Hello everyone! I am an up and coming senior (Asian female) and I’ve been doing some research as to which majors I might be interested in and I happened to come across this field. I have pretty strong stats (2360 SAT, 800 Math 2, 790 US history, 790 Korean, 730 Physics) and I’m most likely ranked 1 or 2 as a full IB diploma candidate at a school whose academics are admittedly not at all competitive. I’ve enjoyed all my math and science classes and have gotten A+'s in all of them and did relatively well on my APs thus far (AP Calc AB-5, AP Chem-5[self studied], AP-Physics 1- 3, AP Bio is for senior year) yeah…I’m not too proud of my physics score but I’d like to kind of excuse myself since this was the first year they changed the test sigh I’m better at applying math to physics than answering questions about concepts [Before you remind me, I know my stats aren’t THAT impressive in the grand scheme of things since plenty of people have more on their resume]
okay so to get to my point finally, I realize that I don’t necessarily have the strongest science or math background because my school lacks in those departments and I’ve never really tinkered with programming or robotics or pulling things apart to see how something works. However, I did enjoy physics (especially the circuits unit if that matters at all), really enjoyed Calc AB, and participated in a [weak] Science Olympiad club at my school which is why engineering sounds appealing to me right now. Would my lack of experience hurt me if I do get accepted into a strong engineering program or could I possibly “catch up” to my fellow peers who are literally 1000x smarter than I am? Any kind of advice or help would be very much appreciated! 
Sorry that this post was so long…
If the school accepts you for Electrical Engineering, then it means that they know you can handle the rigorous curriculum.
Many Electrical Engineer majors I know never really had any background of engineering (programming/robotics) and they all did fine.
Finally, what do you mean by “Strong” engineering program? If you mean something like UCB, Caltech or some other notoriously difficult engineering program, then yes it’s going to hard as it is for most of the people attending, but you don’t necessarily need a strong background of engineering to be successful. If you have an interest in Math/Physics, the you should be able to pull through.
But for the other majority of engineering schools you should be totally fine with your stats.
Your lack of experience will not hurt you. The vast majority of engineering students have not had robotics or any engineering before college. You will be ahead of some of them with a solid Calc AB class and physics. Just make sure you look for some affordable safeties in addition to your reaches.
I’m thinking about a top 20 engineering program when I say “strong”…however, more so than rankings I am really looking for a university that would really foster a true learning environment (i.e great professor-student interaction) while offering me a veritable challenge (well…I guess any engineering program would haha). I’m not necessarily thinking of applying to places like MIT or Cal Tech though (but maybe Berkeley)because the caliber of students going there would …just completely be out of my league to be quite honest.Yes, I do realize that will happen everywhere but I’d rather not compete with a student body that is almost entirely filled with math olympiad champions or google fair winners… Do any of you have suggestions for colleges that would do just that for me instead of throwing me into a sea of sharks without first teaching me how to tread water? I’m not looking for the easy way out per se…just a thorough education.
Also, I’m not exactly 100% sure that I want to pursue electrical engineering so I would most likely want to attend a college that has an all around good reputation just in case I want to switch majors.
Maybe look at Harvey Mudd? Their STEM/Engineering program is very good and the small college environment has much more professor to student interaction.
I have heard good things about Harvey Mudd but I’m not completely sold on my understanding that they have give their undergrads a “general” engineering degree (I could be wrong). I’d much rather have a degree in a specific type of engineering…for some reason, I feel like it might make me more employable??? Who knows
From your description, you might be interested in the other [url="<a href=“http://theaitu.org%22%5DAITU%5B/url”>http://theaitu.org"]AITU[/url] schools not named MIT or Cal Tech. The rigor in engineering and science is there and there is a small student/faculty ratio. You might also get some good merit aid at some of the schools.
As for your ability to do engineering, I agree with the others that you will do fine if you are committed and work hard.
Your numbers are good. What schools are you looking at?
I wouldn’t say they are 1000x’s smarter than you, they may be more knowledgable starting off. Either way you all will take the same courses initially, have the same struggles. If you liked circuits and truly have a interest in electrical engineering, you shouldn’t have a problem. If you decide you don’t like it as much as you thought, you should have your choice of any other major at the university. I guess that’s a benefit of starting out as an engineering major.
You should fine if admitted to any top engineering school. The real question is how much you can afford and do you need financial aids. Most HS graduates have no previous exposure to any engineering field but just Math and Science. Are you going to take Calc BC this year?
Thank you for your responses!! No, my school doesn’t offer Calc BC but I may look over some of the topics in my own time. And as for colleges, I’m (most likely) applying to MIT, Columbia, HYPS (will likely not get in but just for kicks), USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, Harvey Mudd, etc. I will probably add or subtract from the list in the near future…
I suggest you limit the number of highly competitive schools. DS spent a lot of time on MIT app (5 essays, 2 unique recommendation forms). I assume HYPS apps are intense too.
Unless your parents can easily afford $60k/year costs, make sure you examine cost factors. Typically students chase need-based Financial Aid OR merit scholarships at private schools… and the list will vary by strategy.
You don’t apply for those schools for kicks. How about lit fire to almost $500 for kicks and see how you feel? MIT alone has a lot of essays. Same with Stanford. And then if you don’t qualify for financial aid, you earn the honor to pay $250 for your education. Does it sound like fun? Make sure your parents are in board with it.
…wow…I’m sorry if that offended you. I said “just for kicks” kind of sarcastically, knowing that I don’t have that high of a chance of getting into these schools. Obviously, I wouldn’t deliberately try to blow away my dad’s hard earned money just for fun…-_-