Turn of events. Looking for Engineering schools

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I made a thread on here before, but there's been a new development in my search. I decided not to take the SAT subject tests. (Math 2 and Physics) We had a fundamental Physics class in HS but to AP. There is AP chem, but I didn't take it (regretfully).</p>

<p>Honestly, I didn't know what I wanted to do until this year. I didn't know I really liked engineering until this year. I got rid of any possibilities of going to my former dream schools (CMU, Cornell) But I know that I need to grow a little first before going to colleges of that caliber. (My chances weren't that great to begin with anyway.) So maybe it's for the best.</p>

<p><em>So, I'm wondering if anyone has any last-minute-ish suggestions for me that don't require SAT IIs?</em></p>

<p>So far, I have these apps ready (I'm guessing I have no safeties. Just matches (or 50/50s) and reaches with my stats?):</p>

<p>-Pitt! (match)
-Case Western (match)
-Purdue (match)
-Drexel (match)
-RPI (reach)
-RIT (match)
-Santa Clara (match)
-UMichigan (reach)
-University of Rochester (reaaaaaach)
-Villanova (reaaach)
-USC (reaaaach)
-Georgia tech???</p>

<p>Still iffy about (chances are, not applying):
Bucknell
Lafayette
Lehigh
Virginia tech</p>

<hr>

<p>Background:
-NY student
-No preference for area/cost (although I would prefer northeast)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.6; Honors courses and 2 APs (English Lang. 4, Bio 3 (yeah, I know))
SAT: 2140 (CR: 740, M: 690, W: 710);</p>

<p>Extras:
-Orch 4 yrs (violin 7 years)
-Piano (8 yrs)
-Fencing (started last year, plan to continue in college)
-Science team and club (2 yrs)
-Anime club (2 yrs) co-pres this year
-Chorus (3 yrs)</p>

<p>Background (probably unnecessary, haha):
Asian (Filipino, lived there for 4 years but born in US)</p>

<h2>First gen american</h2>

<p>Thank you in advance! I appreciate it, I really do :)</p>

2

<p>Rose Hulman does not require SATII’s. You didn’t mention financial aid, but merit aid is hard to get at the school and the financial aid package is very heavy in loans. </p>

<p>Do you require financial aid??</p>

3

<p>If you applied to Alabama **TONIGHT **they will give you **free tuition<a href=“they%20extended%20their%20Dec%201st%20deadline%20to%20Dec%204th%20because%20of%20T-giving%20weekend”>/B</a>. </p>

<p>And, if you select engineering as your major, you get an additional $2500 per year…</p>

<p>Total value for both scholarships…over $90,000</p>

<p>But, you’d have to apply tonight…app is super easy…takes like 3 minutes. No essays and no teacher recs required. No SAT IIs required.</p>

<p>Brand new state-of-the-art mega-sized Science and Engineering Complex (over 800,000 square feet)</p>

<p>Application is fast & easy <a href=“http://gobama.ua.edu/[/url]”>http://gobama.ua.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Bama also has a very good honors college that you would be accepted to.</p>

<p>This is a very good financial safety.</p>

4

<p>I saw on the other board that you don’t need financial aid. </p>

<p>I think that you have a nice balanced list.</p>

<p>Assuming that 3.6 is unweighted, I think Purdue, RIT, and Drexel are safeties, and the only reaches are Michigan and USC. Frankly I can’t see Pitt or Case rejecting you either. </p>

<p>Actually, I think that you can make the list a lot shorter if have some known preferences.</p>

5

<p>Think you should take Bucknell out of iffy and into apply. It’s a top ranked engineering school. It’s higher ranked then some of the other schools you are considering and I think a lot better… </p>

<p>My S was accepted to Bucknell, CMU and several other schools. He narrowed it down to Bucknell, CMU and the school he choose. I wish he would have chosen CMU or Bucknell. He majored in physics and math because the school he choose did not have engineering. I, personally, wish he had gone to Bucknell or CMU and majored in engineering. </p>

<p>D1 was accepted at Bucknell and Cornell, etc. She choose Cornell because it had the major she wanted.</p>

<p>D2 attends Bucknell. She is not an engineering major. But she is excelling and has developed good relationships w/ faculty. A professor asked her if was interested in doing research with him next semester. He reached out to her even though she is abroad this semester. </p>

<p>Bucknell is an excellant school. Each of my kids have had unique opportunities at their respective schools. But D2, at Bucknell, has developed great and productive relationships with professors, as well as having wonderful “other” experiences.</p>

6

<p>You might be underestimating yourself a bit. Villanova and Rochester aren’t that selective, and would probably be matches. Pitt, Purdue, and Drexel are more like safeties.</p>

7

<p>I thought Case was a bit more selective than this thread indicates. Can folks confirm? (Case is one that we intend to investigate due to merit and proximity).</p>

8

<p>Ah…no money needed/wanted. Well, you’re in an excellent place!! :)</p>

<p>Yes…Purdue is your safety…so, you’re good to go!!! :slight_smile: Case is also a safety (but I would choose Purdue over Case)</p>

<p>As for Case selectivity…MisterK…what do you mean? this student’s stats are certainly high enough that he’s assured acceptance into Case. Wouldn’t you think so?</p>

9

<p>mom2collegekids: Oh wow, thank you so much for the information! The scholarships looked very attractive as well as the campus and their programs (<em>_</em>), but I decided not to apply for a few reasons. Sorry :/</p>

<p>ClassicRockerDad: 3.6 is weighted (sadly…) But still, reconsidering everything I guess I’ll say Case, Pitt, Purdue, Drexel, and RIT are more like safeties but with my GPA I think everything else might be more of a reach?..Not really sure how reaches/matches really work still…
(And actually removed RIT from the list today.)</p>

<p>morrismm:
Okay, reconsidered Bucknell. (Really the biggest thing that bugs me is that it’s another reach, but it can;t hurt applying I guess.) It’s really competitive too… </p>

<p>schrizto: Like I failed to mention, the GPA was weighted so I think they’ll remain as reaches. My guidance counselor told me they were too…</p>

<p>edit: my school does not use the 4.0 scale but scale of 100 so let’s say my weighted average then is a 90. (That’s more 3.5. Eh.)</p>

10

<p>Well, if you end up at Purdue, that’s not really a disappointment because it’s a great engineering school…and will provide the full campus experience that many kids want and reflect fondly on for many years after they graduated!.</p>

<p>:)</p>

11

<p>mom2 - Yes, for sure his stats are very solid for Case, no doubt about it. In fact, I think he’s in good shape for this entire list (he’s being cautious). </p>

<p>This was actually a bit of a side tangent (sorry). What caught my eye was seeing Case marked as equivalent to a bunch of schools that I would have considered as easier admits (Pitt, which in turn is tougher than Drexel). I also thought Case engineering was as selective as a few of the schools listed as reaches - Nova, Rochester. So I’m wondering if my view of Case is a bit off.</p>

12

<p>I think the OP is judging her chances accurately. A 3.6 weighted will probably not be a great class rank. Using Case as an example, rank, rigor, GPA and scores (and ECs) are most important. With a GPA that’s not the best and a class rank somewhat worse, the school would be a match (can’t tell about the rigor with only 2 APs with the info supplied). Also, the OP is first gen american but doesn’t seem to be first gen college. Purdue does look pretty safe and is an excellent school.</p>

13

<p>Have you considered WPI?</p>

14

<p>And what kind of math and science classes did you take? Engineering colleges will look at that closer than your other grades. As long as you did fine in them but had your GPA brought down by other classes you should be fine.</p>

15

<p>MisterK, I’m not sure if Case and Pitt have equivalent selectivity but I would say they are both less selective than Rochester.</p>

16

<p>You do not appear that enthusiastic about engineering. Many of your interests involve music. Is this your real talent? </p>

<p>Have you thought of trying a major in engineering and a minor in music?</p>

17

<p>What is your unweighted GPA?</p>

<p>Weighted GPAs are used by “top” schools where most of the applicants take plenty of honors and AP classes. Unweighted GPAs are used by certain other schools like Purdue, where a large population doesn’t have honors and AP classes even offered. Your SAT is very good though.</p>

18

<p>Purdue doesn’t use weighted GPA? hmmm…what other schools don’t?</p>

19

<p>Which weapon do you fence? While I know that most of the schools in your original list have clubs, Pitt and Case for example are mostly foil and </p>

20

<p>I stand corrected. Purdue now says that they care about strength of curriculum. I’m sure when I was looking into this once, that some schools that specifically said they use unweighted GPA. I’ll see if I can find one or two.</p>