Chances to private engineering schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>What do you think my chances are to get into a small reasonably selective private engineering school? Any advice/recommendations?</p>

<p>1910 SAT - 680 CR, 570 V, 660 M (retook, awaiting scores, hopefully higher math)
I am taking SAT IIs, although I only plan on submitting them to the schools that require them. </p>

<p>~3.73 unweighted GPA (my school does not weight)
Top 25% of 45 person class, I got to a small public optional 7-12 school,
and arguably the best school in the state.</p>

<p>Course load:
I have been taking the most challenging classes possible through high school, although AP classes are not offered, classes at my school at taught at a relatively high level. Freshman and sophomore GPA are ok, with a strong upward trend through junior and senior year. I am currently taking Calc I at a local college. I have been taking 2-3 science classes nearly every quarter, 7-8 classes during Junior year, 6-7 during freshman and sophomore.</p>

<p>Summers:
Freshman: Acting camp..
Sophomore: CTY Cryptography, Volunteer staff at robotics camp, other science camps.
Junior: CTY Electrical Engineering, Volunteer staff at robotics camp, other science camps.
Senior: Mentorship at engineering firm, built free-space optical communication link.</p>

<p>Awards
Nothing, good. I won a card house building contest two years in a row. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Misc
370 hours volunteering for science museum
42 hours volunteering for local democratic candidate
Robotics club, over 50 hours.
Robotics/microcontrollers as a hobby, all self taught, built some neat stuff.
Gym hockey
Karate
Representative to highest level and second highest of school government (includes principal, staff, parents, students), junior and senior year.
Treasurer to above board, junior year.
Model UN, Mock Trial
Ham radio general license</p>

<p>I am thinking about small engineering schools, and I plan on studying electrical or optical engineering.</p>

<p>Low selectivity:
-University of Alaska, Fairbanks
-New Mexico Tech</p>

<p>Medium selectivity:
-Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Top reasonable choice)
-Stevens Institute of Technology
-Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
-Worcester Polytechnic Institute </p>

<p>Reach:
-Carnegie Mellon
-Stanford</p>

<p>Thanks, feedback would be great.</p>

2

<p>Your list seems to be pretty good. You will definitely get into one of them. Just make sure you will be happy if you get into only the 'low selectivity' school. I think you are a shoe-in at Stevens and WPI among the 'med selectivity' schools.<br>
I met a WPI graduate over the weekend and he told me that what he learnt there has helped him a great deal in his career. The technology keeps changing in his work (software development, maintenance) and WPI education gave him solid foundation to deal with changes, he said.</p>

3

<p>Sounds reasonable to me. Are you from Alaska? That may help with private colleges that want to show geographic diversity.</p>

4

<p>Yes, I do live in Alaska, and I really want to get out of state for college, somewhere warm like the east coast would be nice. ^^</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies, I will look more into WPI.</p>

<p>Also, thanks for manning this messageboard, it is a really useful tool. It helps me (and I imagine other people as well) to sort out and think about what they are going to stick on their college applications, and identify strengths/weaknesses.</p>

5

<p>WPI looks pretty nice. Uh.. sorry for the bump, but I have a question.</p>

<p>Should I bother sticking the first place at a card house building contest for two consecutive years on my college applications in the awards catagory, just to keep it from being empty? It might be a little funny, but I think it will also look desperate..</p>

6

<p>You're right, it may look a little desperate. But if you can pair it with anything you can think of anything you can trhow in with it (Honor Roll, National Merit commended student) so it wouldn't stand alone, then I think it could be good. Shows creativity. Could make you stand out because of the uniqueness of the award.</p>

7

<p>I'm hoping to go to WPI my first choice of school maybe I'll see ya there!, and i've never thought of MA as being warm XD</p>

8

<p>I think the card-house awards will look quirky and interesting. Maybe you can write about them in your essay.</p>

9

<p>If you have any questions about Rose-Hulman, feel free to ask me via PM or see my post in the Rose-Hulman sub-forum.</p>