Is there a method I am missing with respect to Naviance? I use the scatter charts to get an idea but is there something more scientific?
Unweighted gives no extra points despite level of rigor. Some schools (like Chicago Public Schools) give 2 points for AP, 1 point for āDouble Honorsā whereas in our area:, many honors receive no credit. So when someone gives a crazy high Weighted GPA, I always take it with a grain of salt.
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Fair enough
Straight As and A+ with one B+
Mostly honors classes and one AP
I would say her course rigor is fine but not spectacular. She should have AP Chem and BIO as well.
SRCin LI, Iāll give my standard sales pitch for Carnegie Mellon. They have adopted a policy of gender parity in all of its STEM majors. Their overall acceptance rate is around 15% for engineers, but since far fewer women apply for engineering programs than men, the acceptance rate for female applicants is probably much higher (maybe 30%?). Because of this policy, a female applicant might get accepted to CMU, but rejected by a lower ranked school. The school is in a nice residential neighborhood in Pittsburgh, and getting downtown is pretty easy. When we toured CMU we were amazed by the resources, with new construction, recently completed buildings, and the latest new equipment in labs. Pittsburgh is a progressive city, and based on its website, CMU has gone full woke.
Now the bad news. Pittsburgh is not known for its great climate, but the sun does appear a couple times per month. Also, CMU is known to be stingy with financial aid.
The hurdle for your daughter will be her SAT scores. CMUās mid-range math SAT for engineering students is 780-800. I would imagine with practice tests and tutoring she should be able to improve her score more than 50 points. If she can really improve her SAT score, she might want to give CMU a shot.
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CMU is definitely a thought- I was aware of the disparity of acceptance rates. The cost of the school along with almost not aid given based on CDS, mean that it just wouldnāt make sense.
You should wait until your D retakes the SAT. A 1500+ would be a game changer. Your list would probably change.
Merit scholarships can change overnight. Schools that offer large merit can dry up the next year so you need to keep track and be prepared to change during applications.
There was a mega thread from 2020 for a high stats Latina looking for merit in engineering. I believe it was @KevinFromOC. She got a full ride to South Carolina with the McNair scholarship. Itās a long read but good.
Iām assuming a SUNY is a safety? After that Iām thinking sheāll have some nice options. Low cost is nice but fit is also very important. Good luck.
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I will look up that thread. Thanks.
She will prep for SAT in March- I think 1500 is a distinct possibility, so lets see.
Indeed SUNY is safety. We are fortunate to have it as an option.
That certainly IS a mega thread but very interesting. Thanks.
A few things to consider:
- Pre-med can be done with any major, but fitting in the pre-med courses around most types of engineering (other than biomedical and maybe chemical) would be a crowded schedule.
- Engineering majors typically require careful attention to starting course sequences early, so that students who decide on engineering late may have to catch up and need extra semesters to graduate.
- At many larger universities, students wanting to do engineering apply to the engineering division, which may be more selective.
- Pre-med is a highly competitive weed-out process; most frosh pre-meds do not get to the point of applying to medical school, while only 40% of those who apply to US MD schools get any admissions.
- In general, engineering will be a greater constraint on college selection, since its availability is more limited than pre-med courses, which are available at most reasonable colleges.
State of residency? What your in-state publics are can matter in terms of admission safeties and costs.
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