In dire need of advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm a current sophomore at the UW. My situation is really, really messed up though. My first year didn't go too well, fall and winter quarters were disasters with spring quarter being moderately better. I ended up with a 1.55 GPA overall. Because of this I was dropped from the university during the summer of this year, and am now an inactive student. </p>

<p>I've been doing classes at a community college and have tried to appeal for reinstatement, but was only accepted to go back Spring quarter. Now comes my concern. I originally went in as a freshman wanting to do Bioengineering or computer science, however those are both out of the question now. I now want to try to at least get into the Electrical engineering or Mechanical engineering programs, or any good engineering major really.</p>

<p>I was a top paid intern at a reputable engineering firm the last 3 months, so i've got that going for me, and my transfer grades are great. Seeing as how i've only got about 2-3 quarters left to bring my UW gpa up, anyone got any advice/ideas on how to try and maximize my chances of getting into the majors i listed above? or any others? ANY advice would help me very much, thanks!</p>

2

<p>anyone at all? any help would appreciated please…</p>

3

<p>Alright, let’s break this down.</p>

<p>You admit you messed up your first year here. It’s good you’re not in denial or making excuses.</p>

<p>You’re currently interested in EE or ME. Both programs, especially EE, is very competitive to get into. With the current GPA, there isn’t much chance, but you can work hard from now on to maximize your chances given your current situation.</p>

<p>You were an intern. Good, you have some experience you can potentially write about in your application.</p>

<p>You also have good transfer grades. Although you didn’t take the courses at UW, this will show that you have (hopefully) brushed yourself up and are climbing the ladder to a good future.</p>

<p>EE: Here is the Undergraduate Admissions Guide. [Undergraduate</a> Admissions Guide - UWEE](<a href=“http://www.ee.washington.edu/admissions/undergrad/index.html]Undergraduate”>This Page has moved)
You’ll see that it says, “Your cumulative GPA for these courses must be 2.50 or higher.” So definitely get your GPA up. Don’t take too much in one quarter, but carefully figure out which classes will help your prereqs or graduation requirements. </p>

<p>ME: Admissions - [UW</a> Mechanical Engineering Department - Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.me.washington.edu/prospective/undergraduate/]UW”>http://www.me.washington.edu/prospective/undergraduate/)
“The Department of Mechanical Engineering requires one unofficial transcript from each college or university that you have attended, except for UW transcripts, which will not be required.”</p>

<p>The other part of the admissions process is the written/personal statement. Be honest. Talk about what you did last year that you will do this year to change. Talk about your internship and passion for the field. Bring up how you have an upward grade trend.</p>

<p>For ME, check out the bottom of the link where it says, “Mechanical Engineering Education … Our mission in undergraduate education is to…”. That may give you an idea of what you should talk about on your application. Cater each personal statement to the individual department.</p>

<p>If you want more ‘real’ advice, contact the advisors themselves! They always deal with students wondering about chances and are most likely part of the admissions process. I’m sure they can give a lot better answer than me :P</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Hey dumdeedum, out of curiosity, how did you situation end up turning out?</p>

<p>I am in a vaguely similar situation (didn’t leave school, but have semi-mediocre grades) and am worried about what major to choose.</p>

5

<p>my suggestion is: study</p>