<p>So here's the problem, I want to go to UIUC for Industrial Engineering, but I'm not sure how to go about it. How competitive is the program? Will being AA and a female help? And I Just took the PSAE ACT and I do not know my scores yet, but what scores should I shoot for since I will retake ACT. Also, should I take AP Calculus AB and AP Physics B my senior year instead of Pre-calculus Honors and physics Honors or AP Physics B, even though this would limit my chances of working during the summer to pay for college since I would have to take precalculus over the summer to take AP Calc. I just don't know what to do and my time is running out to make a decision. So please help.</p>
<p>You can start many places without Calculus and finish on time, but in general, the further ahead you are in math and the more comfortable you are with math as you enter an engineering program, the better off you’ll be. It really is the rate limiting factor for all work to follow. The Advanced Placement AB/BC series does a pretty good job of getting you ready. I’d press to get it done before you enter. As for Physics, the AP version will show you did the course in the area you’re interested in and chose the rigor, but in general high school physics isn’t good enough that you won’t need to repeat it anyway. Plus, B represents only a portion of what you’ll need. So, long story short, the extra math will be advantageous.</p>
<p>BTW, if you haven’t, post this in the Engineering forum. You’ll get very solid advice over there from grads of UIUC.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>At UIUC engineering, the middle 50 percentile of admitted students have an ACT between 31 and 34. In terms of SAT that is 1360 and 1480 (not counting the writing section)</p>
<p>Calculus would certainly be ideal, but if you need the money to pay then you can just start in calculus once you get there. The curriculum does not assume that you have ever taken calculus in the past. Still, what does taking calculus your senior year have to do with working over the summer?</p>
<p>With physics, I don’t honestly know what difference it will make if you are taking AP Physics B versus just some honors physics course. Do you know the difference in material? Neither will be calculus-based, so they will only have some applicability to your future studies. They will teach you some basic concepts and some basic problem solving but ignore the real beauty of physics, which is rooted in calculus. Still, it will help. My gut feeling is that the only benefit that the AP class will give you over the honors class is that colleges tend to like seeing that you took the most challenging path available to test yourself.</p>
<p>Also, yes, being a member of two under-represented groups within engineering will help, particularly at a state school.</p>
<p>I guess I have a choice to make, but thanks for the advice</p>
<p>Does anyone know which major is more competitive to get into at UIUC, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering or Stats and CS?</p>
<p>Bump…,</p>
<p>Just curious, why IE? both me and the Mrs. are IE’s of some kind (she’s manufacturing and I’m HF) but to us going to IE was simply because we wanted to learn more about what we were already doing. </p>
<p>I guess CS may be harder to get into, but depending on your interests, some of the UIUC tracks are pretty inteesting and can be sprinkled with enough CS electives to allow flexibility to work in corporate IT type work (factory floor information systems, for example). </p>
<p>Statistics @ UIUC, no idea. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that you can do some of the specializations as a grad degree, i.e. undergrad in IE, grad in MIS / CS / Stat etc.</p>
<p>I meant the stats and cs double major in the college of liberal arts, but thanks for the advice</p>
<p>Definitely take the AP Calculus. Even if you don’t get the credit, you will have seen the materials once and be more ready for it in college.</p>
<p>Anymore opinions about which major is harder to get into</p>
<p>Bumppp…</p>
<p>It isn’t really an opinion thing. Go over to the UIUC forum and ask and with any luck, drusba has actual numbers they could give you.</p>