<p>Hey
I am a white female from a suburb outside of Philadelphia, Pa. My high school is public and competitive. I am applying to the engineering school for chemical engineering. My test scores are not very high at all, but I tried to take my school's most challenging curriculum. Comments are appreciated.</p>
<p>SAT I: 640 W 650 M 630 CR
SAT II: 740 USH 630 CHEM
AP: 5 USH 5MACROECON 3 STAT</p>
<p>Senior AP: CHEM, CALC AB, COMP GOV, and ENGLISH</p>
<p>Class Rank: My high school doesn't report rank but I am most definitely in the top 5%</p>
<p>GPA: 4.1</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>
<p>High School Volleyball - 4 years
MVP 2006, Suburban I Three Time All-League Selection
Club Volleyball - 3 years
Student Government - Exec. Committee and Co-chair of student concerns committee
National Honor Society - Treasurer
Doylestown Hospital Volunteer
Spanish National Honor Society
Safeway Employee</p>
<p>Essays - Common app - I wrote about my grandmother being my hero
Letters of recommendation - should be good</p>
<p>mm... it'll be a reach. The MVP award looks impressive, but the SAT score is quite low. However, anything is possible, you see kids with 1200s get in Cornell or Stanford, so don't give up hope. Just make sure you have several backup schools. I read this book "on writing the college app essay" by Herald Bauld, and he warned about writing grandmother type essays. Make sure the essay reveals something about you, not just all of your grandma's qualities.</p>
<p>I would suggest trying SAT again to raise math score. Also, try the ACT. In engineering programs, the math score is really important. It is more likely that the school will give a bit on a lower verbal score if the math score is wonderful. Yours isn't really "low" --- just do some brush-up on all those concepts you haven't used in a while, and you should be able to raise your score.</p>
<p>I took the sat three times and I am not planning on taking it again. before my last time I had a math tutor and my scores only increased by 10 points. Thanks for the post.</p>
<p>What is it about engineering that interests you? Do you like calc & physics? Are they difficult or relatively easy for you? What draws you to the field? I am curious. I attended an engineering school & also worked there later in life. People who didn't really know what the engineering curriculum entailed often ended up transferring schools (this school only had engineering & industrial management). When I went there, ONE THIRD either flunked out or transferred out --- many transfers were due to students finding out that they really didn't like or excel in the necessary classes. Just food for thought. But if you aren't certain you'll like the coursework, you should make sure that if you do get into an engineering school, you can easily move into another program if you don't like it. </p>
<p>I don't see anything about physics. Most good engineering programs require physics in high school. How are you doing in AP Calc & AP Chem? The midyear report for those classes will be an important factor in the admissions decision. Your SAT math isn't that low for a typical engineering program. I don't know how selective VU is for engineering. Your score shows you have the ability, but it's at a level where you might struggle with the material more than some students in your classes. If you have a really good work ethic --- and, again, like & excel in math & science --- you should be okay. Don't laugh when I say you should "like" math and science. Believe it or not, I have seen lots of students who are pretty good in them, but don't really like them, go into engineering --- only to find that they HATE it.</p>
<p>I never wanted to be an engineer; in fact, I continually detested the idea mainly because my family is full of engineers. When I took my first course in chemistry, I really enjoyed it and became extremely interested in the subject. I understand why you question my interest, my history in science and math may not be as extensive as other engineering candidates. I am taking AP Calc and Chemistry now and am doing well in both classes. As far as physics, I didn’t take AP Physics this year, but I did take my school’s standard Newtonian Mechanics course and did very well. I understand that engineering school will not be easy, my dad reminds me of this everyday, but I do have a strong work ethic I have proven throughout high school and intend to continue in college.
Additionally, I am well aware that I may not enjoy engineering school. I am also well aware that I may drop out, but if I drop out it will be because I am not enjoying the material or can’t picture myself in the engineering field. The truth is, I have interests beyond math and science, I love to write and am interested in politics. I have not locked myself into the engineering field. I am seventeen years old, I don’t have to have a definite and restricting plan for the rest of my life, but for now, I am going to try engineering. Thanks for your reply.</p>
<p>I was glad to see your answers to my questions. You seem to have a good handle on things. Like I said, many students who plan to be engineers never quite get there (pre-med is that way, too). Because engineering courses are pretty tough, many students who are used to being at the top of the class will give up. But they shouldn't ... if they realized that it's hard & they won't necessarily be "best" anymore, they might hang in there and reap the benefits of their hard work. </p>
<p>AP Physics isn't necessary; physics is fine. Your background is well-rounded with the classes you have taken. If you actually LIKE AP chem, then you will probably do well in your engineering classes (enjoying your studies is half the battle). You seem to have the preparation, and your SATs shouldn't be a problem. I don't know Vandy's stats for engineering school, but I can tell you that being female is definitely in your favor!</p>
<p>Dear kaw6145:
I really don't want to discourage you from doing what you think you will love. If you believe in yourself you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I just wanted to present another side and let you know what you will be up against in engineering, particularly chemical engineering. My son is in ChemE at Vanderbilt. Just as background (not meant to boast), he excelled in math, physics, and chemistry (800 on SAT I and II in Math, all 5's on AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C ( he took both Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism APs). While his grades are very good at Vanderbilt, he really struggled with Organic Chemistry (required for Chem E), and though most things usually come easy for him, even he admits that the other Chem E courses are pretty tough. I am sure he would also tell you that the required math courses would be very difficult unless you had a good handle on Calculus and the like. I would think that given your scores in those areas, math and the physics/chemistry courses will be very challenging for you at Vanderbilt.
However, if you go get accepted into engineering (yes, being female is a plus in your favor), you can always transfer out to the
A&S school at Vandy if you change your mind. It would be much better than going to a strictly engineering-type specialty school I would think.
Keep your options open, and if you still want engineering, good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the post, but I am still going for engineering. Once again, I will state that engineering is not my only option, I have other academic interests and talents. As for your son, he was probably born to be an engineer. As for me, engineering might be more of a challenge, but I believe that there are components in engineering beyond science and math. I share this prospective with a Chemical Engineering professor at Vanderbilt. A great engineer can sit at a desk and do an endless amount of calculations, but an even better engineer is able to effectively communicate their ideas, discoveries, and plans. </p>
<p>Furthermore, as much as I appreciate your advice, I think that advice like that is what intimidates a lot of women from entering engineering school. </p>
<p>Finally, all of my schools have great programs in other fields. If engineering does not work out, its not the end of the world.</p>
<p>Dear kaw:
Sounds like you have some terrific goals and I commend you for that! As I said at the beginning of the previous post, "I really don't want to discourage you from doing what you think you will love. If you believe in yourself you can accomplish ANYTHING you set your mind to." By no means was my post meant to seem intimidating to you or other women. Being strong in math/science has nothing to do with gender, and I didn't even imply that. Yes, you are right that engineering is not all math and science, but to make it through the curriculum you will encounter a lot of it and it will likely be challenging for you. It sounds as if you are up for that challenge, so certainly go for it!</p>