<p>I'm a high school senior in Miami,FL at an arts high school. I am also an African-American female of Haitian descent(my maternal grandparents are Haitian immigrants), so I guess this makes me first generation. I'm not looking at a specific engineering discipline. I just know I want to do engineering. My problem is I'm having issues finding REALISTIC schools.
This is a brief overview of my stats:</p>
<p>SAT:1840(planning to take again November. I'm expecting 2100+)
SAT Subject tests: Taking in December :P
UW GPA: 3.706
W GPA: 4.873
By graduation, I will have taken 7 APs (My school offers 10)
Combined family income<60000
Main Extracurriculars:
Visual Art(Got a couple of local awards including Scholastics and I've been featured in a few galleries)
Community Service(I'm part of a couple of organizations and I started a project that will get me on the radio)</p>
<p>I did a summer program at MIT(2014)</p>
<p>My schools:
REACHES(I know my odds are low but it doesn't hurt to try)
Stanford
MIT</p>
<p>MATCHES
Georgia Tech
UMiami
UF</p>
<p>As you can see, I'm pretty average compared to most people on this forum, which makes it difficult to find appropriate schools. Every time I see a school I like(Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, etc), I realize it's out of my league. I just need realistic options so I KNOW that I will be accepted somewhere(I can't guarantee that I'll be accepted by my matches).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Realize that according to some schools’ metrics, you are not African-American, so that may not be the “hook” that you may believe it to be. But you do symbolize ethnic diversity, nevertheless.</p></li>
<li><p>"…difficult to find appropriate schools."
Every ABET-accredited engineering department is “appropriate,” so if you meant academically appropriate, don’t get lost in the reeds with such semantics.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s alright to be undecided about particular engineering disciplines, but admissions committees at super selective schools will want to evaluate the depth of your desire for their program. Just give it some thought.</p></li>
<li><p>What features/assets of particular schools interest you? Large, midsize, small? Undergraduate research opportunities? Male-Female ratio? Etc.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>I just identified myself as African American because technically I am. My dad is African American. Only my mom is Haitian. </li>
<li>By appropriate I mean I have a realistic chance in that school. Schools where my stats fall into the average freshman profile.
3.Right now I’m gravitating towards BME, but I acknowledge that my interests may change once I reach college.
4.I prefer a medium sized school in an urban area with research and a close to even gender ratio, but I also acknowledge that I can’t be too picky with my stats. I’m open to possibilities.</li>
</ol>
<p>It may be too much of a weather shock, but look at Case Western in Cleveland. The M:F ratio is 54:46. Within engineering it’s worse, but it will be that way nearly everywhere. It’s a neat campus in a city clearly on the rise. They have LOTS of research opportunities and more importantly, money. They are also generous with financial aid. I’d also look at WPI, Drexel, University of Portland and Seattle University. I haven’t verified that they all have BME, but that’s another discussion anyway. Most here would dissuade you from BME if you’re planning a BS only. The school search is fun. Enjoy! Good luck. </p>
<p>Yes, i would agree that you should look into the [url=“<a href=“http://theaitu.org%22%5DAITU%5B/url”>http://theaitu.org”]AITU[/url</a>] most of them are in urban areas and are medium size since they are focused on Engineering. The M/F ratio is probably no better than 70/30 just because of the more engineering oriented majors but many of them give good merit aid as @eyemgh has pointed out. I also agree that you should look carefully at Mechanical or Chemical Engineering as well as BME. There are few jobs for those with a B.S. in BME but you can go for a Ph.D. in that field starting from just about any Engineering or Science major.</p>
<p>Yes to the suggestions by Eyemgh and Xraymancs.</p>
<p>The AITU schools will provide a very good engineering education and may be advantageous to you regarding financial aid because all want to increase the number of women students on campus. In addition to the schools already mentioned, consider George Washington U, Vanderbilt U, Northwestern U, Rice U and Texas Christian U., Illinois Institute of Technology, Northeastern U and Boston U. Incidentally, GWU and NEU are spending lots of money to expand and enhance their engineering departments.</p>
<p>You would likely be a competitive applicant also at these schools, which are in urban settings:</p>
<p>U of South Carolina (situated in downtown Columbia, an area full of student-centered attractions/activities)
U of Alabama at Birmingham (a midsize public university)</p>
<p>There’s also Texas A&M, which of course doesn’t have the archetypical urban density, but the campus is not rural. Engineering at TAMU is excellent (one of the best) and the campus student chapters of NSBE and NOBCChE are very active. Many major engineering firms recruit at TAMU.</p>
<p>All this being said, your state option at U Florida is a good one, as is USF. The FAMU-FSU Joint College of Engineering is not the strongest STEM school in Florida, but there are solid opportunities there for diligent students. And of course, your instate options will usually be the cheapest, but some private schools will be competitive with offers of financial aid. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody! I have officially added WPI, IIT, and TAMU to my list :)</p>
<p>Just one more question: What is your opinion on Tulane? I get their emails all the time and they have visited my school. I like their vibe, but what do you guys think? </p>
<p>Overall Tulane has a fine reputation but I know little of its engineering departments. Check their career office website to see which STEM companies recruit Tulane students. You will probably find some cultural similarities between Nawlins and Miami, although Miami is a true metropolis. Nawlins is not a big or cosmopolitan as some would have you believe. A good friend from the northeast is a Tulane professor and loves it down there.</p>
<p>Lake Jr. visited WPI during his own college application season a few years ago and came away impressed. I liked it too. Very engaging and friendly students. Nice compact campus. Worcester not the most exciting place but it is a college town more or less, and Boston is a short commuter train ride away. </p>
<p>I think you might make it to Gtech with a 2000+ SAT score with your other credentials. A word of caution though…unless you think you are strong enough to compete at Gtech (or any other strong Engg.school) , a high weed out rate will leave you frustrated or worse blaming the school for your misgivings. </p>
<p>Your list does not have any safeties in it… and have you checked the affordability of the schools on your list in their net price calculators?</p>
<p>3.706 unweighted GPA and 1840 SAT makes Florida A&M a **full ride safety<a href=“3.5%20unweighted%20GPA%20and%201800%20SAT%20score%20needed”>/b</a>:
<a href=“Page Not Found”>Page Not Found;
<p>As noted above, this would be almost free (just misc residual expenses after an automatic full ride scholarship) through FAMU, but would likely cost a significant amount through FSU.</p>
<p>Once you find a college you are interested in, you can get a lot more admissions info by looking at their “common data set”. Just google “common data set” and the name of the college and it should come up. It gives a profile of their incoming freshman class as far as test scores, GPA and other parameters. The most interesting, I believe, for applying info would be the section where they describe what is important to that college as far as admitting students.</p>
<p>"…a high weed out rate will leave you frustrated or worse blaming the school for your misgivings."</p>
<p>Yes, some STEM schools are notorious for a high “weeder” rate. Engineering is a tough major; lots of math and principles of physical science, particularly in Chemical Engineering. That’s just the way it is. So investigate your target colleges thoroughly. There are STEM schools that receive praise for their student support services. Typically these are the smaller programs that Xraymancs spoke of. Wherever you end up, please check out the ‘Women in Engineering’ chapter on campus. Keep in mind that the AITU schools very much want you to succeed and will provide lots of support if you seek it. By the way, lots of bright kids who enter as engineering majors change their minds after a taste of the curriculum. No crime there!</p>
<p>Apply to UCF or USF (as a safety). Both schools will likely offer a merit scholarships (somewhere from $2k to $3+K a year). Since they are on rolling admissions, you’ll get your acceptance back in a few weeks (as well as the merit award). It’s nice having an affordable option, while waiting on the other schools (UF makes it’s offers on the 2nd Friday of February). </p>
<p>Neither school offers BME, but as you do your research, you’ll see that many folks recommend getting your BS in another engineering field, and then your master’s in BME. Both schools have med schools, so medical related EC’s are available.</p>
<p>FYI: BME at UF is a limited access major. You’ll have to apply to BME as a junior (after your first two years). UF restricts applicants to those they are confident will go on to earn a masters/go on to med school/law school, etc, since a Masters is required to be employable in the BME field. Otherwise UF will recommend you earn your BS in another engineering field and then earn your masters in BME. Of course, UF also has a large med school so medical related EC’s are plentiful. </p>
<p>The video also covers UF’s 4+1 programs, where you can earn your BS and Masters in 5 years. For example: you could earn a BS in ME and then your Masters in BME (and this path is not limited access).</p>
<p>I’ll throw in a plug for the HBCU Prairie View A&M in Texas (not terribly far from Houston). I know a young PVAM alumnus from the Pacific Northwest (talk about two different worlds, LOL) who was a top high school achiever, loved her time at PVAM, and earned her M.D. from Case Western Reserve University Medical School a few years ago. She was admitted to an elite undergraduate college or two, but had her heart set on an HBCU and pretty much got a full ride from PVAM.</p>
<p>Do not arbitrarily dismiss your in-state options. Others in this thread have mentioned the Florida schools, and I am repeating that. But give the Florida schools an honest look. Any ABET school will give you a solid engineering education. </p>
<p>@colorado_mom Last year I did AP Studio Art(5), AP Psych(4), AP Lang(3), and AP USH(3). I’m doing AP Calc AB, AP Lit, and AP Bio as of right now.
I think I’ll add USF as well(I have family in Tampa). I didn’t look at too many other Florida schools because they either do not have a real engineering program(NCF) or they were in the middle of nowhere. However, I’ll be open minded!</p>