<p>Rising senior, Hispanic male in a CA public school, (upper?) middle class
Major: Chemical Engineering or Bio/Biomedical Engineering
GPA: 4.00 UW, challenging course load
SAT Score: 2180 (730 CR, 670 M, 780 W)
SAT II Scores: Math 2 - 730, Chem - 610, US History - 670
AP Scores: Euro - 2, Chem - 3, Physics B - 4, Calc AB - 5, Lang - 5, US History - 3
ECs: Honor societies and service clubs with leadership, school choir for 4 years</p>
<p>Here is the advice I'm looking for:
- Does my college list look appropriate for my stats? Am I applying to way too many schools? etc.
- I know my SAT II scores, AP scores, and SAT math sub-scores are pretty low. Also, I don't think my ECs are terrible, but they aren't that stand-out either. Do you think this will ruin my chances for my reach schools?
- I was thinking I should retake my SAT II's and SAT. Would this be a good idea? When would be the best time to retake them? Should I retake all 3?
- I am kinda worried I don't have a school that is a true safety. I would be happy attending any of these schools and my parents would be able to afford them , but I am afraid there is a slight chance I could get shut out from all of them. Cal Poly SLO, UCSB, and UC Davis are my current safeties. I can't seem to find any "safer" schools that I am truly interested in.
- Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. This whole process is a lot to take in.</p>
<p>In no way am I a college expert, merely a fellow student interested in the same major. Just from my own research I’ve found that engineering programs typically have higher standardized test scores so I would probably reccomend retaking the sat, or even the act which I personally found to be the easier test. Strong essays and good reccomendations will definitely help. I think many of your reaches would be difficult, but in admissions nothing is truly impossible. I would definitely trim down the college list as well, as applying to 16 colleges would likely result in decreased quality of application due to the quantity. Don’t know too much about your safeties though so can’t help you there.</p>
<p>Have you taken the ACT? It’s more straightforward than the SAT, and to be honest 670 Math is kinda light for engineering at the schools you’re aiming at.</p>
<p>ybrown234: No, but I would rather just stick with the SAT since I have already taken it once. I know 670 is low. That is why I want to retake the SAT.</p>
<p>Definitely you should retake the SAT because your math score is too low for engineering. Remember that the UCs take the highest score from a single sitting only. They don’t superscore. Congrats on the GPA.</p>
<p>Your list is reach-heavy, though a few schools are more in the match category (UCSB, possibly Davis and SLO). But with the UCs, you can never count on being admitted and you need some true safeties.</p>
<p>Cal Poly Pomona is slightly easier to get admitted to, and is excellent for engineering.</p>
<p>Can believe people are asking to retake a 2180 lol. Your R+M is 1400 which is pretty high.
Looking good for UCLA, UCSD, UCSB. Cal Poly SLO is a safety.</p>
<p>It’s entirely realistic when engineering math mid 50 scores range from 760-800 at schools such as duke. Hence the need for a retake if someone wants to aim for the upper tier of schools.</p>
<p>Many people on this site seem to focus on stats and place less emphasis on the rest of the application. While the test scores aren’t great (for the most selective schools), in my opinion, it’s not the weakest portion of the app. Instead the weakest portion is the generic ECs with no awards… nothing to separate yourself from the thousands of other applicants, nothing to show that you will do amazing things while in college and beyond. If you have incredible LORs, essays, or a unique background/experiences, this could also override the weak ECs, as well as the test scores. I came across a video from a recent Stanford student today who was admitted with an SAT of under 1800 (superscored) that explains this in more detail – [Stanford</a> University and SAT Scores - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube) .</p>