My weighted GPA: 3.67
ACT: 30 (English 33, math 28); superscore 32
Sophomore year I took AP computer science.
My Junior year I took honors Data Structures which is the follow up course to AP comp sci. I also took Honors Algebra 2 and got a B, I also took AP English and got a 4 on the AP test.
Senior year I am taking a full schedule with honors classes of AP micro & macroeconomics and AP world history.
Go to this link
Read my responses, calculate your MCA score and then get back with what your score is. We’ll have a better idea with that number.
Thanks for the useful link.
I guesstimated my CU GPA (since the online report card for my school only offers the report card of my last semester) at around 3.3 since my high school offers honors courses that are non-ap for an extra GPA point. I used this site: http://www.thomasmore.edu/admissions/act_sat.cfm to convert my ACT English and Math scores to the SAT scores.
GPA: ~1767.81
Converted ACT scores: ~1433.44
Work hours & EC: 350
Courseload: ~475
This comes out to a total of around a 4026 MCA score.
SE is one of the less competitive majors in the college of engineering, so I’d apply. With that said, it’s a reach, even for SE. Make sure you have backups. Good luck!
Cal Poly is pretty unlikely with those stats. Apply and see what happens. Be sure to apply elsewhere to be sure - Maybe SDSU, CSULB, UCR and perhaps UCSB?
I’d add SJSU to that list.
@eyemgh- My daughter is in-state and she SLO. She wants to major in Software Engineering. I calculate her MCA score to be 4662. Do you think that I calculated that right if her SAT IS 1350…and do you think this score high enough for SE? Thank you in advance!
GPA max: 2250
SAT: 1392
Class rigor max: 750
Work: 70 (0-5 hrs/major related)
Extracurriculars max plus leadership: 200
@Mumstheword2, if that’s her actual SAT score, your calculation is a scoche low. You need to adjust the SAT to a 1650 scale. You do that by multiplying by 1.03125 (which is 1650/1600). I think they do that to end up with a 5000 point max.
As for the score, it’s strong. We never know what the cutoff is, so this is all a guess. I’d say it would be on the bubble for CS, but strong for SE.
As per the usual, have a safety or two. Good luck!
@eyemgh - actually her SAT score (math plus reading) is 1350 so would the adjusted SAT be 1392? That is the number I used to get to the 4662. So, are you saying she’d be close for CS and strong for SE if my calculation is correct and her MCA score is around 4662? Thanks for your help 
Yep. Even though CS and SE are very similar, have similar curricula and similar placement, SE is a much less competitive admit at Poly. Good luck.
My brother got into SE last year regular admission after not getting in early admission with a MCA of a little over 4300. We did not think he was going to make it in but he did, however he could have been the lowest MCA admitted in SE, we just don’t know. He also got into SJSU which was his 2nd choice school and of course some other backup schools.
I do think if he had applied CS he would not have made it.
He is now at SLO as am I but I am in CPE as a 4th year.
@mumstheword2 I have an in state student admitted to SE in early decision with about a 4650 score last year. We know students with higher scores than 4650 in state declined CS in Early and Regular Decision last year. Curriculum is very similar between 2 majors and under same department.
Thanks so much @eyemgh, @engineerisme & @Dadfan! I really appreciate the advice. SLO is her top choice school but we are trying to figure out whether to have her apply ED or not. @engineerisme and @Dadfan… How are they doing in the major? Are they enjoying their experience so far?
If it’s her top choice, there isn’t any disadvantage to ED. That’s what I’d do.
@Mumstheword2 —just started a few weeks ago —so far absolutely loves everything about Cal Poly. Think if it is first choice school apply ED plus was nice to have everything decided by January and smooth non stressful senior year from there .
May I ask what stats he/she had when he/she got in? (Gpa and Sat wise)
At the risk of beating a dead horse, you’ll get a FAR better handle if you compare MCA scores. These boards are littered with parents and students who complain about getting rejected when kids with lesser stats got in. Some even have a conspiracy theory that CP rejects “over qualified” students (this has been debunked). This is for several reasons. First, CP only uses 9-11 CSU calculated GPA. Most schools use pluses and minuses and all sorts of weighting systems. Second, there are very important non-academic bonus points in the MCA. As I’ve illustrated before, it’s easy for a student with a 3.5/1900 SAT to amass a higher MCA score than one with a 4.0/2400 SAT. So, the take home message is compare just GPA and test scores at your own peril. Judging by the APs you’ve accumulated, you likely will be fine, but the only true way to compare apples to apples is via MCAs.
Is it really just that cut and dry? As long as you have the higher MCA score, you get in?
Given all the evidence we’ve been able to dig up so far, it is. Nothing has come up so far to suggest anything else, including direct confirmation from the head of admissions. They rank candidates based on MCA, form a cutoff where they’ll meet their projections based on expected yield, hold a few in reserve on the wait list and they’re done. They have no readers. There’s no subjectivity that goes into it. Tweaks for helping disadvantaged students, supporting families in the service area, giving a boost to faculty families, etc. are all in the algorithm. If it isn’t in the algorithm, it isn’t factored into admission. As you read in my other post, like any system, it has strengths and weaknesses. At least everything is on the table at CP. Good luck.