Hey guys, I want to pursue a major in “management science and engineering” and minor in economics at Stanford (yes I know its an extreme reach, this is not the issue though), I am having trouble portraying my passion for this field because it is truly all over the place. That is, it is not as “honed in” as other engineering majors like CS, EE, or ME. I have always wanted to study Industrial Engineering and so since 9th grade, I have chosen to take APs that i believed are relevant to the field (except maybe Spanish and world history), however now that i look back at it it looks like I am just trying to cram my resume with APs, and extracurricular activities.
I will have the following APs
AP US gov and Politics
AP Calc BC
AP Physics
AP Micro
AP Macro
Ap World History
AP Research
Ap Seminar
Ap Spanish
AP Psychology
and the following SAT 2s:
Math 2
Math 1
and Physics
My major extracurricular activities do not include anything that have to do with engineering but they are all about making systems work which is what industrial engineering is basically about, i know its contradictory but really industrial engineering is not the stereotype engineering as you may know.
-Founded a community service project that fosters sales and generates incomes
-Created a highschool student website
-and was involved in student government for 3 years.
So my question remains: Do i really seem like I am all over the place? and if so is it possible to portray that I love everything about industrial engineering, yet not engineering in general ( I am not a techy, I do not particularly enjoy science besides physics, but simply put, i am obsessed with making systems work).
Lol should i reconsider what i want to study?
Any insight would be appreciated, sorry for the long post, I find it difficult to get to the point.
Industrial Engineering, to my knowledge (I’m only a HS senior planning to majori in IEOR), is about efficiency and cutting costs: what can you do to a current process to improve it?
So, what you wrote is true - I also found it difficult to find ECs for industrial engineering. The best bet would be to work for a business and do something with cutting costs, but the appeal of IEOR (at least for me) is that if you look hard enough, you can find its applications in many fields. I’m not confident enough in my examples to post them outright (I could be wrong, after all), but if you PM me I can give you some examples that I found during my HS experience.
Also, I’d suggest just taking Math 2. There’s very little room for error in Math 1, and chances are if you are an aspiring Stanford engineer you’d have no problem in getting 750+ in Math 2.
You are taking a very rigorous courseload, including the important Calc BC and Physics (C would be great, B is still good). Sure the diverse other APs are good, and you chose rigorous classes.
You are in high school, so only at Stanford or comparable schools would someone really expect any engineering ECs. But even an industrial engineer could do something like robotics club or programming … sort of nerdy stuff taken to a Stanford level.
Most engineering freshman don’t know the field they are planning to study, or are at least not committed, although some schools have such limited spots that you do commit early.
Apply to other schools, matches, safeties, and financial safeties (aka scholarships) and seek some advice at Stanfords website.
What grade are you in ? Also, there may be a slight advantage if you are female STEM applicant.
@PickOne1 @asianfang I live in the Middle East, all these engineering opportunities are not available in my country. There is no such thing as robotics club. I tried my best to get an internship, but that was not possible.
and yes I am applying to many other schools including safeties.
It seems to me you are doing all the right things for engineering in general and given the limitations of your opportunities for internship and such, you should not worry too much. Most universities will understand this and take it into account. Schools like Stanford may not be looking specifically for ECs related to Industrial Engineering but instead for the level of commitment you bring to what you do. From your very brief description, you seem to have that. if I were looking at your application, I would want to know more about your community service project.
@xraymancs can I message you a description of my community service project?
I agree with the above posters. Given your situation, your ECs will depend on depth, not on the type of major you intend to pursue. Try to relate your ECs to your intended major in your college essays come junior/senior year.
@asianfang lol, my application is due in 4 days. I am almost done with my essays and I indirectly talked about the environment that I grew up in and my passion for economics which I plan to double major in along with industrial engineering.
plus economics is highly related to industrial engineering
Of course but what I meant in my post was that ifI were an admission officer, which I am not, I would want to know about your project from your essays.
There is a whole question dedicated to it. I think it would be better to portray the person I am in the other essays.
Sure, whatever seems the right way to do it. It sounds like it might be a compelling story.
@xraymancs Thanks a lot for your help !
@xraymancs just wondering, would you be interested in reading my essay? 