<p>Sorry, I guess I was wrong about UCSD/UNC being the only acredited schools. I either read that somewhere or heard it from a student, so wasn't really sure.
But in the powerpoint presentation at the seminar, they said UCSD was ranked #2 in the country in terms of BioE. </p>
<p>And as for the gpa being so high, it was on a FAQ pamplet. The question was something like "I was not accepted into the program, but I feel that my application was competitive. Can I appeal to the department?" The answer said that there was a cutoff for GPA and SAT scores. And it said average GPA was 4.3 to 4.4. SAT was 2100-ish, I dont remember. If I find that pamphlet somewhere in my room, I'll scan it or something if the OP wants to read it. </p>
<p>OP, just apply for BioE. Even though your gpa is lower than the avg, your SAT seems alright, so you may have a chance to get it. Just don't get your hopes too high like I did.</p>
<p>Those look reasonable, the same way the 4.3 average GPA to get into Berkeley/LA (according to their websites) is reasonable as well. The way they calculate GPA on there isn't the way they do it for the UC GPA to get in (note they specifically mentioned HS GPA, which isn't how they calculate admissions), and this would seemingly be corroborated by the fact that the average SATs aren't as high as you'd expect.</p>
