<p>uWash doesn’t make you declare your major though.</p>
<p>Wow, I see. So I definitely have a decent chance of being accepted? On the parents forum all the parents are like nope too hard to get in.</p>
<p>I took the ACT, got a 33:
Composite: 33
E: 35
M: 36
R: 32
S: 30</p>
<p>UC GPA is weighted…so my UC Weighted GPA is 3.63ish… :/</p>
<p>I’m afraid I think the parents know what they’re talking about. Sorry. But look at the source of the encouragement you’re getting here: two posters with 5 posts between them. What kind of experience do those parents have?</p>
<p>jazzcuzi: UW CSE does take direct admits. I’m one from a few years ago.</p>
<p>TheNexus: Your GPA is slightly low for the direct admit program (most students have around 3.9 unweighted with lots of Calc/Physics). However, it never hurts to try.</p>
<p>At UW, there are 2 ways to enter the CS program. Accelerated (invited to apply if top 10% of your CSE 143/Intro CS 2 class) or Upper Division (finish a set of pre-req classes, then apply). If you search around the CC threads, there’s quite a few with lots of good information and some personal testimonials from current students. If you apply while at UW, the department does NOT look at your high school grades.</p>
<p>Yes, the program is difficult to get into. So is many of the engineering programs, such as BioE or EE. Our department just got a ton of federal funding and private donations, so we’re actually opening around 40 spots to every undergraduate graduating class as well as more spots in Masters/PhD, but that doesn’t apply to you right now.</p>
<p>You’re looking good. No Senioritis. Keep focused on your grades and I’d think you’re a lock.</p>
<p>you should definitely spend about a month or so working on your essays.
This is a short guide you should sort of follow (not perfect, but it should be helpful)
- write your essay, don’t worry about the length, you write what you want.</p>
<p>[quick tip: my AP English teacher told us to close our monitors with an empty word document open and just type whatever you wanted. So for you, you can choose the topic of india for example and just write about India, how it inspired you, how the people changed your mentality, etc… the thing about this is you might get a really nice piece that you probably wouldn’t have come up by sitting at your desk and thinking about it. So just let your fingers type away, just basically turn off your brain and stop thinking about grammar, punctuation, word choice, etc. just write… it sounds weird but it definitely works]</p>
<ol>
<li><p>re-read what you wrote, make comments, make changes, cut parts you think don’t fit well or add stuff in. be sure to save this as a new document, like “prompt 1, draft 2.docx” or something. That way, you can go back in case you feel like you missed something. </p></li>
<li><p>Ask peers, teachers, parents, neighbors, anyone that can give you a valid, honest opinion. Ask for feedback, take notes, thank them and when you work on it again save as a new document and do the changes. You don’t have to do everything suggested, so just keep the things you like. </p></li>
<li><p>Now the fun part, play video games for 2 days and just don’t think about the prompts. </p></li>
<li><p>after a few days, go back and re-read it and start editing things out or in. This gives you a fresh clear view on it. </p></li>
<li><p>rinse and repeat steps 2-5 as many times as possible (you have 2 prompts so time things wisely. you can end up doing both essays at the same time or individually, but i recommend trying to get both of them down together, just so you have a rough idea of the total word count. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>By the time you submit your application, you should have an outstanding essay 
[be sure to submit early, as in not wait for the last minute]</p>
<p>**IMPORTANT: when you re-read it be sure you read it aloud, and not in your mind. you’ll understand how it sounds and it’ll help you change things around.</p>
<p>yep, the essay is a very very important part in your application</p>
<p>Make sure that you send Cal Poly your ACT and SAT. They prefer the ACT – fact. They will also focus more on the English and Math scores too. This is exactly where you are strongest. Your grades show consistent improvement overtime. So, you were a bored freshman and it appears that you matured over time. A 4.3 weighted GPA is good. I think that you have more than an outside chance. Lookin’ good! Make sure to apply to at least 7-10 schools total.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for your help SPatel. I’ve heard that UC’s look prominently at GPA, but I’ll give it my best :)</p>
<p>Wow, thanks Osaka dad. That’s great news to hear - that they look most primarily at Math/English scores (36/35). I’m starting to feel a bit better :)</p>
<p>most UCs are, but the holistic reviews (those who take everything into account before making their final decision) don’t really emphasize the GPA that much.
Holistic reviews AFAIK are UCB, UCLA, UCSD</p>
<p>Would you then recommend that I apply undecided?</p>
<p>no, there is no drawback from listing the CSE major as your preferred choice regardless of whether or not you are granted direct admission (as far as i’m aware); to my knowledge one accrues no benefit whatsoever from applying undecided</p>
<p>Apply with CS OR CE as your intended major. I say “or” because you can fluidly change between CS and CE until you hit your later 300 and some 400 level classes, where the two majors kind of “branch”.</p>
<p>If you have a back up major (EE? INFO? ACMS? etc…) list that as your second choice.</p>
<p>Applying with intended majors that accept direct admit, such as CS/CE, EE, BIOE, etc… gives you a shot at direct admit automatically after you’re accepted in general admissions to the university. The way direct admit works is you get accepted to UW, then the main admissions office forwards your freshman application to the specific departments for consideration.</p>
<p>Assuming you listed majors that accept direct admit students, listing two will ensure that you have the maximum chances (without looking at your application) of being accepted direct admit into a competitive program. You can be accepted to your 2nd choice major if not the first.</p>
<p>Do it. You have nothing to lose. NEVER apply undecided, even if you really ARE undecided (for the rest of you reading this). If you enter a major you end up hating, you can always leave the department. Just sign some paper and show your ID.</p>
<p>Here’s some data to help evaluate your chances:</p>
<p>Preliminary numbers show that for Freshmen entering Fall 2012, Cal Poly accepted 30.7% of Engineering applicants (3,402 accepted/11,082 applied), who had an average GPA of 3.98, ACT of 30, and SAT of 1346 (math and reading only).</p>
<p>[Student</a> Profile - Admissions - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo](<a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions)</p>
<p>uWash. Wow.</p>
<p>Your essays will be your biggest shot, by far. I stand by what I always say - make sure your personal statements are AMAZING.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly UIUC doesn’t care about SAT 2s or Writing section.
That being said, I got in to ECE last year in the Honors Program with a ****ty GPA and a downward trend (1480 on SAT) </p>
<p>But you’re from Cali. Why not go for Berkeley/other Cali schools?</p>
<p>I’d say you’re a match.</p>