Chances of WPI? New and Final Stats

Colleges and Universities A-Z Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Junior over here
OOS New Hampshire
Weighted GPA: 3.81 (3.55, 3.95, 3.94)
Unweighted GPA: 3.65 (3.52, 3.81, 3.62)
Took all CPs Freshman year, Honors Biology and Honors Algebra II Sophomore Year, and Honors Modern World Literature (0.5 credit), Honors Precalculus, Honors British Literature I (0.5 credit), Honors Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP US Government (Online) Junior year
Should mention that my GPA has been raising extensively throughout the years (Might be a bit lower than last year, but still an overall increase)
ACT: 30 Composite (33 Math, 25 Reading, 30 English, and 30 Science); It was my first try and I am not retaking again.
SAT II: I took Math II and Bio E. I confirm that I will not be retaking them, so if they are good (600+), I will send them. If not, oh well.
AP Scores: AP Biology - 3, AP US Gov - 3
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Senior Year Schedule: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics I, AP Psychology, AP Biology Internship, Honors Mixed Choir, and Honors Philosophical Literature/Honors Intro to College Writing (0.5 credit each)
In terms of a foreign language, I went up to French III and was originally in Honors French IV, but dropped past the deadline to take Choir (Was too late for Honors).
ECs:
Varsity Tennis (9,12)
JV Tennis (11; None 10th grade and it got super competitive);
Debate Club (11,12)
Math Club/Mathletes (11,12)
Marine Biology Club (11,12)
Science National Honors Society (11,12)
Mu Alpha Theta (12)
National Honor Society (12)
Skiing (12; I’ve skied forever, but never really thought of signing up for the ski team)

Honors:
Two Renaissance Awards (Comes down to that you are a helpful person, where only two applicants can be nominated by a teacher)
High Honor Roll (Except 3rd Quarter Freshman year and 2nd Quarter Junior year)
National Honor Society (Have not been inducted yet, but plan on doing so)

Community Service: Around 70 hours (Likely 100 by the time I start submitting applications)
Work: I got hired by a job and will work about 30 hours a week for the summer
Recommendation Letters: I got the two letters. Both are from teachers where even though my grade is not high (B+/A-), I actively participate in class, help students, and make the entire class laugh (in a good way).

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No one can accurately tell you what your chances are. However, you can get an idea by looking at the info in a colleges common data set.

The WPI CDS shows 77% of the admits had unweighted GPAs of 3.75 or higher. It also shows that rigor of one’s high school program and GPA are the two most important factors in admission. Also an SAT score in the lower 600’s is only in the 25th percentile. Bottom line is that I would say the WPI would be a reach for you.

BTW, WPI is a private college so there is no in or out of state.

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@HPuck35
Did you even read my stats? I am submitting an ACT score, not an SAT score.

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Yes, I read your stats. Did you read my comments? GPA and class rigor are the deciding factors. That alone makes it a reach for you.

Your SAT scores place you, whether you submit them or not, in the bottom of the class. That confirms that WPI falls into the reach category for you as far as one classifies colleges.

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@HPuck35
I’m not saying that. But you do realize that WPI considers the ACT right? I am submitting that, which places me in the average for that category. I’m not trying to say WPI is too easy for me or anything (It’s a fantastic school and I’d be thankful to go there), but I found it odd that you are referring to SAT scores, when I am talking about ACT scores.

Thanks for the feedback though!

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It is hard to judge where the “average” ACT score is when looking at the CDS. True, it looks like a 30 ACT score is about in the middle; 28 is the 25 percentile and 32 is the 75 percentile. But the scores are most likely not a uniform distribution but instead have a bias toward the higher scores. So, your 30 could very well be below average. You just don’t know from the data given. That lack of definition is why I didn’t consider it.

But beyond all the numbers, all I’m trying to say is that WPI appears to be a “reach” for you. The categories being: “reach”, “fit” and “safety” or something along those lines. By being a reach, it means that you should have other colleges that you are applying to in the other categories.

The biggest issue about actually getting admitted to one’s reach college is that your GPA could be a struggle to keep it at a decent level. The goal here is to get a decent education to make you ready for a career in engineering and also to have a good enough GPA to be considered a good employment candidate. Many companies have a stated 3.0 GPA minimum to be considered for a job. The actual minimum can be much higher. It was usually around 3.4 for the company I worked for. So, finding a college that one can succeed at and get a good GPA should be the goal.

College GPAs tend to be lower than high school GPAs. Not always the case, but quite frequently; especially in engineering.

Your stats are good. Get a good list of schools to apply to. You should do fine.

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Hi @BiologyMajorHere,

I think you really do have a chance. While WPI may be a bit of a reach, you should definitely reach for it! Honestly, the whole admissions process feels like such a shot in the dark- anything can happen. You just need to be totally on your game with your application. You may get admitted and have a fabulous experience here. Or perhaps you may find your perfect academic home somewhere else.

Based on your previous thread, I am assuming you are a rising senior now (and no longer a “junior here”.) So here’s my take on where you are presently:

Senior courses: You have a nice selection of rigorous courses going into your senior year. You’re definitely on the right track taking AP classes. It’s unfortunate you weren’t able to do better on your AP exams last year. You will need a 4 or 5 in order to receive college credit from WPI. This is true for most schools, so you should devote some more time and resources to prepping for your AP exams this year.

GPA: This is a weakness for you. Your GPA puts you near the bottom 25% of admitted freshmen. But remember…that means there are many students with your GPA that have still been accepted! You just need work hard to shine in other areas. Getting excellent senior grades, especially in your first semester will be key.

Standardized testing: A score of 30 is very average for WPI, but a nice result for your first try. Why do you say you aren’t going to take them again? I wouldn’t give up after the first sitting. Do some additional prep and take them again. You still have time to register for the September test date. You might also retake them in October if necessary and submit the results even after you have applied for admission. Better testing results will demonstrate that you are a stronger student than your GPA might indicate.

Demonstrated interest: Have you made an official visit to campus yet? Don’t wait on this! Go in September/October for an official tour. Also sign up for one of the fall open house days as a separate visit.

Interview: This is optional at WPI. Discuss this with your Guidance counselor. Your counselor with be a good judge of whether you would present well in an interview, so definitely keep this expert opinion in mind when deciding whether to interview at WPI.

Letter of recommendation: Looks like you’re all set!

Essays: Do you have a bank of completed essays yet? Have you reviewed them with an English teacher/Counselor/parent yet? You should go into senior year with 1 or 2 solid essays that you’d feel good submitting as the main essay on your common app. Summer is the perfect time to get this done. You should also write up a handful of short essays to the typical short response questions that you will need to submit for each school. The Common app system is open for the 2018-19 school year, so you can access the writing prompts now. I know you’re on summer vacation, but you should get to work now (while you have more time) and let yourself stand out with your writing. You’ve indicated that writing is a strength for you, so give yourself the opportunity to maximize this talent.

Apply Early Action: The deadline is Nov 1st. This means you have just 3 months to get everything together for your application. Plan to do this early so you aren’t rushing this process or missing the deadline. I can’t stress enough how important it is for your chances to apply EA to WPI (and your other top choice schools). The acceptance rate is significantly higher than applying RD.

Good Luck!

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@BiologyMajorHere: I sent you a PM.

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I could not see if you are male or female from your post. If you are female you are an admit based on past admission trends at WPI. Tougher to call if you are male.