I’m currently in junior year, but I would like to get started looking at colleges. I live in southern California and have had some exposure to great public schools like UCLA and UCSD, but I’ve been looking into the more advanced private schools surrounding engineering (some of the Ivies, MIT, Cal Tech, U of C). Though these are great safe schools, how far can I really go up the ladder of schools? I’ve only taken the SAT once and got a 2200 and have taken the chemistry subject test and gotten an 800. I took AP Chemistry and AP European History last year and got a 5 and a 3 on the AP tests respectively. This year I am taking AP US History, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics 1, AP Language, AP Art History, and AP Psychology. I’ve had straight A’s through my high school career and cumulatively have about a 4.5 total though it should go up to ~4.65-4.7 by senior year. I am the Secretary of French Honors Society (I will be President next year) and am involved with many other clubs with which I am currently seeking a leadership position (SAVE Club, Photography Club, Link Crew [Freshmen Supporting], Cycling Club, California Math League). I have played tennis from a young age and play for a club team, in tournaments, and for my high school.
In the way of engineering specifically, I’ve been interested in math, science, and putting things together from a young age. I built a 3D printer with my dad and have experience in the coding languages Python, HTML, CSS, and Javascript (though I am not seeking a career in Computer Science). Most recently, I attended a precollegiate engineering course for a few weeks over the summer at Stanford and am currently looking for a possible exposure to something like an internship at my local university UCR with a chemical or materials science engineer. Comparing myself with all the other applicants I’ve seen on this website and around the internet I feel like I’m lacking in many categories. I am not nationally ranked in sports, I do not have a 2400 on the SAT or a 36 on the ACT, and I do not have very many hours of community service (though I was looking into volunteering at a local medical clinic). Are my aspirations to attend schools like Stanford, MIT, and Cal Tech out of the question, or is there potential for admission? What else can I do to improve my chances or otherwise my experience of the engineering profession?
Bump please help
I think you have done well so far and if you can improve your SAT to around 2250 and keep up your GPA, you will be competitive for top UCs. But for the very elite schools (top 10) you need great ECs and even higher scores. Have atleast 2 Supject tests and aim at 750+ scores and top AP scores.
@uclaparent9 I am planning on taking the math subject test and definitely retaking the SAT again now because I truly believe I could bring my math and writing scores up to try and compete for those top schools, though the UC’s are still a great plan B and within reach. Thank you for your insight!
“Top UCs” are a great plan B and a solid match for you already. For example, according to the latest (2014) UCLA Admitted Student Profile, the 25/75 percentiles were:
Applicants: 1,640-2,060
Admits: 1,940-2,240
Enrolled: 1,790-2,150
4.20+ GPA had a 56% acceptance rate.
http://universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary
Your SAT backs up your GPA.
Keep up the great work, and your aspirations for Stanford, MIT and Caltech are not out of reach.
Good luck!
One additional comment:
OP wrote, “Comparing myself with all the other applicants I’ve seen on this website and around the internet I feel like I’m lacking in many categories. … I do not have a 2400 on the SAT or a 36 on the ACT[.]”
Please do not let this website alter your perception of reality. Those scores are extremely rare. For example, of the 1,672,395 who took the SAT in the class of 2014, only 583 scored a 2400, and only 2,969 scored 2350 or above. Likewise, of the 1,845,787 who took the ACT, only 1,407 scored a 36. ACT scores of 35 (7,175) and 34 (14,037) were also rare.
Thus, while admission to schools like UCLA is very competitive, only about 20% of UCLA’s applicants in 2014 had SAT scores of 2100 or higher, and the admission rate for those students was around 52%. My niece was admitted to UCLA with a 2100 from OOS, and her friend was admitted to Stanford with a 32 ACT, neither with any unusual “hooks,” just very good GPAs (top 5% of class) and involvement in a nice range of school and community activities.
Admissions to the very top engineering schools is somewhat like a lottery for qualified applicants. Your grades and test scores are good enough to qualify for a lottery ticket. You can improve your chances by applying to a number of them.
A 2400 SAT is not required for admission to any school. Even on College Confidential not everyone has one.
Most ivies are not considered top tier schools for engineering. You could take a look at the US News & World Report engineering rankings, the top 10 is a pretty reasonable list. Also Harvey Mudd is quite good.
@UWfromCA thank you for the statistic about the UCLA SAT-based admit rate. Where did you find it?
@UWfromCA Thanks for the statistics I’m feeling better about my chances now! Just reading around I’ve seen many very high scoring applicants with 2350+ or 34+ testing scores and the top schools unfathomable; I didn’t know that few people earned such high scores. The UC’s are still great schools too and I’m happy to hear that they are good matches.
@cheeryParent I guess there are so many great applicants to the top schools that it also takes a bit of luck too. I have also been looking into more engineering focused schools too, but many of them are near or at the top 10 (Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech, Columbia, etc.) so there was a little overlap. As for harvey mud I’m actually going to tour there soon over thanksgiving break since it’s just an hour or so away from me! Thanks for your input!
UPDATE:
I got the volunteer/internship work at UCR at a chemical engineering lab last week and have already put in dozens of hours.
I am joining NHS in 2 weeks and also founding my own club on the basis of free, collaborative tutoring for stressed out students (AP students specifically).
Math 2 Subject Test: 790
PSAT: 1480 (will probably get NM semifinalist at least)
I am retaking the SAT this next Saturday and am confident in my ability to bring my score up to maybe 2250+ (especially with super scoring).