<p>Okay, son's last round of SATs done and junior year grades are in, so...I'd love to hear from anyone with experience with engineering program admissions at: STANFORD, CAL, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, CAL POLY, USC. Probably Mechanical Engineering, but not sure yet. Wants to stay in California. Chances? Advise? Need more safeties? Thanks.</p>
<p>SAT1: 710 CR, 780 Math, 800 W
SAT2: 2C 800, Physics 760, Chem 730
PSAT: NM, probably Commended
10-11th grade GPA: 4.17w
Hon/APs: Hon Geo, Hon Alg 2/trig, Calc AB, Hon English 3, AP Physics
(senior year- Calc BC, AP English, Hon German 4, AP Chem, AP Comp Prog)
GATE program 11th grade
1 week high school engineering program at U of Arizona this summer</p>
<p>ECs:
2 years jv soccer (one as co-captain), 1 year varsity soccer (unsure about senior year, may switch to XC or job)
4 years varsity golf (one as co-captain, made first all-league team)
3 summers assistant swim coaching job
3-4 years licensed soccer referee for rec and club leagues
1-2 years a little volunteering for Guide Dogs of America</p>
<p>Everything on your list except Stanford is a safety. And that's only because a very rare few can call Stanford a safety. I'd probably chuck an application to both MIT & Cal Tech just to see if an admit was possible. I'd probably also drop an application to Harvey Mudd, just because that is a very good school (on your list probably worse than only Stanford or Cal).</p>
<p>I applied to most of those schools (Cal/UCLA/UCSD/UCSB/Cal Poly) and got in. Chose to go to Cal Poly for MechE.</p>
<p>Well, that's encouraging you think so many on his list are safe, in today's wild n' crazy admissions game. My thought was if anything add a safer school or two, but you suggest adding another top school or two. Food for thought, thanks.</p>
<p>It would be tough to say all seven, but your son's stats are great, even for this website. I wouldnt be surprised if he went 7 for 7. Banck on at least 5 of those schools accepting him. Look at Caltech as well.</p>
<p>I'm thinking he has a better shot at UCs than privates, since his numbers are strong but ECs and essay-material not particularly interesting. (I mean, how many essays about how cool golf/soccer is can an officer read? ;) )</p>
<p>I vaguely remember reading on the Cal engineering site that they want the essay to be about your interest in engineering, not the classic "let us get to know you as a person" essay. Have you heard this for engineering apps?</p>
<p>(thanks SD Dad for your post on parent forum too!)</p>
<p>Will be accepted to every one of the above schools, except for Stanford. Your kid is great. Stanford requires one or more of the following: you are a legacy; you have started your own company, one that is actually producing something and making money; you have a patent pending; you are a minority(Asian/Indian does not count, this actually may work against you); you are an All-American(not all-state) caliber athlete; you are from Wyoming or North Dakota; your family is willing to gift the school millions(or tens of millions).</p>
<p>Probably half(maybe more) of Stanford's 25,000 applicants are academically qualified to attend. The school admitted, I believe, about 9% of the applicant pool this past year.</p>
<p>Go to Cal or UCLA. Go back to Stanford for law or business.</p>
<p>Probably half(maybe more) of Stanford's 25,000 applicants are academically qualified to attend. The school admitted, I believe, about 9% of the applicant pool this past year.</p>
<p>Go to Cal or UCLA. Go back to Stanford for law or business.
my friend got into Stanford this year...she's asian, not particularly wealthy at all, excellent stats of course...but very few EC's to her high school career except for playing piano and some volunteer hours...though she did do some lab assisting at a university for a summer, that might have put her over.</p>
<p>and many consistently consider Stanford among the best engineering schools in the US, i dont see why not consider it.</p>
<p>alfan44's Stanford commentary is both funny and on the mark! Our student tour guide said with a straight face that being an Olympic athlete is good too, though not that uncommom. lol. He'll probably apply as a what-the-heck. As a whole these responses are very encouraging for getting into a good UC, with in-state public tuition (yea), assuming he can stay focused. Thanks.</p>
<p>I disagree that UCSD is a match. It's a safety. UCSD uses a published, 100% transparent formula to determine admission. Go look it up and plug in the numbers. I think a score of 7400 was the cutoff this year. Also, UCSD offers engineering majors a full scholarship if their scores are high enough (in the top 50-100 of all engineering majors). It's possible he'd be eligible for it.</p>