So, do I stand a chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
1

<p>Hey, guys. I've been lurking on this board for a while, and I was wondering if I have any chance at being accepted when I apply this fall. I'm familiar with the middle 50th range of Rose students and all that, but I'm the paranoid type. So, do you think I could make it? </p>

<p>Here are my basic stats. I'll try to be brief.</p>

<p>State: Michigan
Gender: Female
Type of High School: Fairly competitive--and tiny--public. You have to apply to get in, meet test score requirements, and maintain a certain GPA if you don't want to be kicked out. We send kids to the U of M frequently, and to some other top colleges. No Ivies, really.
Class Rank: I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the top 10%. I know there are only three kids with 4.0 GPAs, and I'm just behind them.
Prospective Majors: Not sure yet. Physics? Applied biology? Math with a focus on statistics? Dabble in computer science? I don't know. :) </p>

<p>GPA: 3.97 unweighted. We don't weight.
ACT: Two tries with 32 composites both times. I'll probably re-take.
December 2008: 36E, 34R, 28M (subscores of 16, 14, 14), 29S (essay is pretty irrelevant, but I got a 10)
March 2009: 36E, 34R, 29M (subscores of 18, 12, 15), 30S (essay was 11)
SAT: One try--definitely re-taking.
January 2009: 750CR, 640M, (720W, essay was 10)
*taking Math II in two weeks</p>

<p>Courses: My school doesn't offer APs or honors math classes, so I don't have any of those on my resume. I've had an A or A- average in all of the math classes I've taken, with an upward trend in that department. Basically, I understand math, but it's hard for me to show it on the SAT. I've been in honors science classes for the past two years (chem and physics) and have had the same grades in those as my math classes. Next year, I'll be taking calculus and AP Bio. I've had AP classes in English and history, for what that's worth. </p>

<p>In short, I've taken pretty much the hardest classes that I can. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars: I've done choir every year of high school (three years at a professional level) and I average 5 hours a week rehearsing and performing. I'm also a member of the varsity Quiz Bowl team, which has a pretty good record, and the legislative debate team (I've won some awards for speaking). I volunteer each summer as a mentor for a youth opera education program.</p>

<p>I'll be interning in the neuroscience unit of a local hospital this summer, and I'm planning on finally joining a local FIRST team (after hanging out with it for the past two years...), but the latter is not guaranteed. </p>

<hr>

<p>So that wasn't as brief as I thought. Sorry. I'd love some brutal honesty, though. Do I have a chance of getting in, and maybe some merit money? </p>

<p>Thanks in advance. I really appreciate it.</p>

2

<p>I think you are in good shape. What Rose looks at primarily are your grades, especially grades in math and science, and how much you challenge yourself. They also look at what courses your school offers, so if you are taking the highest level they offer, not having honors or AP won’t hurt you. They look at test scores as a way to compare you with everyone else, and they like to see that you participate in some sort of extracurriculars. This is based on my experience with the process and I make no guarantees, but your test scores and GPA are higher than mine and I got in when I applied two years ago.</p>

3

<p>Rose seems to really acknowledge FIRST involvement well and highly recruits female students. You seem to be great at everything on the ACT, but your math is your weakest link. Tip: do some practice tests, learn the material, time yourself, and it will be really easy to raise that math grade. Engineering schools dig high math test scores, and if you were to combine that with your already amazing other scores, you would be in a good place, and most likely get a great scholarship. You will get in for sure with your current stats though.</p>

<p>Some other sci/eng colleges you should consider: Olin (take a serious look at this, full-tuition if you get in), WPI, Purdue, Georgia Tech, and in Michigan, be sure to check out Michigan Tech, Kettering, and Michigan State (look at Lyman-Briggs and Honors)</p>

4

<p>Phanatic, I think you will be fine. Rose takes a look at the entire package. I would show your interest by calling admissions and talking to someone there. I hope you have a chance to visit the campus and talk to some of the students. </p>

<p>One thing that drew my D to Rose is how happy the students were. Make sure as you visit other campuses that you look at that. We were very surprised at some of the campus we visited just how unhappy or stressed the students were. Also, there is a lot of friendship on the campus itself…so the social life is very much on campus and brings you very close to all the students. </p>

<p>One thing Rose does, it does not make it competitive, EVERYONE helps each other. I just got off the phone and my D said she was helping a couple students in her class for finals. When I did talk to her, she said they had a few questions they needed help for the final and she was glad to help. Trust me when I said this…I would say based on what I have heard from other top notch engineering school students “It is very competitive with other students at other schools”. The Profs at Rose expect you to help others and be supportive. I would say that is why Rose is so successful and graduates students at such high rate with high retention.</p>

<p>Rose is certainly a special place and Woman are very successful there (yes, Men too). Look at other schools but be sure to dig deep into the school and find out all you can about what makes the schools tick. </p>

<p>My D spent a lot of time, and making numerous visits and talking to other students from Rose and other schools. That investment in time has paid off…</p>

<p>Also, she has never had a problem getting a class at the time she needed, nor has had a problem with the Staff at the college, they will bend over backward to help you in order to make you successful.</p>

5

<p>According to 2008 American Society of Engineering Education, the mid-50% range Math SAT scores of Engineering students at Rose-Hulman are:</p>

<p>25% 620
mid 670
75% 720</p>

<p>Plenty of students at Rose have SAT math scores in your range.</p>

6

<p>Yeah I went to Rose for a little over a year (I lost my ROTC scholarship due to a medical condition I developed while I was there…) and while your math scores are your weakest link, I’d say there were many students with worse credentials than you there.</p>

<p>I bought a book my senior year and went through a bunch of practice SAT math sections (I didn’t study the English or Writing) and went from a 710 to an 800 so if you studied enough you could easily bump that up to a 680 and be qualified for Fast-Track Calculus. Every major at Rose has to take Calculus I, II and III and those are 5 hour courses that meet all five days of the week. By getting Calculus out the way, you can sign up for the standard 4 hour courses and possibly have possibly a weekend wednesday… Additionally its Pass/Fail (and everyone who got in passed - there was one kid who was kicked out due to cheating) so it’s non-competitive… plus you get a head start at Maple - which is a mathematical pseudo programming language you will have to learn while you’re there.</p>

<p>Physics majors have to do a ton of labs. Many Particle Physics was AT LEAST one lab a week and then Physical Optics, which must be taken at the same time for sophomore physics majors in the fall had a lab every week or two…So 2 - 3 lab reports a week :frowning: If you’re a math major you have to pick a concentration and I believe statistics is one of them… If you want CS or SE, though, you might want to try a discrete math concentration. I took two CS courses and they were really exceptional and highly organized. The CSSE department puts a lot of work into their curriculum. I didn’t take Biology so I can’t comment on that, except that I think it had a disproportionate number of female students.</p>

<p>As far as Merit Scholarships go - they have them, but they aren’t straight-forward in terms of you need this SAT and this HS GPA to qualify for this amount - I had about 8k year. I asked around a bit and I think the highest was about a 12k Merit Scholarship.</p>

<p>You might want to look into Harvey Mudd, too, I believe they cover 100% of financial need (which Rose doesn’t, unfortunately)…</p>

7

<p>Yes, the reputation is for collaboration, not cutthroat competition.</p>

<p>At the R-H parent session they talked about the usual engineering school shpiel “look to the left, look to the right, half of you won’t be here in 4 years” whereas at Rose-Hulman they tell them “shake hands with the person on your left and promise them you’ll both graduate in 4 years.” Nice.</p>

<p>You might consider Case Western in Cleveland–they love well-rounded science types and give pretty good scholarships.</p>

8

<p>Sorry for letting this thread go…</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for the reassurances, and the information about life at Rose, especially academic life. The more I learn, the more excited I am about the school. I attended a campus day a few weeks ago, and everything just felt so right. I love how everyone I’ve met at Rose talks about how cooperative the education is, just like cheezwhiz mentioned. That is such a great aspect of the college.</p>

<p>I can only hope that all works out favorably… I know Rose has been cutting their already admittedly weak merit aid, so unless the need aid falls my way, I doubt that I’d be able to go. Here’s hoping for the best.</p>

<p>Once again, thanks, everyone! I can’t wait to apply! :)</p>