I’m currently finishing up my Sophomore year of High School and I was wondering how harshly my math grades would affect my chances of getting into college for either Mechanical or Aerospace engineering. I’m gotten straight Bs in Honors Algebra 2 in Freshman Year and in Honors Pre Calc in Sophomore Year. However, I’m planning to take AP Calc AB next year, which I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to get an A in both semesters.
Furthermore, I’m doing really well in my honors science courses (As) and I have multiple STEM extracurriculars. I’ve also consistently scored 750+ on the Math sections of practice SATs I’ve taken.
So basically, what I’m trying to ask is how bad a blemish are my Bs in math, especially for schools like UT Austin, UIUC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Michigan? And if they’re a big blemish, what would different Engineering majors should I look into applying under to increase my chances into getting into a good school?
JMHO…what I like about Bs in honors classes is that it means you are working hard. Getting into challenging college majors is one thing, but being able to do the work and succeed once you get there is another. To me, a student who knows how to study, used resources and works hard has set themselves up for success. Just keep working, get the best grades you can and stay balanced. Be sure to apply to a variety of colleges and find multiple schools where you could be happy. It seems all too often on CC, students are only buying into certain “name” schools. When in reality, you can get a great education and future career success at any number of schools. Admissions…who knows…there isn’t always a rhyme or reason. Just do your best and be flexible about college selections and you will have some great choices I’m sure.
Why do you think this is? You have gotten B’s in Honors levels, but you think you will get A’s in AP? What will you do differently? I would use this year to figure out what that is so you can be prepared for college.
UCLA engineer here. The median UW gpa for most engineers is a 4.0 at UCLA HSSEAS. Basically half have perfect GPAs. Bs don’t look great at the sub Calculus level.