Looking for a little advice. S22 has started submitting college apps, and we need to add a couple of reaches. He attends a nationally ranked, selective private prep school in WA, and does well, except for spring of 2021… A year of online school really got to him, and he had his worst semester, which really pulled down his overall GPA (3.5)… He takes tough courses, eg, he is currently taking AP Calc BC and AP Phys C. Waiting on Oct 2nd SAT results.
He wants to major in Engineering (Mech, Env, or other). His ECs are mostly various sports and a service organization. Undecided on city vs urban but would like prefer residential. Access to skiing or surfing a bonus.
Here is his list so far:
Colo School of Mines
CU Boulder
Arizona State (ASU)
Oregon State (OSU)
Washington State (WSU) (in-state)
Gonzaga
We had crossed off all the UCs because they will be unlikely, and also because of the OOS cost vs value, but considering them now bc the location is just so good with 2 hr flight from home, etc. The personal statement is done, teacher recs are in, transcripts in hand, S22 is on a roll, and we all feel like adding some reaches, just to see what might happen. And maybe Santa Clara U.
Any suggestions for a couple of reaches and or even other targets we should consider?
If looking for reach options in California: Cal Poly SLO, USC, UC Davis or UC Irvine. Other options in California: Cal Poly Pomona, Santa Clara, and I’ve heard that CSU-Humboldt is perhaps moving toward being a Poly but I don’t know much about what they currently offer.
What’s your budget? What hobbies does he like? Hiking? Skiing? CIty life? Etc.
A 3.5 unfortunately won’t get him into any of the desirable UCs for engineering. Plus, they aren’t really great values. It certainly isn’t worth paying OOS tuition for, probably any of them, let alone Merced, Riverside, etc.
The best value in CA for OOS students is Cal Poly, but again, not with a 3.5.
Both CU and Mines will probably be a reach already for engineering with a 3.5. ASU, WSU and OSU are all likely admits. ASU is not WUE though, so I question it’s value on the list.
If it were me, I wouldn’t be looking for more reach schools, but better match and safety schools. If he’s into the outdoors, Colorado State, Montana State and Utah all have good ME programs, Utah especially, and they’re all WUE schools. WUE is competitive, but he’d most likely get at least that at all of them.
If still considering the UC’s, then a Capped weighted UC GPA below 4.0 would only make UC Merced, Riverside and possibly UC Santa Cruz possible.
UC GPA admit data below would be even lower for competitive majors like Engineering but it gives an idea of where he stands with his capped weighted GPA:
2020 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 2%
UCLA: 1%
UCSD: 8%
UCSB: 9%
UCI: 9%
UCD: 17%
UCSC: 59%
UCR: 65%
UCM: 95%
2020 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 14%
UCLA: 8%
UCSD: 39%
UCSB: 40%
UCD: 55%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 82%
UCR: 90%
UCM: 97%
Some other Cal states to consider would be San Jose State, Cal State Long Beach and San Diego State. These would be in the Match to Reach category depending upon calculated GPA.
Utah sounds like a perfect fit for what you’re looking for. Easy 2 hr direct flight from SeaTac, unparalleled outdoor recreation (esp. skiing) very easily accessible, urban resources too, strong engineering programs that are accessible with his GPA, and affordable as well, either with WUE or via Utah’s path to residency after the first year. Win-win-win, at probably less than half the cost of a UC.
First, some myths need to be dispelled. There is an LDS presence that is felt, mostly in the way their liquor laws are still goofy, but SLC is a Democrat majority, Mormon minority city. I grew up there, as a Catholic. It’s FAR more progressive now than it was then. It’s not Berkeley, but it’s not Mobile either.
Our son graduated from Cal Poly with a BS/MS in ME, but he almost chose Utah over Cal Poly, even though he had the stats to go nearly anywhere he wanted. The campus is great. The dorms are awesome (built for the SLC Winter Olympics). The Mighty Utah Student Section (MUSS) looks like a blast. Outdoor activities are unparallelled. Lastly, the ME curriculum (Spiral) was overhauled to start students with meaningful, hands on activities earlier. For engineering, especially for WICHE state applicants, I think it’s the most underrated program in the nation. Lots to like about The U.
Thanks! Will take a look at Utah and Cal Poly Pomona too. Utah is an interesting option and it wasn’t on our radar at all. I just assumed that it was totally LDS, like the rest of Utah. The only time I ever drove through Utah, I couldn’t even find a coffee shop! No kidding.i had expected it to be dry, but no coffee? This kind of thing would drive S22 nuts. But it’s different in SLC? S22 would love the proximity to the slopes.
What about UNM in Albuquerque?
As for budget: good value is appreciated (,we have 3 to send to college) but not required, if it’s otherwise a great fit for S22.
Just for future reference, while there are indeed no WUE-eligible Engineering majors available at the main ASU Tempe campus, it appears that a couple of ABET-accredited Engineering majors, including Mechanical Engineering Systems, are available on the ASU Polytechnic campus. That said, I do realize that the ASU Polytechnic campus is very unlikely to appeal to a student coming from a selective private prep school. This is just a note for the record.
ASU’ scholarship estimator is currently being updated with Fall 2022 award amounts so one cannot check what a 3.5 will return for the Tempe campus, but I assume it will be competitive with University of Arizona.
Yes D has loved Utah, and has had no problem being a liberal atheist from CA. It’s ideal for really outdoorsy kids, their idea of a Sunday afternoon break from studying is a hike to swim in the hot springs. It’s good to have a car, because they drive all over to visit national parks and ski resorts, they think nothing of a 3-4 hour drive (which gets you to the Tetons, Zion, Moab, etc) and they’ve done weekends in Big Sky (6 hours) and Mammoth (8 hours) and spring break in Banff (15 hours). They’ve driven to the Oregon Coast a couple of times to go surfing! Backpacking, rafting and climbing are just as good as the skiing.
The dorms are very different in price and quality, the Honors College ones are brand new and really nice, some of the regular ones aren’t quite so good, but still better than the triples that you get at UCs. Food on campus isn’t great, but it’s cheap to eat out in SLC.
The very first thing that greeted us in the airport deplaning when we went to SLC to visit The U was an ad for a beer called Polygamy Porter!
There are many great restaurants, bars and yes…coffee shops in SLC.
The proximity to the slopes is nuts. Seven world class mountains are within 45 minutes. A friend of mine did his medical residency in Utah and still skied 100 days a year. Thing are so close that on anything but a powder day, you could get 2 hours in, including travel, in far less time than it would take to play a round of golf.
Does he need to be out West - because if not, look at Bradley, Mississippi State and UAH. I mean, if the money is enough.
If you are after merit, you have a good list. If you want a “reach” for reach" sake, you might try USC, UW, and Claremont McKenna and maybe U Denver…good luck
If interested by the Honors Colleges at ASU or OSU, it would probably best to complete the Honors applications prior to the November 1st early action deadline. Those applications take time, so you should start working on them ASAP.
