It seems like most (80%) do get their first choice major. That is impressive that so many made a 3.75 in engineering. I think students seem to either do very well in engineering or switch out of engineering.
Hey everyone. S23 submitted all apps EA, 1 RD. Heās got 1 more RD app to do due in Jan. Heās not a high stat kid, but has a 4.3 w gpa, course rigor, top 10% in class, hoping to major in CS or SWE. We are learning that CS/engineering is super competitive. I think Iām more nervous about this whole process than he is! The waiting is agonizing lol. Anyone else feel this way?
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My son isnāt a high stats kid either. Heās also going into computer science. We focused on schools that met his needs and werenāt ultra competitive for comp Sci (so not Berkeley or UW-Seattle for example). His unweighted GPA is 3.5. He doesnāt have a bunch of APs or anything like that. Just a solid student who works hard to get the grades he does, and who is an incredible human being. He applied to 4 EA schools and 1 RD school, all in the PNW. He got into the 4 EA schools and will hear back from the RD school in Feb. I firmly believe he will work hard in college, stumble a bit (because they all do), and go on to do similar jobs as those from the ultra competitive schools. Itās less about where you go than what you do once youāre there. Maybe Iām wrong about that but not every kid can be at a top tier college, and not every kid wants to be. So hang in there. And be sure your kiddo has applied to schools that are well within their grasp. My sonās friend (now a college freshman) applied to all reach schools and one safety, then was super bummed when all the reach schools denied or waitlisted him. Heās doing well where he ended up but I think it was a shock.
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Itās kind of weird to think of 4.3 gpa and top 10% as not a high stats kidā¦ 
CS is super competitive though, just make sure you look at a big range of schools. The nice thing about CS and SWE is that itās very much a meritocracy out in the working world. Your son should build up a GitHub repository while heās in school and then use that as part of his CV when applying for jobs. If he knows his stuff, heāll get a great job no matter where he goes to college.
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[quote=āDadBodThor, post:5777, topic:2041251, full:trueā]
Itās kind of weird to think of 4.3 gpa and top 10% as not a high stats kidā¦
Apparently itās not if your intended major is CS or engineeringā¦sighā¦
Thanks for the tips! I will let my son know!
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Yes, but that means 20% are not getting their first choice major. And it appears that 12% get neither their first OR second major. Their consolation is that they get A major in the college. Congratulations! You wanted to study CS but we have found a spot for you in petrochemical engineering. Have fun! I donāt think so.
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Yeah, that would be a total dealbreaker for our kid. He doesnāt even know which branch of engineering he wants to study, but he wouldnāt want to go somewhere where he wouldnāt get to major in whatever he ends up deciding on. He will likely do a bread-and-butter engineering major ā he is unlikely to pick a niche major. Mechanical and civil are classics. Only 75% get into Mechanical as 1st choice?! And Civil is 79%? Thatās a yikes for us.
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My son considered A&M very carefully. But decided to pass due to the ETAM process. There is a similar process here at NCSU (CODA) but honestly, it is not that bad because a lot of the kids that get accepted into First Year Engineering already have several of the classes completed by the time they start college.
Also, @TheMonaLisa @DadBodThor I chuckled a little bit at 4.3 GPA/top decile not being good enough! I think it is more the CC and A2C crowd than reality.
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I was told by several people that kids should repeat some of the easier classes (Calculus) to hit the GPA target. If I am not mistaken, A&M looks at overall GPA not just engineering classes? is that correct?
Yes. If my son does decide on A&M, he definition will not be claiming AP credits right away and will repeat classes as needed to help that gpa
Iām going to caution about repeating classes as a blanket suggestion. Find out how the courses are graded.
My D repeated Calc II (could have started in Calc III) and said if she had to do it over, she would have started in calc III. At least at Purdue, Calc I and II have a more complicated grading rubric than the other calc classes which makes it very difficult to get an A. Calc III and beyond have a more ānormalā rubric. I know from our parent page, that was echoed by many many students.
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Have a question about Commonapp downloaded application. When I view the application pdf for a certain college it shows in testing section AP scores , in some colleges none and in some SAT score. Why is there a discrepancy? My d subbed all her ap scores and SAT scores.
Colleges can choose what info they take. If a college requires you to submit an official transcript or test scores, then often they wonāt use the self-reported data. Likewise a test blind college wonāt use the test scores. Your downloaded PDF corresponds to what has been sent to that college from the CommonApp. Check if they need an official set of test scores to be sent from the College Board.
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I read that some schools suppress the test scores being displayed in the downloaded PDF, even though they do receive them?
UMN doesnāt show the test scores on my sonās downloaded PDF (it says āThere are no test scores to reportā), but the portal shows the self reported scores (plus the official ones he sent them).
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Thanks, tamagotchi, which portal? The college portal? I am yet to check that since I do not have her login. will ask her to check. collegeboard says results were sent to this particular college in september.
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Some test optional colleges are suppressing the scores from the pdf but if you report they can be seen on the portal or they will ask you to self report once you get the portal.
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In this case, the UMN āapplication tracker.ā Generally, the schoolās own portal is the place to check to see if things were received. Talk to your D and have her check the portals. My son and I made a shared spreadsheet to keep track of what has been checked and confirmed, so that I donāt have to nag him about checking the portals 
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Thanks my heart skipped a beat since this is her ED choice. Hopefully in the portal everything will be present.
And Michigan is the same way. Calc II is considered one of the most difficult classes at Michigan. Thankfully, my D started with Calc III and avoided the class.
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and bama is the same way with calcll. Cant tell you how many parents have mentioned that on the parents pages as well.
and with that being said, my D23 will start in calc2 wherever she lands! 
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