Target Schools: UC’s, UIUC, Cal Poly SLO (my goal), CU Boulder, Purdue, Harvey Mudd, USC, sjsu, uw, umich
ACT: 31 (33,34,32,25) - This was my first attempt at the test. Couldn’t take it after that cause all he test centers closed. (Couldnt take any subject tests either)
GPA: 3.6UW (This is what I am most worried about. My grades dropped a little in my soph and junior year because of a chronic disease that surfaced. I never got any c’s or d’s. All a’s and b’s. I also improved throughout each semester). I talk about it in one of my Uc essays
ECs: - I’ve played an classical instrument for about 8 yrs now. I’ve done a bunch of solo performances at cultural events. I also passed all the mastery exams.
Marching Band: I'm in wind ensemble right now. We went to a lot of competitions in the past
Volunteering: I have a total of 90 hours. I volunteered at a local museum where I talk to visitors about STEM and new technology in our world. I also volunteered at senior centers and helped seniors with technology.
Robotics: I've done 2 years of robotics now. Last year I was the hardware lead of my team. I overlooked all mechanism designs and worked with software. I got more involved in our robotics club and am an outreach manager. I help plan and organize events in the community to showcase our robots. We've won many awards over the years. I've pretty much dedicated most of my time to robotics in high school.
Was part of a research project over the summer. My project was related to mechanical engineering and applied physics.
Tutor for about 3 hours each week.
Won 1st place in a local hackathon with around 200 people
Courses: 11: AP bio (4), AP Calc AB (5) 12: AP Stats, AP Physics C, AP Comp Sci A
Overall Im really scared because my gpa is pretty low and mech e is generally very competitive. I will be including my situation in the additional info section but I’m not sure how much impact that will have.
Cal poly SLO GPA? Rogerhub calculator plus 9th grades for a-g courses and a cap of 8 semesters of Honors points.
Cal states and UC’s are test blind currently so GPA is a major factor. Also for the Cal states, no essays, LOR’s to explain your illness and grade drop.
Anything under a 4.0 capped weighted UC/CSU/SLO GPA will be a tough admit for the majority of the UC’s and Cal Poly. However, with the personal insight essay for the UC’s, your illness can be addressed which can help your chances.
I see no safety school on your list. SJSU is a Match unless you are local which makes it a safety. Most likely UCM, UCR and UCSC depending upon your calculated GPA could be Match schools.
Your schools all have low admit rates for CS. It isn’t too late to apply to some true safety and match schools. Find a place where your GPA and test scores are in the top 25%.
Look; A BSME from ANY school guarantees you a job. People in CA believe their schools are the best. If you job search elsewhere, it won’t matter. Better an easier college and a higher GPA.
I agree. I really want to attend a UC or Cal poly slo. I highly doubt Cal Pol y will accept me so I am hoping for a good UC. Preferably Irvine, San Diego, or Santa Barbara. My hope is that my essays are reflective enough to demonstrate to the AO’s that I am a good candidate and that my high school gpa is not reflective of my true abilities.
However, past thresholds were based on the old HSGPA * 800 + SATCR + SAT_M, so they would not be directly comparable to the current formula. But last year’s threshold for ME was 3850, which would have meant that an applicant with a 3.6 HS GPA would have needed a 970 SAT score to reach the threshold.
UCR and UCM may be your most realistic targets out of the UCs.
A UC/CSU GPA below 4.0 will be a tough admit for all your target UC’s and Cal Poly SLO.
@inthegarden: For the UC’s and CSU’s, they do not accept counselor recommendations in the admission process so only the UC personal insight essays could address the chronic health issues.
Some statistical data for the UC’s below. These are not major specific so for ME the admit rates will be lower and required GPA higher.
2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 1%
UCLA: 2%
UCSD: 9%
UCSB: 6%
UCI: 7%
UCD: 9%
UCSC: 40%
UCR: 53%
UCM: 80%
For Cal Poly SLO, the GPA admit range for the College of Engineering 2020 was 4.04 – 4.27 and ME had around a 19% acceptance rate.
So SJSU as a local applicant will make it a safety along with ASU.
Cal Poly Pomona would be a good option and agree their Engineering programs are strong. Your CSU GPA is still below the average of 3.83 but definitely worth an application.
You apply to their First Year Engineering Program (FYE) and don’t pick a specific engineering major until your sophomore year. I’m not an admissions officer (just a student that has done a lot of research), but I’d say you have a decent chance at admission into their engineering program. Here’s a link to the engineering admissions info page:
The average admitted GPA for engineering is 3.82 unweighted, not too far off from yours. They place an emphasis on math and science classes, so these are classes you’ve done well in, this could help. Your ACT scores are only slightly below the average, a 32. They also have a special circumstances section in their application.
It’s too late for early action, so if you haven’t applied yet, it will effect your chances for merit scholarships. It is out of state, so cost could be a factor. Overall, I’m in the same boat. I hope you give it some consideration as well.
