Hi Guys!
I am a current female senior in Massachusetts. My combined SAT is a 1350 and my overall GPA is a 3.4 (upward trend with a 3.8 in my junior year and ~3.85 so far in senior year). I was in band for 2 years and have done a bunch of community service with kids (tutoring and counseling). I’m interested in going to UMASS Amherst for engineering. What are my chances! Would I have a better chance applying to WPI?
Congratulations on your improving GPA! Keep up the good work!
The average unweighted GPA at WPI has been 3.9 out of 4.0 for a few years. You want to look at some other options if you want to improve your chances.
Clarkson would be a very solid choice. University of Maine in Orono has a beautiful campus, a solid engineering program and, I believe, a matching tuition program with U Mass.
What areas in engineering and other subjects you?
I was looking into electrical engineering !
U Mass Lowell is also very highly regarded for their wide ranging engineering programs. As a state university, their cost is lower than most privates unless you can compete for awards at some privates. Clarkson is a very well established private with a well deserved reputation. Not everyone wants to be that far into the country. If they were in Amherst they would be buried in applications.
U Mass Amherst and WPI are both very competitive for STEM admission. There are differences in the way the ABET accredited engineering programs operate. All ABET accredited engineering programs now require capstone experiences (projects) in their engineering major, but not all programs are the same. Your current grades speak well for you, but the competition is very stiff for these majors.
If possible, visit the campuses and talk with students. KNOW why the respective programs interest you. It is not just SAT scores
If EE did not exist, what would you study? What do you enjoy doing outside of the classroom? Would you like to continue your music interest? How about mixing music with EE? Why? How?