<p>I just finished my Freshman first semester in engineering. I had a similar fear on maintaining GPA as I had never gotten any grades other than A in any subjects in HS. I got a few A- and a B in midterms. Because, I was new to the college environment. And being away from home and helicopter parents, I was taking it lightly. After the second midterms, I realized I have to work hard. I worked my a$$ off during the finals and could get back to all A. Last semester gave me a good lesson; I have to focus from the beginning of all remaining semesters. </p>
<p>It is not easy, but possible if you discipline yourself. if I were, I would take a challange.</p>
<p>Just a heads up, your first semester is nothing like the rest in engineering. The difficulty and workload will increase greatly. Your Jr year most likely will be rough.</p>
<p>Remember, your first year of engineering is NOT your first year of engineering. You might take some courses, but in reality you are taking math, science and some general education requirements.</p>
<p>Alright, I go to an average engineering school and let me tell you, it is HARD. I love engineering to death. I love the challenge it provides me and I love how I am learning about intricate things that not many people get to learn about. However, I work by butt off. I spend almost everyday doing purely school work and eating and sleeping. I also have a research position which takes up that much more time. At least for me, being in engineering means taking every minute of my time into account. A 20 minute lunch versus a 40 minute lunch can make a huge difference in your grades. Are your friends going out to see a movie tonight but you have a paper to get done by the next day? Forget it. </p>
<p>I have a 3.1 GPA right now and I work harder than most kids I know to maintain that. This is mainly because I really goofed my freshman year and now i’m picking up the slack. This major really requires dedication and a high stress tolerance. I have gotten to do many amazing things due to this major (manufacturing internship, a research position at an aerospace engineering lab where I got to fly a fighter jet) but it all comes at a cost to other aspects of your life. I’m not sure if I could maintain a 3.5 GPA, but maybe you could. Also, i’m not sure about everyone else, but colleges cram so much material into your four years that by the time you get out, you will probably be able to only remember bits and pieces of what you learned. Good luck.</p>
<p>In my experience, the hardest classes are your major classes (classes that everyone in your major takes), followed by prerequisite classes (the classes that all engineering majors take), with electives (classes that only some people in your major take) as the easiest. As such, I’d say your hardest year would be sophomore year followed by freshman year followed by junior year with senior year the easiest for most students. However people are often spending a lot of time job hunting junior and senior year so it doesn’t necessarially mean it’s less busy.</p>
<p>I’m in a top 10 engineering school, and had a 3.4 first semester with reasonable amount of work. I know a few people with 3.9s and 4.0s but they are at the very top of the class. It is tough to get a 3.5 but still very possible. That said if I had a huge scholarship on the line, I would probably have been motivated to do better than my current GPA. I don’t know how hard it is to get high GPAs at A&M but it is still risky.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore engineering student. We’ve been talking about just exactly this subject over winter break, because her college GPA is a lot lower than she had in HS. Luckily she doesn’t have a particular GPA-for-scholarship requirement, but we’re keeping an eye on the numbers out of concern about entry-level employability. This becomes an even bigger issue if one plans on going straight to grad school. </p>
<p>My D says she probably could maintain a 3.5 GPA, but she would have to restructure her whole approach to her education. First, she would have to avoid classes and profs with the reputation of being “tough”, and those are some of the best learning opportunities and prospective mentors. Second, she would have to forgo the volunteer project she is doing through her college’s engineering society. She feels that would be a big mistake, because that’s where she is picking up a lot of hands-on job skills. Third, she’d have to skip most of the social stuff she’s doing with SWE. That would be an even bigger mistake because these folks are her social life-line and provide solidarity for when it gets hard to be a woman in a male-dominated field. I also expect that the contacts meets though her extracurriculars will be the basis for future job searches. Then there’s the whole issue of quality-of-life, and would she be willing/able to devote 4 years to all-schoolwork-all-the-time?</p>
<p>The question the OP needs to ask is whether attending A&M with the 3.5 GPA requirement would be consistent not only with his abilities, but also with his goals.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with this. The first circuits class was a “humbling” experience to say the least i breezed through Cal 1-2-3. Then came Circuits. I managed a B but it’s a different approach than Cal or even Physics. I did hundreds of circuit problems over the semester. With Calculus problems, it’s like “i seen something like it before its cake” </p>
<p>When you get to Circuits its all about technique which takes time. it’s a skill rather than a talent. </p>
<p>When you get to Systems and Signals and E&M its about understanding what you are doing on top of the technique you learned in circuits.</p>
<p>upper-level classes electives can be hard like DSP, and Solid State physics but they give you options for easier electives like Nuclear,Power Systems.</p>
<p>With the right mindset you can most certainly pull off a 3.5. It may or may not require a lot of work, but if you really are motivated, I have no doubt that you can pull it off.</p>
<p>That being said, I think your overall experience will suffer significantly. Personally, I think college is more than just a means of getting a degree and moving on… it’s an invaluable life experience.</p>
<p>I have two engineering students at A&M on full merit scholarships. The 3.5 is doable. They are both in many activities and have girlfriends (time consuming!). Most of the scholarships give you one semester of probation during which you keep your scholarship money while you try to bring your cumulative GPA up. If you lose the scholarships but in a later semester are able to again reach the 3.5 cumulative, you can reapply for the scholarships and from what I have heard, you will likely have them reinstated. This is true of the Presidents Endowed Scholarship and others. I have some info about some specific scholarships, so if you want to mention any by name, I may have helpful information for you!</p>
<p>Our S got a merit award for engineering at USC. He had to maintain a 3.0 to keep the award. He managed to graduate with a 3.5 (just barely), which was higher than his HS GPA. It would have put A LOT of pressure on him if he had to keep a 3.5 to keep his merit award. See what other options may work. A 3.5 is a tough GPA to maintain for engineering. It CAN and MAY be done, but if it isn’t maintained, can you and your family afford for you to remain if? Is there any grace period? USC gave a grace period of 1 semester or 2 to get back up to a 3.0 if you fell below before revoking your merit award.</p>
<p>You can ask the U what % of their engineering students are able to maintain the 3.5 and keep their merit awards all 4 years and what % lose it because of GPA. It was quite a high number at some Us that had a 3.5 or even a 3.25 GPA for merit awards. The U should have that info and be willing to share it.</p>
<p>I would put all the offers and NET price and requirements in a spreadsheet, so you can evaluate and decide which ones will work for you and be what you feel will work. You should also have a back up plan as to what you and your family will do in the event that the merit award is lost due to lower GPA, just so you all have a backup plan that you are all in agreement on.</p>
<p>Just some more data points. According to the publicly posted numbers there are over 3600 undergraduates in the engineering program (engneering as their primary major) at my state flagship. Of those about 700 make dean’s list (3.5 or greater) each semester. That’s less than 20%. Considering most courses are graded on a curve, this can roughly be akin to saying that if you’re getting 3.5+, you’re in the top 20 percent of your class. So ask yourself if you think you’ll be in the top fifth of your class every semester.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. It is great to get some honest feedback on this subject</p>
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<p>I live in Idaho, and it isn’t exactly the greatest state for higher education. I am an NMSF and am looking at the usual group of National Merit schools, but none of them are anywhere near the caliber of A&M. Their GPA requirements are much less risky though. </p>
<p>I’ve applied to several privates that meet full need. But all of them are either Ivies or they are as selective as the Ivies. I guess I’ll find out in a month or two, but I really doubt that I am an Ivy-caliber student. If I can get into one of them I’m definitely going, but I’m not planning on it happening.</p>
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<p>Abilities is a question mark. Goals - absolutely. I am planning to earn a bachelor’s and go to work, and Texas A&M’s job placement is fantastic.</p>
<p>This may be a bit of a tangent, but how easy or difficult is it to get an entry level job with a degree from an average state school, versus a top program like A&M?</p>
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<p>Good point about the probation period.</p>
<p>I am looking at the National Merit package, which includes the Presidents Scholarship and a “National Merit Recognition Award”. If you have any information about it, I’d love to hear it!</p>
<p>^I know because our son went thru the same dilemma last year when he decided to attend A&M. So, far he is above 3.5. However, it is uncomfortable knowing the scholarship depends on maintaining such a high GPA. After all it would take just one bad flu and the GPA and scholarship could get wiped out. </p>
<p>OP, just keep in mind that 3.5 is what you need to get into a good grad school. So, if you your GPA drops, you can always change and go into something else to maintain your scholarship.</p>