I’m currently a freshman at the University of Washington and I’m not enjoying my time here and I had always wanted to go out of state. Also engineering admissions at this school are insane, you need a 4.0 in the hardest classes to get into a major like computer science.
College GPA: 3.85 with an associate’s in arts from a CC (90 credits) (from high school college program)
ACT: 32 (34 E, 31 M, 27 R, 34 S)
Good ECs like engineering clubs and sports
Looking for schools that give good aid and are highly ranked. High retention rate, don’t want to live in the south, good mechanical engineering program (but of course that are matches). I understand any engineering program with ABET accreditation are good but going to a high ranked school is important for me in case I switch my majors.
So far I’ve considered the University of Minnesota and Northeastern (both of which I was accepted to last year)
What was the reason you did not go to Minnesota or Northeastern as a frosh? If it is due to cost, it is unlikely that your cost per year as a transfer will be lower than it would be if you went in as a frosh.
Assuming you are at Washington without direct admission to your desired engineering major, you do need to send transfer applications anyway due to the risk of being rejected from your major (although if you have a 3.85 college GPA, and the transfer GPA is included, you probably have a better than typical chance of admission).
Minnesota also has competitive admission to engineering majors for students entering as frosh, although students with a 3.2 college GPA are automatically admitted. You may want to ask if transfer students are admitted directly to majors or to the pre-engineering status; if the latter, ask also whether transfer GPA is included in GPA for admission to major.
From what I’ve heard, aid for transfer students into privates is much harder to come by - though it may be worth applying and see what you get - in that case, try Northeastern, BU, Cornell, CMU (for engineering, not CS-- you won’t get into CS).
As for publics you’re paying OOS so you’d have to consider whether it’s worth the extra cost. Since ranking is important to you, there’s not much point in switching out of UWash, especially at a higher cost, for a lower ranked public like Pittsburgh. Highly ranked publics for engineering would include Michigan, UCB/UCLA/SD/SB, Wisconsin, UIUC. If you don’t mind the south you have GTech and UT-A.
I know UWash CS is impossible to get into, but engineering is easier - surely you can get in with a 3.85? Good publics like Michigan and UIUC will also have high requirements for engineering. So especially since finances are important to you, unless you are unable to get into MechE at UW, I suggest you seriously consider completing there.
@insanedreamer 3.85 is my community college GPA. However they very heavily factor in Math and Science grades. My technical GPA is a 3.5 and average for mechanical is a 3.7. I don’t have the best chance of getting in to mechanical
The admissions process is competitive for the ME program (BSME) and we welcome an application from any student with a GPA greater than 2.5. The average GPA for students accepted to the program has been approximately 3.6. Although students with greater GPAs generally have a greater probability of being accepted, the admissions committee considers performance in specific key courses and the applicant’s statement of purpose as other strong indicators of a students probable success in the program. Students with GPAs less than about 3.0 are generally not accepted.
The Department provides scholarships to many students on the basis of academic performance and/or financial need. Students qualifying for scholarships based on academic performance generally have GPAs greater than 3.5.
Computer Science & Engineering
The Department of Computer Science & Engineering admits approximately 200 students per year. We typically have space for approximately 40% of students who apply. Cumulative GPAs of admitted students generally range from 3.4-4.0. The minimum GPA to be considered for admission is a 2.5 average in prerequisite courses.
@UWfromCA I talked to advisers from ME at UW and they say I don’t have the best chances of getting in. For one, I am not doing very well in physics right now so my GPA is gonna lower even more. And 2, I would rather attend a school that is out of state not really liking the atmosphere of UW
I would rather drive a Jaguar but I can’t realistically afford that. You need to figure out how much you can pay (the question you’ve dodged so far). Then we can see if anyone has any options for you. If you really need aid you may have to stay in-state and move when you graduate like many students do.
For mechanical engineering at Washington public universities, you may want to apply to Washington State and Eastern Washington as a transfer in addition to applying to the major at University of Washington.
If you describe your cost constraints, others may be able to suggest other schools that may be within your affordability range.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is not that expensive and is not that hard to get into. But you still need to check the cost.
If you’ve always wanted to go OOS and last year you got accepted to at least 2 good OOS schools, why didn’t you go to one of them? If finances are a consideration, you need to choose carefully. How much did your parents say they would pay? The COA for the Univ. of Washington is $29k if you dorm, $12k if you commute. If they’re paying ~$30k now, they may not be willing to pay an extra $26k/year at a new school.