<p>My assumption is that you are from California. If not, that is OK as the schools that I will talk about below really want out of state students as well. If you are only 15 and you want to study Aerospace engineering here is your answer. Forget repeating your senior year. Don’t waste your time or energy. Also, forget Stanford and Cal Tech for the moment. Those schools will not give you the program you want at your academic achievement level. You most likely need more attention and a bit more of a cooperative culture rather than a competitive culture. Apply to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO) or Cal Poly Pomona for Aerospace engineering. I say this for very specific reasons. (a) “Aviation Week & Space Technology” recently named Cal Poly SLO the best place in the nation to recruit for Aerospace engineers. Cal Poly tops Georgia Tech, Penn State, Virginia Tech and MIT Here is the link: [Cal</a> Poly First In Nation for Aerospace and Defense Worker Recruitment](<a href=“http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/August/Recruit.html]Cal”>http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/August/Recruit.html)</p>
<p>Also, Cal Poly SLO Engineering swept first-, second- and third-place awards in the undergraduate and graduate student design competition sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Here is that link too: [Cal</a> Poly Engineering Sweeps AIAA Student Aircraft Design Competition](<a href=“Press Releases | University Communications and Marketing”>Press Releases | University Communications and Marketing)</p>
<p>Bottom line, Cal Poly SLO is the best place you can go for an undergrad degree in Aerospace and it will save you a bundle of money. Cal Poly Pomona is very good too and if you are still not competitive enough to get into Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona is a very good choice. Both schools send many engineers to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at Cal Tech and many other Aerospace firms in California. Graduates from both schools go on to do masters and PhD work at top universities such as Cal Tech, Stanford, USC and others. What you will get at either Cal Poly is a hands on education and tons of opportunities for internships. These are excellent programs and you should research them deeply and seriously consider them. A good example of how powerful these schools are in Aerospace is that the current CEO of Raytheon is a Cal Poly SLO graduate and Cal Poly Pomona grads make up the largest contingent of engineers at JPL – no joke. This was told to me directly by the program dean at Cal Poly Pomona.</p>
<p>Your current stats qualify you for Cal Poly Pomona. This school is probably the cheapest Aerospace engineering program in California. For Cal Poly SLO, retake the ACT (they prefer that test), HIRE A TUTOR (here is the one we used [Compass</a> Education Group](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/index.shtml]Compass”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/index.shtml) ) and if you can get it up to a 29 or above you are in. My son is at Cal Poly SLO now for Mechanical engineering and the average GPA for his entering class was a 4.01 and a 31 ACT. Don’t even bother sending in your SAT scores and neither school requires SAT II Subject Tests.</p>
<p>If all else fails, here is the alternate plan: (1) enroll in a community college and take two years of general requirements for an engineering and/or Aerospace major. (2) Since you will be a transfer student you will not need the ACT or SAT. (3) Then apply to transfer to Cal Poly SLO or Cal Poly Pomona.</p>
<p>I hope that this helps. These are great schools that will serve you very well. The reason why these schools are so popular with Aerospace employers and grad schools is that they both have a “hands on / learn by doing” teaching methodology. You will be an experienced Aerospace engineer at the time of graduation will hundreds of hours of lab time and hopefully several real internships under your belt. Do yourself a favor and check out my recommendations. For you, I think that it is the correct path.</p>