Hello everyone,
Imperial’s U.S. requirements are three AP tests. For mechanical engineering, one must be in Calc BC and the other in Physics C Mechanics. I plan to take Physics C E&M as the third. I’m planning to take these in May next year (so I hope for a conditional offer when the decisions come out). Assuming I get 5s in these, I need some advice on what my application would look like to an Imperial admission officer.
I am part of a program that allows me to go to a community college for the last two years of high school (instead of going to high school) so I by the end this year (my senior year) I will have some fairly advanced classes under my belt.
ACT: 29 (planning to retake, though I don’t think they require it)
SAT subject: Will be taking Math II and Physics
GPA unweighted: 3.5 (Yes, a little low, but I can explain it. I am not sure if they require this either)
College Classes:( I expect to get mostly As in these, probably a B here and there for the harder courses)
Differential and integral calculus (essentially Calc BC material)
Vector Calculus
Multivariable Calculus
Linear Algebra (used in engineering and quantum mechanics)
Calc based Physics – mechanics (essentially Physics C mechanics, though more calculus heavy)
Vector calc based Electricity and Magnetism (Maxwell’s equations)
Calc based optics and thermodynamics
I have lots of hobbies that can be described in the UCAS personal statement. I build electric motors from scratch and I know how to use CAD extensively. I invested in a $300 3D printer and have designed and printed out things like structural components for my electric motors and a mechanical piston-crankshaft engine.
Like I said before, mechanical engineering at Imperial requires a Calc BC test and a Physics C Mechanics test. I plan to take Physics C E&M as the third test.
I will be a little worried if they ask for my transcript and ACT scores. I didn’t do too well in my high school math classes (got Cs in Algebra 2/trig) because I really couldn’t learn effectively in my home high school). I have been getting good grades in the college math classes, however.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks a bunch!