Hi all,
I’m a prospective computer engineering major applying to schools such as Lehigh, Florida, and Rochester, among some safeties. My GPA (4.3) and ACT (31) are all in line with expectations, although I am concerned that I lack some coursework expected for admissions to engineering majors.
I am in the IB Career program. The highest math I have is IB Mathematical Studies, and the highest sceince I have is AP Environmental science (Aka no physics or calc).
How much of an impact will this have on my admissions process? Are my school choices too ambitious for this course load?
Thank you for your advice.
Even highly ranked programs layout your curriculum assuming that you come in with absolutely no credits. I don’t think your lack of AP/IB credits will be a huge downfall for you.
Note: the following applies to studying any engineering major at any college that offers it.
IB math SL or HL is preferred over IB math studies SL as preparation for more advanced math courses.
You may want to try the following on-line exams to see if you are ready to take calculus in your first semester of college:
http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/index.html
https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam
If they indicate any areas of deficiency in you algebra, geometry, and trigonometry knowledge, then you may want to review or self-study those areas before college.
At some colleges, the introductory calculus-based physics for engineering majors lists high school physics as a recommended prerequisite, so you may find physics in college more difficult if you have not seen the basic concepts before at the high school level.