<p>Hello all, this is my first post, so read on and watch me pop this proverbial cherry. Sorry. Here's my situation:
-California Community College student
-Electrical Engineering major
-3.88 GPA (all A's except for a B in my first physics class) with 42 semester units completed
-Will be hired by my college as a tutor for Electricity & Magnetism as well as for Chemistry next semester (This means GREAT LOR's from the professors from these classes).
-Not a lot of extracurriculars, but my mom is disabled (quadriplegic), and I spend a lot of time at home taking care of her so that my dad doesn't have to do it alone. I'm hoping that they will understand that this makes it difficult for me to be overly involved in tons of ECs.
-Mediocre high school performance (3.3 gpa).</p>
<p>I don't know what would make me stand out. I was an unmotivated high school student who did not find my passion until I began college. I'm worried that I will be competing with applicants who are way out of my league and I will sink to the bottom of the pile for all of these schools. I feel that me applying to Caltech would be like Helen Keller trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters. Is it even worth my time? Any advice on making myself stand out? How about Cal and UCLA? I feel that I'd have something of a shot, since my gpa is above the average electrical engineering transfer gpa for UCLA
(source: Profile</a> of Admitted Transfer Students by Major, Fall 2010 - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions). I'll also apply to Cal Poly. I know that the UCs give huge preference to CCC transfers, and I hear that Caltech gives us some preference as well. Also, when does the common application for 2011-2012 open? I know the UCs start taking apps in November. Thanks!</p>
<p>Go to your community college guidance department and talk to them.<br>
They should be able to tell you precisely what the deal is and your chances. They see students transferring to the state system all the time.</p>
<p>Re CalTech, set up an appt with their admissions staff and go talk to them. You have an unusual personal story re caring for a parent which means they may be willing to give you some additional consideration. It’s still a long shot, but if you don’t talk to them personally, you have no chance to create the kind of rapport that may get you a second look. And stop by Harvey Mudd while you are in the neighborhood and talk to them too. Your high school record is no longer of great importance. It is only a predictor of how you will do in college. At this point, they will be much more interested in what you have accomplished over the past two years, your letters of recommendation and what you have to say for yourself.</p>
<p>You have a great shot at all UC’s. Just write your essay about a day-in-the-life of Wacker, including taking care of your mom, and the struggles you and your family faces. That will cover EC’s.</p>
<p>Caltech accepts <10 transfers per year, so the odds for anyone are long. Also consider Harvey Mudd?</p>
<p>You have a unique story and if you are able to broaden your search, consider some top schools back east, such as Cornell (or MIT), or other Ivies. Yes, their Engineering is not a high ranked, but the other Ivies have phenomenal financial aid (and better than Cornell, which is still very good).</p>
<p>M’s Mom- I like your idea of talking to the Caltech admissions staff. I’ll be doing my college tour of all these campuses fairly soon, so I’ll be sure to schedule that meeting!</p>
<p>bluebayou- I wasn’t aware that the Ivies had such good financial aid. Just did some research, and since mine is definitely a low-income family, I’d be looking at a sweet package if I got accepted into the Ivies. Also, I’d like to get my MBA in the future, perhaps after a few years of work experience as an electrical engineer, but graduating from an Ivy would probably be helpful for that, right? Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA
2 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
4 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA
5 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA
6 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
7 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
8 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
9 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
10 Purdue University–West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN
11 University of Texas–Austin Austin, TX
12 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
13 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI
14 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
15 Texas A&M University–College Station College Station, TX
15 University of California–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
17 University of California–San Diego La Jolla, CA
17 University of Maryland–College Park College Park, MD
19 Duke University Durham, NC
19 Rice University Houston, TX</p>
<p>TheSai, there are very few people that “JohnAdams” will say this to, but you are not only a scholar, but you are a total gentleman.</p>
<p>your reaction to the heated debates about that great Institution, Duke, were totally professional - the young incoming freshmen from Duke that post on CC should really spend some time to review your posted messages.</p>
<p>this coming from JohnAdams
a Princeton ChE, Stanford MBA, Investment Banker
and more importantly, a former officer of The Tiger Inn (although a long time ago)</p>
<p>To JohnAdams: Thanks man. Wow, I knew you were from Princeton, but a Stanford-man as well? Most impressive…just for the record, I was rejected twice, both undergrad and grad when I applied to Stanford…I will get into this place one day!</p>
<p>But thanks for the appreciation. You yourself are very talented. I was most impressed with the amount of knowledge you carry. The points you bring up are very precise. While you may be misunderstood (I confess, I misunderstood you at the very beginning when we met in the NRC thread), it took me a while to understand you. For that I ask for your apology.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to anyone who calls you “rude” or “condescending.” You are an important member of CC and I’d like to see it that way. :)</p>
<p>Holy cow! I didn’t know that people such as yourselves (JohnAdams and TheSaiyans666) had time to give advice to mere mortals such as myself, but I am humbly appreciative to both of you. Please know that I cherish any advice I can garner from you. If I may be so bold as to ask a few questions, how were your guys’ experiences at extremely competitive engineering programs? Did you have to sacrifice all social pursuits, parties, and, well, happiness in general for a few years in order to make it? My professors are telling me to go to an easy state school for undergrad, therefore I will have a higher GPA and be in a better spot for grad school. Any advice from those who have been there?
I could ask questions all day, as you two are the exact types of people for whom I have a limitless list of questions, but I’ll leave it here for now :)</p>
<p>In CA, UC’s must accept CC students transfer requests once they attain certain gpa. I beleive most of the transfer counts here for Cal is related to CC students. Not sure how many oos are successful, especially to the engineering school.</p>