Hmm… engineering schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I’m an Asian female from Michigan and want to do engineering, but I’m not sure if I want biomedical, aerospace, mechanical, or materials science… leaning toward MechE or BME.</p>

<p>ACT - 31 (E31, M34, R30, S27) and another 31 (E36, M33, R31, S25)
SAT – 2230 (CR720, M740, W770)
SAT II – Math IIC 790, Physics 620 (it sucks, I know), Literature 650
PSAT – 209 (probably National Merit commended)
APs - US History 4, Microecon 3, Macroecon 5, English Lang 5
(next year I’m taking calc, physics, biology, world history, English lit)</p>

<p>My schedule is challenging… advanced math and lots of sciences, APs, etc.
4.0 GPA (school doesn’t weight grades)
school doesn’t rank students, but probably top 5% in class of around 500</p>

<p>4 years swimming (1.5 yrs on varsity)
4 years varsity synchronized swimming (2nd best team in state)
National Honor Society
Spanish Club (secretary)
SADD (president)
Piano for 11 years, won some minor awards
Held a part-time job freshman and sophomore years
I do lots of volunteering, especially in the summer
Went to UMich engineering camp this summer</p>

<p>So I already know that I want to go to UMich, but I’m wondering how many other schools to apply to just in case, and if I should even bother with the ones I can’t get into.</p>

<p>I was thinking Michigan State (in-state safety), Purdue, Case Western Reserve, Georgia Tech, Duke, Johns Hopkins… which ones should I narrow the list down to and which ones do I have a shot at?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Just bumping up the thread...</p>

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<p>michigan=safety
Purdue=safety
Case Western Reserve=match
Georgia Tech=match
JHU=slight reach
Duke=reasonable reach</p>

<p>You have some really good E.C.s that will help your application out and your standardized test scores are well above average. You need to write quality essays if you expect to get into Duke...even then it comes down to a crapshoot.</p>

<p>If you are an intended engineering major I'd consider looking at some polytech schools. The fact that you are a girl and have an intended engineering major will help you earn money at said schools.</p>

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<p>sanguine, what are polytech schools? The only one I've heard of is Rensselaer.</p>

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<p>If you're serious about engineering, you should consider retaking the physics exam. Imagine a history major getting a 1 on the AP exam, or a math major with a 500 on the SAT I... You're going to be dealing with physics for the rest of your life anyways, it's good to get the basics down right now when you have the chance. If you can't stand physics for some odd reason, well, there are plenty of other majors out there... Best of luck,</p>

<p>TTG</p>

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<p>Other school with "polytech" include Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VA Tech), and Cal Polytechnic state university.</p>

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<p>ttgiang, what would you say an acceptable physics score would be?</p>

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<p>yeah, cal polytech is probably the nation's best polytech school. RPI is specifically what I meant, but you definitely have the stats for cali</p>

<p>try to get your physics score around a 750 or higher</p>

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<p>crazy14~
There is no "set" number that you should aim for, but if you want to be competitive within your major and competitive once you try for graduate school, then you should've mastered the basics by high school. Look at the SAT II Physics % breakdown- you SHOULD be in the top, I don't know, 90th percentile? Why? Because a lot of other students who aren't majoring in Physics have managed a higher score than you, and if you want to go into Engineering, theoretically, you should excel in this subject. If not, then you're really just making things harder on yourself once you hit college. 90th percentile is good, but the higher you get the better it is. You shouldn't have to ask what is an "Acceptable" score, if you truly love engineering for the right reasons and you want to later get accepted into the top grad schools, then nothing less than an 800 will do. Best of luck,</p>

<p>TTG</p>

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<p>Hey thanks for all the helpful advice everyone,
Anyone else with input on my chances?</p>

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<p>maybe look into smith? they have some nice scholarships for engineers (with the caveat that if you change your major, you lose the $$)</p>

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<p>Since you're from Michigan, I'd suggest looking at Rose-Hulman in Indiana. They love girls and are a very good school. great community. You just have to be comfortable with a small school, but it'sa lot of fun.</p>