So, before I ask questions, a little background info is needed. I’m a junior and since I was a sophomore I’ve taken community college classes ONLY. I haven’t taken any high school classes since the 9th grade. Now, it turns out that not only can I never be valedictorian, but my high school treats my class grades as if they’re just normal classes. Meaning, on an unweighted scale, I just have a 4.0, while my friend Liz, who takes honors, but has B’s, will have a higher GPA.
I really want to go to Northwestern for chemical engineering, but I’m afraid that my “4.0” will scare them off. And also how I have NO honors or AP classes. Do you guys think they’ll understand? Is there anything I can do to make myself seem more challenged? Thanks.
Selective school admissions aren’t stupid. They’ll be able to see your potential beyond the non valedictorian status (that’s nothing by the way). It’s their job
I’m no admissions expert, but I would think adcoms would see you’ve only taken college classes and understand that your weighted GPA is no reflection of your course rigor, and would not evaluate your GPA off the numbers alone in comparison to everyone else’s numbers. They certainly wouldn’t see your GPA and write you off as a “regular” student.
Does your school offer any AP’s? Why did you decide to go full time college in the first place? I’m sure it was a well-thought-out decision but you say your school is terrible, so does that mean it just didn’t have any college-level classes?
Unweighted is what matters. Val is almost meaningless in admissions. Don’t worry about either of those things. Now…
Overall class rank CAN matter. So if this affects your class rank, you should put a VERY SUCCINCT explanation of that in additional information in you application. One-two sentences about your school’s policy on it if it has pushed your tank way down. Schools will begin with that, they just need to know.
The other thing that I could see happening is a school seeing a student who has washed their hands of their high school and that HS community. And that might not play too well. Do you do any ECsi at your HS at all? An attitude of disdain for your HS could hurt your app.
Okay. I actually never even thought of it that way. I don’t do ANYTHING with my HS. I mean, I hope to be part of national honors society…but other than that I don’t do anything with them. I have some extra curriculars with the university I go to, but nothing with my highschool. Will that really that detrimental.
@Lambchoppi6, Are you a dual enrolled public school student or a homeschooler meeting your state requirements at your community college? What state are you in?
My school offers AP and honors. Not only did I not like my classmates, but the classes bored me. I also thought taking college courses would give me a leg up since I didn’t do any extra-curriculars at the time. Now I have a job at the university and I’m part of a club though.
I’m sure your job and ec at the community college are as good as any you would have done at the high school. You’ve shown that you can be part of a greater community and that you aren’t just a mindless robot only focused on grades.
I would suggest you expand your horizon on colleges. There is more than one good chemical engineering college in the US. It’s always good to have choices.
Oh definitely. Northwestern is more of a recent like. I realised that I know an alumni, so going there has suddenly become a WHOLE lot more possible. And I have family there. Do you know any other good chemical engineering schools near chicago?
U of Minnesota has great Chem E. But if you want to get into a school like Northwestern, you have to pick up your ECs. A job and one club is pretty light. Also, you do know that your high school guidance counselor will be writing a recommendation for you, right? And you also will need two core academic subject recommendations. Those could probably come from teachers at the community college, but you need to figure out who you will ask.
Wouldn’t you have to send a college transcript with your application, along with your high school transcript? They won’t be able to help seeing that that’s where most of your coursework came from.
When a holistic admissions school sees lots of college courses (particularly if they are more advanced than frosh / AP level) from an applicant still in high school, that should define your academic achievement more than high school class rank will.
Northwestern does not accept transfer credit for college courses used to fulfill high school requirements, according to http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/graduation/high_school_transfer_credit.html . If you do get admitted to Northwestern, be sure to ask whether such a rule will exclude your transfer credit and force you to retake courses whose material you already know.
You are in Ohio why not consider Case or Carnegie Mellon, what is the interest in Chicago? How about Purdue or U of Wisconsin - Madison? All excellent engineering schools.
Note that in another thread, the OP mentioned being “poor”, so the OP presumably needs to find schools with low net price (presumably with good financial aid and/or scholarships).
Also, the OP needs to check carefully whether each school has direct admission to the major, or major is unrestricted to enter after enrolling at the school. Some named schools (e.g. Purdue, Minnesota) admit to a first year pre-engineering status; students must earn high enough college GPAs to enter their desired engineering majors.