College Recommendations?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

Hello,

I am in desperate need of college recommendations. I am in my senior year, time is ticking, and my interests have fallen extremely limited to reach schools such as Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, and Georgia Tech. I obviously need a safer school and am hoping to hear your thoughts on schools appropriate for my needs. Here is some of my personal background:

  1. I am from Los Angeles, CA
  2. I do not care whether the college is in state or out of state
  3. I prefer medium to large schools (not small)
  4. I prefer a city environment
  5. I am interested in engineering (hardware, mechanical, and robotics)- my planned major; hopefully the school has a lot of connections for jobs, internships, opportunities, etc. around this department
  6. I am also interested in music as a hobby; I would like to go to a musically inclined school (ex: bands)

I honestly do not know much for what else to look for in a school (besides its reputation). Hopefully, you can help guide me into finding the right school. Thanks!

2

Not sure if it entirely fits your wants, but Cal Poly SLO. It has a great mechanical engineering programming. It’s a medium size school. It isn’t a huge city, but has a nice city feel to it, the beach is right there, and a quick train gets you back home to LA. From what I hear, the school is pretty heavily recruited.

It may not be a true “safety” school though, since it’s competitive to get into as well … but it’s another option to look into.

3

What is your UC/CSU GPA? UW GPA? HS course rigor? What are your test scores? What can you afford to pay each year?

4

Perhaps Michigan State University? It has excellent merit aid.

5

Yes, what are your stats? Safety can be defined differently for everyone.

6

Cal Poly SLO’s engineering program acceptance rates vary and many are below 15% so definitely not a safety. If you post your stats and budget, posters can give you some ideas.

7

Thanks for your responses!

My unweighted GPA stands at a 4.0
I do not know my weighted GPA, however, as I have taken 6 college courses and have not added them onto my HS transcript.
I did not take any AP or Subject Tests.
My SAT score is very low; its 1180. However, Ive been practicing a lot for the November test and have been getting practice test scores of 1350.
As for tuition costs, I honestly have not even considered them, which scares me. An ideal tuition would honestly be below $40,000, but then again there is always the possibility of financial aid.

8
  1. You need to run the Net Price Calculator for each school on your list and find out exactly what your parents are willing to pay for college.
  2. A safety school should be affordable (little to no loans) so you need to know your exact budget.
  3. Since you live in California, you have some great schools to consider. Unless you get your test scores up, UCLA and UCB will remain Reach schools especially if you plan to pursue Engineering although your GPA is great which will help you at the UC's and CSU's.
  4. What is your local CSU? http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf
    You get priority at your local CSU and should be one safety school.

As a California resident, if you are financially eligible, Cal Grants/Blue and Gold Scholarship/Pell Grant etc … should make all California schools affordable.

For other safety schools, I would look at UC Riverside, San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona to name a few.

UC Santa Cruz looks like a Match school. UCI/UCD/UCSB/SLO are possible if you can bump up your test scores. If your parents can afford private schools, consider USC (again if you bump up your test scores) and Santa Clara.

Many OOS public schools are not known for giving much financial aid, so you will need to run the Net price calculators and unless you increase your test scores, merit aid may not be enough to bring the costs down to the California schools cost of attendance.

Hopefully some posters can give you some ideas about schools where you can pursue your music. Again, you need to know your budget for anyone to make any other school suggestions.

9

I would definitely consider UCSD (not sure it is “safer” than the ones in your list, however).

A “safer” school can be UCI.

10

UCSD is a slim possibility unless the SAT scores bump up into the 1400+ range since all Engineering majors are capped.
An SAT of 1180 is even low for UCI so not a safe school either with current stats.