Hi there,
I’m a current senior applying to (you guessed it) Rice, UT, and A&M. I know Rice is a reach for everyone, but I was hoping to gain insight on whether I’d be competitive for Engineering Honors at UT and A&M. Oh, and my safeties are Texas Tech and UTA.
Civil engineering major
Hispanic, female, Texas resident
4.0 UW, 4.65 W GPA
4/600 rank
36 ACT (36 M/36 S/36 E/34 R)
Will take Physics and Math II Subject Tests in October
Taking AP Physics C, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, AP Research, and two engineering electives this year
Extracurriculars *
NASA HS Aerospace Scholars Program (11 - 12):
Selected by state rep, worked online STEM modules over school year, and high scores
led to acceptance to onsite portion
Engineering Club (9 - 12):
Vice President (11), President (12)
Create design challenges, find sponsors, lead meetings
TEAMS (Engineering competition) (9 -11):
Captain (9 - 11)
Prepare team of 8 for and lead at competition
TAME (STEM competition) (10 - 12)
President (12)
Plan challenges and multiple choice practice to prepare club members for competition
Library Volunteer (10 - 12)
250 hours
Help lead children's program and create materials like scavenger hunts, displays, etc.
Also earned library system login and help with holds, transactions, etc. for branch
STEM Camp Counselor (10 - 11)
80 hours
NHS (11 - 12)
Honors/Awards *
National Hispanic Scholar (*pending, but I applied and met all requirements)
Minor awards from aforementioned TAME and TEAMS competition
AP Scholar w/ Distinction (if this is even worth mentioning?)
Assuming good recommendation letters and essays (as I consider them to be, but of course, you only have my word to rely on), what are your thoughts?
Yes for A&M and General Engineering program. The major you listed on your app makes no difference to the major you end up in. You will apply to a specific desired major in April of your freshman year. That is a very competitive process and you need an overall gpa 3.5 or better. Your engineering core classes GPA is also considered.
UT is also a yes. Engineering is likely. They direct admit to the specific major
You are in the top 6% of your class, so TAMU and UT-Austin are your safeties if you can afford them. You need to get the exact rules as to how it works to get into engineering at those schools. @Thelma2 has given you a scenario to verify.
You are looking good for Rice IMO. You need subject tests— I don’t know if you can get Oct results early enough and be sure enough of stellar numbers to apply ED to Rice if it’s your first choice, which would give you an additional boost.
All of the above hinges strongly on finances. What are your parents willing and able to pay? Are you eligible for financial aid? I suggest running NPCs for all of these schools unless money is absolutely if no issue
Good chances at your schools. URM female STEM major with excellent GPA/standardized test scores. Texas instate publics should be assured acceptances for you.
I would shoot higher and think on the lines of a Stanford or Ivies with good engineering programs. Or even CalTech/MIT. For sure reaches but your chances are pretty good.
Yes, both are auto-admit to the school for the OP based on class rank. However, admission to engineering majors at UT Austin and to first year engineering at Texas A&M are not covered by auto-admit (though it would be rather surprising if top 1% rank and 36 ACT score did not result in admission to a desired major at UT Austin and first year engineering at Texas A&M).
UT Austin is direct admission to major, although changing major can be difficult. Texas A&M admits to first year engineering. A 3.5 college GPA (which is harder to earn than a 3.5 GPA in high school!) allows choosing any of the engineering majors. Otherwise, students have to apply to engineering majors in a competitive process (choosing 3 to 5 majors they are willing to do), so it is not assured that the student will get his/her most desired major.
@Thelma2 Thanks for your input! My only concern is whether students find it difficult to get into their first choice engineering major after freshman year at A&M?
@cptofthehouse Thanks for the response! For the subject tests, do you caution against sending scores directly from the test as opposed to sending them after scores are released? I likely won’t ED to Rice to compare possible scholarships from other schools.
Looking at Rice’s new aid policies, I’d be paying half tuition or around $30k. That’s the maximum my parents would be able to pay but they would prefer scholarships to get that down to about $20k.
@hurricane314 if I were you, I would try at least 1 Ivy with a decent Engineering program (Cornell or Columbia).
Although you think that your ECs are pretty ordinary, you have the NASA HS program. The top schools are looking to diversify and you have the advantage of being a Hispanic female STEM major with high GPA/standardized test scores with a pretty rigorous classload. Which indicates that you can do the work.
Ivies will give good financial aid depending on your situation. Don’t sell yourself short. UT has a great Engineering school, but chances are pretty decent that you will be accepted to an Ivy if you decide on that route.
You will do great in Texas, wherever you go there. Agree with @hamurtle, you should try an Ivy League school, unless you want to stay in Texas to be near family. Did you take any classes for programming? If not, life would be miserable at CalTech and MIT. Go to a college where you will succeed! As a fellow STEM female, I think you have chosen well and will likely get into all of the programs.