I live in NYC and plan to do computer engineering but I’m stressing because I don’t know if i’ll get accepted into the colleges I want. I am waiting to apply after my December SAT’s. This time, I’ll focus on math for engineering. I plan on applying to The Grove School of Engineering @ City College and Stony Brook University. However, I’m really worried I wont get into Grove or Stony because of my grades and I’m not sure if I can afford NYIT or Hofstra. So far, I qualify for an Advanced Regents Diploma, I have an 88 GPA, over 50 hours of sports, and 2-3 clubs including the national honor society. I cant seem to find the SAT and GPA needed for grove but I heard it’s hard to get into. I’ve been studying for the SAT and plan to do every single practice test and write down/study my mistakes before my test next Saturday. I also have studied more than 50 hours over summer and fall(with prepscholar) but It’s been hard trying to focus on school and on the SAT at the same time. There’s not much more I can do to fix my GPA but on my transcript, it shows me improving my grades every single year. The SAT is all I’ve got to try and make-up for the low GPA but I’m pretty scared about admissions. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances of getting into Grove or Stony or any other good schools besides community colleges? I’m looking forward to anyone who can give me some advice. If there is anyone who knows what SAT and GPA I need for grove, I would really appreciate it if you could comment below. Thanks in advance 
Maybe try prepscholar SAT prep. It’s $399 and it targets areas that you need practice in. It worked for my child.
If you can’t afford NYIT or Hofstra, try looking to start at a community college: BMCC, LaGuardia or Guttman, and then transferring to the CUNY you have in mind. Guttman’s approach is interesting because it provides support and community outside of the classroom. It’s also located centrally in the city and has a tech program. Here is the list of programs that it offers.
Be aware that admissions to Guttman is different from other CCs in NYC, because it’s a community. Be sure to read their admissions criteria and process carefully. It’s a great school, in a gorgeous location, community and a nice track record serving its students. http://guttman.cuny.edu/academics/majors/
Best of luck.
Unfortunately, community college isn’t an option for me and I’m currently using prepscholar.
Why would CC not be an option for you? Particularly if you can’t afford the schools you were accepted to? Have you run the Net Price Calculators on each school’s web site?
Yes, I’m not sure why community college isn’t an option. Please look into the idea. Many extremely successful people started at community colleges. Many many people who had mediocre high school careers went on to have very successful college lives. Starting at a CC and improving your grades can help you along that path.
Just to give you an idea, some of the Ivies have paths directly from CCs into them. Several Cornell programs have articulation agreements with BMCC and LaGuardia. That means that Cornell will accept all of the credits taken at the CC. Columbia GS takes CC transfer students regularly. There is a lot to gain, potentially, by starting at community colleges.
Yes, I’ll consider it but I may just choose a CUNY instead since they are more affordable.