Reading some of these threads really get me down, now I feel like I wont be accepted. Was worth the try anyway I guess.
Applied for the college of engineering
Out of State
Female
Act composite: 28
Gpa: 3.75 uw
Class rank: top 15%
AP: ap us history, ap lang & comp, ap psych, ap chemistry
I’ll have 21 college credits at time of graduation, including french language credit
I’ve also taken 4 engineering classes offered at my local community college.
Very heavy class load my senior year
Working 15-20hrs week
My EC’s kinda suck, lots of volunteer work w/ NHS but no sports.
Also a first generation college student
@purplepaige it so happens that you have two “hooks” that are going to improve your chances - first generation, and being a female (as CSE activity recruits females).
What is the breakdown of your ACT?
I think you have a very good chance of getting accepted. A friend of mine got in with a 29 ACT, but had no hooks unlike you. Both them will work in your favor
31 science, 25 math, 29 reading, 30 stem composite… I don’t remember the others It’s been so long lol I probably should have taken it more than once.
Not sure what “STEM composite” means for the ACT - they are always changing around definitions. I calculate that your English score is a 27 - does that seem right?
Your math is unfortunately very low and that’s going to hurt your chances despite the hooks. 94% of those enrolled at CSE have a Math subscore of 28 or higher, and the 25th percentile is a 30. The workload is math-intensive so they want to make sure you can succeed there. However, the Science score will help! Not sure how it will all shake out for you. Perhaps it’ll come down to what math classes you’ve taken and how you have done in them.
(here is the distribution of the math ACT for 2015 - not sure why they haven’t updated for the new school year yet . . . http://www.oir.umn.edu/student/characteristics/term/1159/count/10714)
My guess is that despite what happens they’ll want to admit you to CSE and obviously will admit you to one of the colleges if not your first choice. Don’t worry about EC’s so much as they are not primary factors for admission (plus they know that there is more to life than sports . . . ). Yours seem fine, btw. and being able to hold down a part time job while pulling good grades is a real feat (and won’t be lost on the admissions committee).
What was your backup college? CLA?
Finally, don’t worry about the acceptances being posted now - those are just the strongest applicants. They get those easy ones out of the way early so they can spend more time on the interesting applications like yours.
Rooting for you! Good luck and keep us posted!
Thank you for being so kind, I was expecting everyone to say that I have no chance.
@purplepaige23 you have a chance - but you should be considering your backups (be they another college at UMN or elsewhere). Always a good idea when a school is in the “reach” category.
I’ve been accepted into an instate university, the U of M is just my dream school.