<p>My darling daughter is a junior at a very selective math-sci-tech high school, she is interested in architecture and engineering, she was passionate about her CAD class, and she also likes the idea of going to school in NYC (we do not live there) </p>
<p>I thought CU would be a good choice, and as a parent the financial policy is appealing. </p>
<p>OTOH her UW GPA is about a 3.3/3.4, SAT around 2200, okay EC's. One AP so far (BC Calc, scored a 5) but taking several next year, and has done CTY for years.</p>
<p>We have determined that HYPSM are probably not worth applying to (and probably not good matches in general) </p>
<p>We will be in NYC in the next couple of weeks, and I'd like to determine if its worth taking the time to see Cooper Union.</p>
<p>The GPA might hurt her chances. It actually depends on what percentage of her class she fall into. But she should try and get it up to at least a 3.5.</p>
<p>Of course she is trying to do as well in her courses as she can.</p>
<p>She is in the bottom half of her class. Kids who get less than 3.0 averages are sent back to their neighborhood schools. It is one of the most competitive schools in the USA. As a result of which they do not show ranks, as the school admin does not believe they are useful.</p>
<p>I suggest that if she is interest and does apply she get a letter from a counselor explaining the schools. The admission people might not know of the school and plug her scores away into their admissions formulas and hurt her chances. This is mostly advice for engineering. For architecture her GPA does not matter so much, its all about the portfolio</p>
<p>When I applied a couple of years ago, I am currently a EE there, I had similar stats, but with about 8 or 9 APs. I have a suspicion that the admissions office reserves a certain percentage of spots for students who would not get on by the numbers but have other ways of showing promise/ the necessary character traits for doing well. The CTY classes should demonstrate it, so she should have a decent shot. Keep in mind that the number of applicants shot up last year, and will probably be similar this year for her, so this will make it harder.</p>