<p>I think an upward trend is looked at more favorably than a consistently middle of the road performance. Obviously, getting a 2100 on the SAT I will improve your chances compared to getting a 2000. Hopefully, you are also going to take a stab at the ACT as well. I would also strongly encourage you to take an SAT review course or many practice tests on your own. My S (UC Berkeley MechE '15) raised his SAT test score over 200 points when he took an SAT review course. </p>
<p>Your lack of course rigor in math will not help your cause for ChemE, but it will not be the end of the world if you end up at a school like Rutgers, either. Just do well at whatever school you get accepted to and good luck.</p>