@AETX I’m a Mays parent, so I know more about Mays. This past year, 1450/33 appeared to be the ‘safe’ scores to get in most majors holistically (+ resume/ec’s, etc)…but that’s not to say some with lower scores didn’t get in. Eng definitely has more room than all other majors.
If he’s a rising junior, I’d have him study/prep for ACT/SAT with Khan Academy and take each test one more time. He definitely has the higher level math & science classes needed.
@FriscoDad can weigh in, he’s the Engineering guru
For math in engineering admission, having high school AP Calculus BC with score is considered stronger candidate. So it is important to clarify whether if your student’s Calculus I and II are Dual credits or high school Calculus. If those are high school Calculus, then register College Board AP Calculus BC test to guage the prepareness for admission and ETAM. If those are DCs (Math 2413/2414) it can weaken your son’s application because TAMU prefer students taking calculus at TAMU and DCs will have no choice but to transfer by law. For students very good in Math (e.g. scoring a 5 at AP Calculus BC), the student can use the AP to claim Calculus I, and take Calculus II and Discrete Math or Differential Equations to improve their chance in ETAM year.
Same goes for Physics 1/2. It is best to take the high school classes and take AP Physics 1/2 exams with good scores.
For homeschool/private school applicants, in the past few cycles having 1400+ SAT single setting will help in early round of admission (October). More public scores will favor student assigning of top 10% ranking. Essays will be important to address why students take that path instead of going to public schools. (Hint: they just want to know if students are capable of facing tough competition aka ranking). The goal of admission should be in line with the prepareness of ETAM.
TAMU engineering is very tough starting sophomore year. For competitive majors like BMEN, CHEME and ME, it tough to maintain B+ grades.
Students should not dead set on computer science. Latest career survey shows CHEM EN, BMEN, NUEN and ME are top earners and higher job landing rate. Every engineering major has over 30 hours of coding and data science is now in curriculum in most engineering majors not just comp. science.
Apply early is important and fill out SRAR now and carefully. Student can link SRAR later when application opens.
Thanks so much! I appreciate all of this info! We are purposely not taking those Calc and Physics courses as dual enrollment, so I appreciate the info about that.
We’ll keep working to get test scores up. He has a 5.0 GPA and other dual enrollment courses (English, Rhetoric, etc).
B+ in Freshmen year not enough for ETAM. ETAM will be very easy if comparing Junior+ classes.
Starting sophomore year, hard to find those keeping 4.0. Our recruitment firm only saw one 4.0 graduating BMEN in 8 years for instance. Much rarer than other top public or private colleges (Rice, UCB, MIT…)
Not “more difficult” in terms of knowledge but in general except computer science, the engineering school require a lot of work. Most professors won’t curve, so you can have easy entry level (freshmen) classes where 90% of students achieve A, but for sophomore classes like Physiology when average session score is in the 40s in a test but still need 90 to get an A (so can be a few students out of 150+ class get A).
For students in US high schools where grade inflation can be common practice, TAMU engineering will be tough so reminding students that 3.5+ GPA is a very good engineering GPA. A 3.75+ graduating GPA in engineering in ME, BMEN, CHEN, AERO, NUEN have no problem gaining acceptance to very top research universities for graduate schools.
My son will be applying to TAMU in August. He is hoping to be in the Corps of Cadets and would like to major in Aerospace Engineering. He attends an extremely small, rural HS. He is #1 in his class (Top 5%). We’re pretty sure he’ll be a College Board National Recognition (Rural) Scholar based on his PSAT score, but they don’t find out until the fall. How important is an SAT/ACT score when applying to engineering? He only took the SAT once a few years ago. He did okay, but definitely not amazing as he was maybe a sophomore?
His sister is heading into her sophomore year at A&M. She was also #1 in her class. We never thought twice about SAT scores when she applied since she was Top 10%, but if I understand correctly, engineering is different??? Can anyone give advice?
Top 5% will automatically admit to the campus, but not necessarily to the engineering division.
Be aware of the secondary admission (ETAM) to get into the specific engineering major after entering as a general engineering student. Aerospace and mechanical engineering appear to be among the more competitive majors for those who do not make the 3.75 college GPA for automatic admission, though they do not appear as competitive as computer science, computer engineering, or biomedical engineering.
I guess I’m trying to figure out if he needs to take the ACT in a couple of weeks in order to increase his change of getting into general engineering for his freshman year? (We will have to drive a couple of hours to make this happen.) How often do students that are #1 (top 5%) NOT get accepted into general engineering at TAMU?
Did your son not take the SAT after the PSAT?
Did he take AP Calculus? Since Engineering is very competitive he will probably need a score in a math subject test, ACT, or SAT to show his math aptitude.
@megan_atm I’d say he’ll definitely need a strong/high ACT or SAT + higher level math courses taken, to get accepted to Engineering.
Unfortunately the Rural College Board scholar won’t be enough, and that scholarship is no longer automatic.
He’ll get automatic acceptance into A&M, but not necessarily to General Engineering.
My son is applying for Admission and is an auto admit. He is applying to Engineering and I know that is separate. Last year when my daughter applied, under essays, there was a place that had a different essay question for Engineering students. I do not see that listed. I called last week and the lady helping me did not see it either. Does anyone know where to find the Engineering essay and the short answer questions for this coming application? Thank you.
@52AG82 Our school district does not offer any AP classes since we’re a small, rural school. They just don’t have the staff to do this. Instead, they offer online dual credit classes that are through a community college. He’ll have like 21 college hours after HS graduation. He hasn’t taken an SAT recently. I can’t remember why he missed the school day one this past year, but likely he was at an extra-curricular activity. He plays multiple sports, is in multiple clubs, competes in multiple competitions, and shows livestock. He is out of class A LOT (although not technically absent since it’s for school events). I honestly wasn’t too stressed about SAT since he’s currently #1 in his class and is so well-rounded. I guess I didn’t realize getting accepted into engineering was different than other majors.
Engineering at many schools is very popular; and Texas A&M has grown a lot over the last few years. The major requires a strong math understanding and background to do well … which is why having a math test score is important. You might call admissions and ask if they offer a math placement test?
Which engineering field your student is interested in?
Corps of Cadets is a good choice, not just the activities and experience, your student can get help in engineering classes.
Many TAMU engineering fields are top 10 in the nation, beating the Ivies. So even passing the ETAM freshmen year, the classes starting sophomore are really challenging. Many parents here just trying to give your student heads up.
Your student will gain admission. Right now is the best time to gauge his readiness for engineering. Try some AP practice tests (Chemistry and Calculus). If he is comfortable with the questions, he will be ok. If not, try self-pacing the AP material using online resources now. This will make huge difference in his college experience. Good Luck!
