girl who got into olin with the lower stats then you</p>

6

<p>It's not that you shouldn't apply to either Princeton or Stanford. Your GPA, class rank, and SATs are definitely in their ball park. It's just that so many kids with similar GPAs and SATs apply and both schools accept such a small percentage of applicants, that both schools are reaches, even for kids with truly excellent stats - and your's are pretty darn good. </p>

<p>With that said, I encourage you to apply to both when the time comes, along with the other schools on your list. You've got three things going for you:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Very competitive GPA and SAT scores.</p></li>
<li><p>That you're female, and female engineering majors are still a pretty rare bird, and that alone improves your chances. In fact, most of the schools on your list would find that combination very attractive.</p></li>
<li><p>You're from Nevada, and female engineering students from Nevada are, well, a rarer bird still, and that should improve your chances even more.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>In short, go for it. You probably have better than average chances at both schools.</p>

7

<p>Mudd-match
Scripps-Does Scripps offer engineering?
Olin-match/reach...depends how you do during candidates' weekend...
Case Western Reserve-safety
BU-safety
CMU-match
Stanford-reach
Princeton-reach</p>

8

<p>olin is harder than stanford or princeton ma....just in terms of test scores...their average is 2350 and their weighted GPA average is 4.26...and the SAT M 700 really hurts ur chance....i mean engineering....</p>

9

<p>I would be interested to see a source for these stats about Olin, bearcats.</p>

10

<p>BU would almost def. waitlist you.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the input. As far as Scripps/Engineering goes, they have a 3/2 BA BS program with HMC, Wustl, and a few other schools that I would probably do if I went there.</p>

12

<p>ever_after:</p>

<p>Case Western Reserve University: Safety</p>

13

<p>Harvey Mudd: match
Scripps: safe match (why apply here for engineering?)
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering: slight reach
Case Western Reserve: safety
Boston University: safety (why apply here for engineering?)
Carnegie Mellon: safe match
Stanford: reach
Princeton: reach</p>

14

<p>You have a good list, and are sure to be accepted to a good number of your schools. I assume that you are not worried about the finances. You could add one or two more top schools, if you want to (Cornell and/or Johns Hopkins seem to fit). Or, you can stick with the list that you have.</p>

15

<p>can i ask you why you are retaking your sats? i would absolutely kill to have those scores...mind giving them to me? haha</p>

<p>but yeah good chances at all cept princeton/stanford</p>

16

<p>Good list ever_after! My daughter also did the summer program at CMU, took Calc and Intro to Elec. Eng. She's a senior now at Olin. I'd say your chances at Olin are good!</p>

<p>Other than CMU, have you visited schools on your list?</p>

17

<p>^Yes, I've visited HMC, Stanford and Scripps. I leave for a college tour extravaganza this weekend; my dad and I will be visiting the other four. Why do you ask?</p>

18

<p>A visit gives you an impression of a campus that you can't get any other way. The atmospheres at Case and CMU are slightly similar, but both are very different from Olin. </p>

<p>Have a fun tour extravaganza!</p>

19

<p>As a woman thinking about engineering programs, you might want to check out what Indira Nair and others did at Carnegie Mellon to attract and retain more women in engineering. It might give you insight into all the programs you're exploring!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

20

<p>How was the big tour? What did you see?</p>