What is her ATAR? Has she got a place at an Oz uni?
Enrolled ACT range within the CENG was 28-33. Applicant with a 31 should be able to hold her own; it may very well be an a-g requirement issue.
P.S. Applicant will not receive direct admission at UW, but with an ACT that places her around the top third of the engineering/pre-engineering class, she should be fine for regular admission to her major.
@UWfromCA, I’m not sure where you got your info, but it’s incorrect. According to Cal Poly’s Prospective Student Profile, the CENG median ACT was 33. My guess is that you’re looking at a 25th to 75th percentile range from an old common data set, as it’s been a LONG time (ever?) since the top ACT in the Cal Poly CENG was 33.
http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/7246/screen/19?school_name=California+Polytechnic+State+University
The difference is between selected and enrolled.
Got timed out adding the rest of my reply:
The ACT data goes back to 2005 (25-30). The 75th percentile ACT climbed to 33 for the first time in 2016. The range was 27-31 as recently as 2013, which shows how highly competitive Cal Poly has become over the last several years (as all of us in California know). I would not be surprised to see the middle 50 range move to 29-33 (or even 29-34) in next year’s ASEE profile.
Surprised to hear that admission decisions started to roll out already. I thought they would start releasing mid-Feb…
@UWfromCA, the difference is likely based on the fact that Cal Poly only uses the English and Math portions of the ACT in order to have an apples to apples comp to CR/M of the SAT in the admissions algorithm. I’m guessing the 33 they are reporting on the link above, is the median score of the average of just those two sections. I’m also inclined to trust Poly’s own institutional research data over that of a third party, even the ASEE.
Again, the difference is between the stats of admitted (“selected”) students and enrolled students. Colleges report their own data to ASEE.
Another example:
UCLA admitted: 29-34; enrolled: 26-33.
http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_fr/Frosh_Prof16.htm
Thanks for clarifying @vanderdonk - and thanks for the good luck wishes. I also wish good luck to yours.
@eyemgh when you say the ACT average was 33 for CENG are you referring to the average of only the English and Math subscores or the actual ACT composite? Thanks.
Funny. We also applied to Univ of Wash and are going to rule it out unless she is directly admitted to her desired major. I read a lot of stories from kids who wasted a lot of money on classes for their desired major and even after getting top grades in those classes, they were not ultimately admitted to their desired major. That would be infuriating.
30/31 ACT is not going to be good enough in most cases for UWash or Cal Poly engineering. There is way too much talent instate applying for those spots since (1) they are exceptional engineering schools and (2) they are an absolute, unmatchable bargain for residents.
Consequently, they attract tippy top instate talent and the standards for admission have become incredibly high in the past couple years.
30: Fosters? Not an issue for students who actually have "top grades" (or even "above average" grades).
@Lynn121936 UWash has 30% admission to major for CS. Way too much pressure to get in after 2 years for those who aren’t direct admits.
@eyemgh I just noticed from above you think the 33 is just the math and English portions of ACT. That seems more realistic. My D’s 32 using that method seems doable. If only she hadn’t selected BMED at Cal Poly (since they don’t have ChemE).
For UW, what that means is that 2 out of 3 students who were strong enough to get admitted to UW and want to study CS will have to pick something else. Why anyone would take the risk is beyond me when there are SO many good options out there.
Last year UW enrolled 68 freshmen direct admits (previous high was 40, if I recall). For students seeking regular admission, the Department states, “We typically have space for approximately 40% of students who apply,” which is why they are in the process of doubling the Department’s capacity with a second CSE building. In the meantime, the Department counsels, “Our best advice is that if you are admitted directly into another computer science program and would be extremely stressed by not being coded into your major directly as a freshman, it may be best to accept the other offer.”
Which is one reason UW makes for a great graduate school, but a much more questionable choice for undergraduate work.
^ That would depend on (i) the student and (ii) what the student plans to study.
FYI, UW is starting on a new building to double the number of the CS and CE spots available.