Chances for Mechanical Engineering?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Just wanted to know my chances for these schools. I think I have a good idea, but I want some other opinions.

Reaches: UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA
Matches: UCSD, UCD, Cal Poly SLO, Washington?
Safeties?: UCI, UCSB, SJSU

Should I apply to Cal Poly RD or ED? I wouldn’t mind going there, but I don’t know if it’s my first choice. I’m told it’s getting harder to get in and that ED improves admissions chances, so I don’t know. Last minute, I know.

ACT: 34 (33 E + 33 M + 32 R + 36 S + 11 on the Essay)

SAT I: Not sending (2060 (650+740+670), 2020 (590+720+710))

SAT II: 720 on Bio E and 780 on Math II, Physics in November

10-12 GPA: 3.79 UW/4.21 W (Mostly Upwards)

Rank: 27/562 (10-12 is 30/562)

AP’s: World (4), Calc AB (5), USH (5), Lang (4), Bio (4)
Comp Sci, Calc BC, Gov/Econ, Lit this year

Extra-Curriculars: Band since 4th grade, built some computers, some other things, but not for long periods.

Demographics: Middle Class Asian Male at a suburban CA high school

Major: Mechanical Engineering

2

UCB- Reach
UCLA- Reach
USC- High Match/Low Reach
UCSD- High Match/Low Reach
Cal Poly SLO- Match
UCI- Match
UCSB- Match
SJSU- Safety
University of Washington- Low Match/Safety

3

UCLA/UCB: Low Reach
UCSD/USC/SLO: High Match
UCI/UCSB: Match
SJSU: Safety

4

Thanks. So, I was thinking, Cal Poly is my #2 choice, behind UCLA. Being that my chances at UCLA are fairly low, is ED a good idea?

5

ED is for your #1 choice so if you will be satisfied with attending Cal Poly SLO, then apply ED. If you want to know if you can get into the other schools such as your posted first choice, UCLA, then apply RD. Do not apply ED to SLO just because you think you will have a higher chance for admittance. ED is binding so you will need to attend.

6

@Brickmaster7398 Just for reference from last year…my D had a 2050 SAT (I know you said you’re not sending your 2060), a not good ACT so didn’t send, took 9APs, 4.0 uw GPA, 4.7 w GPA and was valedictorian. She also applied to many of the schools you listed for Mechanical Engineering. She got into UCLA, USC, SLO, UCSB. She did NOT get into Berkeley. Not 1 person from her HS who applied to UCB for engineering got in and they were all top 5% of their class and all valedictorians. Many kids got into UCB with lower stats for other majors though but not engineering! Anyway, with your stats in comparison to my D’s stats, I would say UCLA, USC, UCSB, SLO are all matches for you. Interestingly enough, SLO only accepted 5% into ME last year. you can look at their published stats on that. My D ended up at USC and couldn’t be happier! good luck!

7

@stephrass - Wow…your daughter has close to the same stats as my daughter has now. My daughter has a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 4.7 (10-11) weighted GPA and a 2010 SAT (740M, 610R, 640W) and is in the top 10 in her class. She will have 9 APs also. We were thinking that UCLA would be a reach for engineering since the stats are so high there. She wants to major in Software Engineering, Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. She loved SLO and is interested in the Software Engineering major there though so is applying ED.

8

@stephrass your D Stats (arguably) were better than OP as UCs emphasis more on GPA. The fact that your D had straight A’s and 4.7 W GPA could have overshadowed her less steller SAT. Besides, eventhough rank is not supposed to explicitly affect the admission to UCs but by being a valedictorian, her other academics could have been superb as well!

9

Just to clarify, UW is definitely not a safety, as you are oos. It’s a match though for sure with your 34 ACT score.