Hey guys!
I am currently an asian american in-state junior planning on applying to either the UT Neuroscience or Biomed Engineering program in the fall. My sat score is strength (1570 CR+M); however, my rank and GPA are my weaknesses because I come from a really competitive public school (top 27% and 3.65UW). Im involved in many extracurriculars such as HOSA, DECA, Tennis, various medical internships, NHS, key club, Chess Club, and several other non-school related activities. What are my chances?
Getting into biomed engineering is extremely competitive. I saw students with great SAT scores with high class rank and great ECs get turned down last year. I do not know if neuroscience is as competitive, I would think not. I would definitely have a backup plan.
Well, @ProudTexan35 - if you read through the ‘Fall of 2016 Applicants’ & ‘The University of Texas Class of 2020 Decisions’ threads in this UT forum, you will see that BME was brutal this year. Examples of even those in the top 8% not getting their major.
Top 27% is going to be tough (unfortunately UT says that they don’t take into account how competitive your school is)
The best advice I can give is try to improve your rank & GPA this year, really work hard on your essays to show them that you would be an asset to university (for the holistic review). Try to choose teachers, etc. that will give you a great LsOR.
Great scores, btw- congrats!
Also have backup plans for other schools.
Good Luck.
Thanks for the great advice @bookmom7
Unfortunately rank is extremely important at UT especially for the most competitive majors. I have seen kids with 34-35 ACT, similar SAT’s and higher ranks get wait-listed for biomedE and chemE. Some of them got off the wait list, but not into the majors they wanted. I could be wrong, but i think being Asian makes it more difficult too as holistic review is a way to ensure diversification. You will be competing with other similar SAT scores and higher ranks will always win.
However, you have great scores and GPA and have a chance to get into many good colleges that don’t rely so much on rank. Georgia Tech for example.
Another thought - you could apply to some of the honors programs like Dean’s Scholar where raw performance data, internships and research probably are given more weight than pure rank. That could be another way to enter biomedE with a lower rank but very strong “other” relevant achievements.
All the best in the future.
Just like the above posters said, getting into biomedE (and any engineering at UT for that matter) is no easy task. I was admitted in this admission cycle and I still can’t believe that I got in. Just like you, I come from a really competitive high school (predominantly Asian American like myself) and I don’t have a 4.0 GPA like most people who are offered admission do. My test scores however, just like your scores, are pretty high (99th percentile). I also do HOSA and I did a medical internship as well.
Your test scores show that you’re capable of doing well in engineering so now you really have to distinguish yourself from all other applicants as an exceptional candidate that brings more than just grades to the table. On the UT application website, it says submit at least two essays. You should write all three. Go the extra mile, the adcoms will see you as more motivated. Also, start on your essays before hand, not a week before the deadline.
Your second thing is rec letters. Make personal connections with teachers and mentors (hopefully from those internships) and ask them to write you rec letters. They don’t weigh as heavily as GPA or test scores but with this competitive of admissions, you’re going to want to make sure everything in your control is showing how strong of a student you are.
UT doesn’t take into account an senior year grades so make whatever is left of this second semester count as much as possible! Good luck!
Thank you so much for the advice @inglebert and @tr4metwo ! I will spend a lot of time on the essays in the future when I start applying in August!
@ProudTexan35, I’m chiming in late, however, I wanted to share my son’s story. He ended up in the top 7.3% of his (competitive) high school class, 30 ACT (33 Math) and 1980 SAT (740 Math). He was granted admission to UT Mechanical Engineering (first choice). He chose to attend A&M instead as UT didn’t offer Industrial & Systems Engineering, which was his preference all along. When they say that UT uses a holistic review process, believe it. My son had outstanding essays, lots of ECs (captain of cross country team, Junior Olympics qualifier, etc.). He was told UT is looking for a demonstrated interest in the field of engineering, so shadow an engineer, go to an engineering camp, do an unpaid internship – anything. My son attended an engineering camp at A&M and I think that caught their eye (he also discussed it in one of his essays). We know so many others with high rank and test scores that didn’t have anything to show demonstrated interest and did not get in. He was also advised to put ME as his first and second choice – showing that it was all or nothing for him. It’s risky, but he did it. Do all you can to improve your rank, but focus on the bigger picture too. Good luck.