<p>Hello! I am currently a high school senior in New York researching schools that I am interested in applying to in the fall. I am interested in studying mechanical engineering or possibly entering pre-med. I am wondering how the programs are at Clemson. I heard the engineering/pre-med programs at Clemson were excellent. Is engineering an impacted major? If so, should I even bother applying with my stats? (listed below). One of my strengths is my extra-curricular involvement. I heard that Clemson and Rutgers place little value in extra-curriculars when it comes to admissions and that UCLA is extremely holistic in their approach.</p>
<p>How does the environment and campus life at Clemson compare with Rutgers or UCLA? How do these campuses differ? If you were offered admission at all 3, which would you choose? Do you think my chances of going to a top-tier graduate/med school would increase if I chose one campus over the other?</p>
<p>The reason I am asking now is because I am trying to narrow down the schools I am applying to. As of now, I will be applying to all 3 of these schools as they are so different and appeal to different aspects of my personality. Moreover, I can only afford to visit one of these campuses in August. I am highly leaning towards visiting Clemson as I feel like my chances of being admitted to UCLA are slim as it is.</p>
<p>Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>--My Stats as of 06/2010--
GPA: 4.33
SAT: 2080 (working to improve!)
ACT: 32 (with writing)
IB Diploma Candidate
Very Strong E.C.'s</p>
<p>1st advice: DON’T GO TO RUTGERS!!! It’s one of the worst state schools to go to in the country and even New Jersey people try to avoid the school haha, just a lot of bureaucracy and people haven’t been too impressed with the school.</p>
<p>It really comes down to Clemson and UCLA as the best options here. If I were offered admission at all 3, I would choose Clemson again but it really depends what you are looking for. If you love the big city and want to go to a huge school in the middle of a huge city, UCLA would be the right choice. If you want to be in the middle of nowhere in the mountains 2 hours from a city (Charlotte and Atlanta) but want a smaller public school (Clemson only has 14,000 people), then Clemson would be the right pick. I don’t think your chances at graduate school would be impacted since Clemson is a great school as well. It really depends more on what your GPA is, your GRE scores and your resume after college (research activities, internships etc…). UCLA would definitely be more prestigious for graduate school but I don’t think it makes a huge difference for undergraduates. As for campus life, at Clemson it revolves around greek life, athletics, and the surrounding outdoor areas. We’ve been consistently ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the happiest student bodies and best campus life so we’ve got something going haha. At UCLA it’s around greek life, athletics and the surrounding city so they are both very similar but just in different environments.</p>
<p>What do you mean when you ask if engineering is an impacted major? I’m not sure what you mean by that question. You are correct when you say that Clemson places little emphasis on extracurriculars while it’s important for admission to UCLA. However with your stats, there’s no question that you should get in unless something crazy happens. Basically all they look at is your class rank, GPA and SAT/ACT scores and sometimes writing the optional essay may help you. Something to look into (since your stats are incredible) is a scholarship at Clemson that will allow you to pay in-state tuition. However, you need a class rank in the top 10% of your class but the good news is your ACT score is already above what they’re looking for (31). One thing to consider is that I’ve heard that classes at UCLA are really big at the introductory level. After one year at Clemson, the largest class I’ve been in are two 110 person lecture (physics and chemistry). The other classes all ranged from 25 to 60 people. The smaller school size definitely makes things a lot more personable.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your college applications! Let me know if you have any more questions about clemson!</p>
<p>-Go Tigers!</p>
<p>By impacted, I mean, would my chances of being admitted to Clemson be slimmer if I applied as an engineering major? </p>
<p>At UCLA, I am almost certain that I would not be admitted as an engineering major. Not only is it the most selective school in the UC system, but also the most applied to University in the country. As an out-of-state student, I would probably have to shoot for at least a 34 ACT, 2300+ SAT. Not an impossible feat, but I’m not betting on it. I love the secluded school environment of Clemson and I have some family in Anderson. I do like to relax and party every now and then. I especially love the beach.
I’m sure that Clemson would provide a very beautiful, natural environment. I know that UCLA isn’t completely ‘in the city.’ It’s actually in the Westwood/Beverly Hills area which is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the world.</p>
<p>Maybe I should apply to Clemson’s Calhoun College? I will look more into Rutgers, but you’re right, I’ve heard less than stellar thing about it. The campus itself isn’t very nice. I’ve heard that Clemson’s campus has beautiful nature, and that UCLA’s is absolutely gorgeous.</p>
<p>Thank you for your well constructed response. Very much appreciated.</p>
<p>Yes, your chances of being admitted would be less if you are an engineering major since it’s the best and most popular major here but you would still be accepted no doubt because your stats are incredible for Clemson.
Here are the average stats for Clemson:
[College</a> Portraits - Clemson University - Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.collegeportraits.org/SC/CU/undergrad_admissions]College”>http://www.collegeportraits.org/SC/CU/undergrad_admissions)</p>
<p>You should definitely apply to the Calhoun Honors College. The application is a separate process (apart from the admissions application) and you can get more information here when fall comes around (they haven’t updated it with next year’s info yet): [Clemson</a> University : Calhoun Honors College : Incoming Freshmen](<a href=“http://www.clemson.edu/cuhonors/prospectivestudents/incoming.html]Clemson”>http://www.clemson.edu/cuhonors/prospectivestudents/incoming.html)</p>
<p>From the Honors College page: "To be considered for admission to the Honors College, applicants must have a combined critical reading and math SAT score of at least 1320 or an ACT score of 30. In exceptional situations we will consider applications from students who do not fully meet these qualifications. However, please keep in mind that admission to the Honors College is highly selective, with SAT scores historically averaging 1400 or higher and applicants typically ranking in the top three percent of their high school class. Freshman enrollment in the Honors College is limited to approximately 250, or less than ten percent of the freshman class. "</p>
<p>Clemson’s campus is gorgeous. I’ve never been to UCLA’s campus but I love Clemson. I guess the point I was making was that while UCLA is in a neighborhood, Clemson is barely a town (in the Princeton Review book, it’s classified as a village) and in the middle of nowhere. We’re on the shore Lake Hartwell so even though we’re 4 hours from the Atlantic Ocean, there is a beach and opportunities for water recreation.</p>
<p>Sounds great! Thanks for the feedback. I will probably be applying to the Calhoun Honors College. I’ll try to check out the water recreation, too. I know that UCLA is close to Santa Monica and everything tends to be expensive there. I would be all on my own, too.</p>
<p>If I’m admitted to both, I will have a very tough decision to make. My parents would pressure me to pick UCLA because Clemson is not anywhere near the same league in terms of prestige and reputation. I have told them that Clemson is trying to climb in the ranks, but I still doubt that it will ever be on the same level as UCLA. </p>
<p>Hopefully Clemson wuld be able to give me a financial offer I can’t refuse because I’m not so sure I want to go to superfucial, glamorous Southern California! I’d love to stay close to my family in South Carolina, as well.</p>
<p>oh definitely, UCLA is a fantastic school and if given a chance to go there it would be tough to turn it down.</p>
<p>Just wondering, why are you specifically keying in on these schools? Is there something about these schools that you really like? Maybe I can give you some suggestions since I’m also an engineering major and did a lot of research into engineering schools (I applied to Purdue, Pitt, NC State, Virginia Tech, Northeastern and UMass)</p>
<p>The main reason I am considering Clemson and Rutgers is because I have family in South Carolina and New Jersey. While they are at the bottom of my list in terms of academic and overall reputation, I am definitely considering them because they seem like very practical schools to attend.</p>
<p>I am applying to UCLA as my ‘dream’ school. However, I’m not so sure that attending a school on the other side of the country, without a support system, in one of the world’s largest, most expensive cities would be a smart choice. After all, Upstate NY and Sunny Southern CA seem like polar opposites.</p>
<p>I am also applying to UC San Diego, Williams College, Harvey Mudd College, Cornell, and CalTech. My parents are urging me to apply to UC Berkeley, but I have no interest in living in the Bay Area (I’ve been there), or applying to yet another college that seems out of my range.</p>
<p>I’m definitely taking many factors into consideration.
For example, Clemson’s lack of diversity and conservative, unaccepting attitude really turns me off. I wouldn’t want to be miserable because I was discriminated against at Clemson.
However, I will visit next month and get a feel for it.</p>
<p>UCLA’s academic competitiveness may be too overwhelming. Moreover, attending the nation’s most popular University, trying to keep up with it’s unparalled sports and academic legacy is intimidating.</p>
<p>I’m trying to refine my intellectual interests and discover what I really want to study. There’s a possibility that I will apply to the majority of these schools with an undeclared major.</p>
<p>Ah gotcha, those are all great schools. Harvey Mudd would actually be my dream school for engineering. Fantastic school but I wish I had the high school grades to be accepted there.</p>
<p>I would look into maybe adding one more safety schools if something about Clemson really turns you off. You don’t want to be stuck with a safety school that you aren’t comfortable at or if you don’t like (which seem to be the case with Clemson and Rutgers). I really suggest the University Of Pittsburgh. It has a great engineering program, its pre-med program is excellent due to the amazing medical school there. It’s a school in the AAU which is a group of the best research schools in the nation. I also visited the city of Pittsburgh and I loved the city. I would probably be there if I hadn’t been accepted at Clemson. Virginia Tech is also another great option (as is UVA but that’s probably not a safety school haha). Anyways the point is that you should add a safety school where you have no significant concerns and could see yourself being perfectly happy there if you weren’t accepted to any of your top schools.</p>
<p>You’re definitely right that Clemson is not very diverse and very conservative. While people are somewhat accepting now, there will be people you run into that think that Northerners or non-whites do not belong at Clemson (ruins their tradition). This sounds like something that would really annoy you. It doesn’t bother me too much because I’m secure enough in my political ideas and race (being asian) to not bother me but if it does then I wouldn’t go here. You’ll have to visit though and see what you think (though you probably couldn’t tell this by just one visit).</p>
<p>Actually, I was highly considering Carnegie-Mellon University until I visited Pittsburgh and found it quite dreary. </p>
<p>Ideally, I feel like UCLA and Clemson are the best choices for me. I’m sure I would find my niche at Clemson, despite the racial and political differences between the majority of the student body and I.</p>
<p>As for more safety schools, I may apply to Georgia Tech and Emory. I loved Atlanta. But for now, I need to focus on my standardized test scores and maintaining a high GPA. I can’t afford to fall to senioritis.</p>
<p>Does Clemson also take SAT II/AP scores into consideration? What about for Calhouns?</p>
<p>Math Level II: 800
Literature: 720 (retaking in October)
Molecular Biology: 770</p>
<p>Calculus AB: 5
Calculus BC: 5
Psychology: 5
Statistics: 5
US History: 4
Macroeconomics: 5
Microeconomics: 3</p>
<p>haha I see, just a suggestion!</p>
<p>Georgia Tech is a great school too. Just don’t expect to find a lot of girls there. I know someone who’s going there right now and she’s having a good experience so far. Go for Georgia Tech if you want! I was there for a weekend and I haven’t had anything to say bad about Atlanta yet.</p>
<p>Personally, if you’re unsure of what you want to do, I would avoid applying to schools that don’t have engineering like Emory (you’re already applying to Williams). If you are even considering it, I would go to a school with more options so that you won’t have to transfer if you decide on a major your school doesn’t have.</p>
<p>SAT II/AP scores are not taken into consideration for admissions but maybe for Calhoun, I don’t know since I didn’t go through the application process.</p>
<p>True. I will probably avoid Emory even though it was easily one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever been to.</p>
<p>That aspect of Georgia Tech is perfectly fine, since I’m gay (one reason why I might shy away from Clemson). Plus, I’m asian and quite liberal. I wish Clemson had a less discriminating community, but I don’t really know since I haven’t visited yet. Nonetheless, it still seems like a practical school to attend considering the price, location, and decent sports reputation (I’m a huge sports fan and plan to continue in college).</p>
<p>Though my question is, how is the job recruiting at Clemson if it is so isolated?</p>
<p>By continue, I meant with water polo and tennis.</p>
<p>Job recruiting at Clemson is excellent apparently. We were ranked #4 by the Princeton Review for Job/Career Placement Services and SmartMoney ranked us #8 when it came to ranking students return on their investment (based on a ratio of starting salary vs what you paid for college). </p>
<p>This is what I know. Clemson has an excellent reputation in the South and Mid-Atlantic. Clemson’s great for architecture, engineering, business, sciences etc… and a lot of employees know that or have connections with the school (alumni, know people etc…) However, it may be relatively unknown maybe in the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast. People probably know about Clemson but because of sports but not because of academics. As a freshman, I was able to secure a summer engineering internship in North Carolina with the Department of Transportation (getting paid $15/hour) but I turned it down because I wanted to come home and see my family (and work started in May, right after school ended). So if you want a job on the East Coast or South, you’ll have no problem getting one with a Clemson degree (and probably a pretty good one too if your grades are good). However, if you want a degree that is nationally known, going to UCLA or Georgia Tech would be closer to that. While most state schools are mainly based on regional connections, because those schools have a better reputation, people will give a bit more respect to your degree the farther you go from your college.</p>
<p>After a long discussion with my parents, they are willing to let me visit both UCLA and Clemson after agreeing to apply to Berkeley and at least visiting NJIT. I’ll be visiting Clemson in 2 weeks, and then flying straight to Los Angeles. Found it interesting that Clemson is rather far from the airport, while UCLA is a good 10 minute drive down Hollywood.</p>
<p>I’m actually looking at studying, and possibly working abroad so I really want my degree to have some international weight. I guess it will depend on where I go for Grad/Med school. Does Clemson post the matriculation of their graduating students anywhere?</p>
<p>so… I had some long reply typed out but I forgot my password… BOOO</p>
<p>anyways…</p>
<p>both schools are sick… I live in Orange County 35 miles away from UCLA and will be going to Clemson… my sis goes to UCLA as Poli Sci and Women’s studies</p>
<p>VERY VERY VERY few people if any get into both Cal and UCLA… I do not know one person that has gotten into both… especially with you being an OOS, I’d say the chances of getting into both are very slim to say the least</p>
<p>I have came up with the conclusion that since both school are so good that they rarely if ever accept students to both… they do not want to take away the opportunity to attend one of them just because of numbers… I’m not trying to discourage you from applying to both just want you to know the instate ideas on the schools… my sis fell in love with chapel hill then found out it is impossible to transfer as an OOS… </p>
<p>Try Stanford too… great polo and tennis team, school name and program you are looking for… and if money is a problem… they have one of the largest endowments in the country… I heard that IF they were to keep building at the pace they are and give every student a full ride they could do it for the next 20-30 years… just with their endowment now… so they should be able to help you out if needed</p>
<p>It’s very rare it takes 10 minutes to get to Westwood from LAX haha</p>
<p>good luck… and safe travels! </p>
<p>I hope this all makes sense</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice! I will definitely check out Stanford, but I really have no interest because it’s my father’s alma mater. Haha!</p>
<p>I actually know a few people who have been accepted to both Cal and UCLA. However, it seems like admission to UCLA particularly is getting more and more selective. My parent’s used this argument to convince me to apply to Cal.</p>
<p>What is UCLA’s campus like? When I search up pictures, I only get a glimpse at a few buildings.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that UCLA has a student body that iis twice the size of Clemson’s, yet is only 419 acres. I believe Clemson’s campus is what…3000+ acres?</p>
<p>clemsons is that big… but most of it doesn’t seem to be used, most it for agriculture… it does seem a lot bigger then ucla though… our tour took two hours haha</p>
<p>when i asked my sister how she describe UCLA she said “a huge park, with buildings that look like they are 200 years old but most of em are less then 75” </p>
<p>when you go you HAVE TO go to diddy reise… its UCLA’s place, it’ll give you a feel for what westwood is… it has everything from celebs to most of the student body… you’ll get a good feel… i was told to go to the ESSO CLUB @ clemson and felt i got a good feel of what clemson would be… same with diddy… my spelling may be off…</p>
<p>You will not get the community feel like you do at Clemson… but it could be a good or bad thing… your call</p>
<p>Stanford is a great place, I know your dad went there, but I think it is a little silly to rule it out just because of that. We call it west coast Harvard, with less trust fund babies… I would have done anything to get a shot to go to Stanford.</p>
<p>I understand your situation. I applied to Clemson last fall and was admitted to the Calhoun Honors College. Moreover, I was offered an academic recruiting scholarship that would allow me to pay in-state tuition. With no real intention of attending Clemson, I never got to visit the campus. However, I do know that they have been voted as “Best Town-Gown Relations” by the Princeton Review. But in all honesty, considering your demographic and lifestyle, I’m not too sure if you would be happy there.</p>
<p>Contrary to what people believe, the schools in the UC system do not collaborate on admissions decisions. I was admitted to both UCLA and Cal, and know quite a few people that were as well. On the flip side of that, I know an incredible amount of people who were rejected from UCLA but accepted at Berkeley. This was not the same vice-versa. UCLA is becoming increasingly selective. They place EXTREMELY high emphasis on personal achievement and leadership experience. One of my friends had an ACT score of 36 and a GPA slightly above 4.5 and was rejected from UCLA. She will be attending Columbia in the fall.</p>
<p>If anything, I would consider UC Berkeley over UCLA for engineering. Cal’s engineering program is on par with the likes of MIT and Cornell. However, if you’re certain on Pre-med, then UCLA is the right choice. UCLA’s Med School and the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center are often ranked only behind Massachussetts General (Harvard) and Johns Hopkins in the medical field.</p>
<p>I read an article in the “Daily Californian” (Cal’s newspaper), that the school was planning to respond to California’s economic crisis by increasing out-of-state acceptance. Your chances of getting into Berkeley are probably better than UCLA. Be wary though, you will be paying a lot of money if you choose to attend.</p>
<p>Clemson and Georgia Tech are great options. You might also consider University of Miami, or Duke! Duke is a great school!</p>
<p>And concerning Stanford, give it a shot. A degree from Stanford almost guarantees a starting salary at about 100k a year. Well no, but seriously, you will learn and be headed towards a very successful career if you can get into Stanford.</p>
<p>I don’t believe Clemson posts the matriculation for grad/med school anywhere. I don’t know many schools that do that.</p>
<p>I’m just gonna say again that I don’t know if Clemson would be a good fit for you based on your lifestyle and political views. I’m not trying to discourage you from going to my school but I wish we were more accepting of different views and lifestyles but many people still aren’t. If you are 100% sure it won’t bother you, feel free to come here! But if it bothers you if people don’t approve of your views/lifestyle and when they talk about you or question/attack your views, you probably shouldn’t go here. Of course, maybe it takes a group of people like you to change the culture at Clemson!</p>
<p>Thanks, cr8tivrec! I’ll definitely consider UC Berkeley although the surrounding area does not interest me.</p>
<p>When I visit Clemson, I’ll try to be as open as possible with my political/religious beliefs (I’m atheist) and lifestyle. If I’m treated any differently, Clemson will definitely be off my list. Are there no support groups at Clemson?</p>