My Stats:
GPA UW: 3.2
GPA W: 3.5
SAT: 1470 (790 Math, 680 Reading)
SAT Math Level II: 760
ACT: 29
AP Tests (Calculus AB - 5, Physics C: Mechanics - 5, Computer Science A - 4, AP Statistics - Not Yet Taken, AP Calculus BC - Not Yet Taken)
Extras:
High School Football - Played 4 years (Captain of team for 3 years)
Volunteered at Montessori school - 4 years
Chemistry Club - 3 years
DECA - 1 year (Senior Year)
Lots of volunteer work for an organized company in Seattle throughout my high school career
Awards:
National Scholar Athlete Award Nominee
AP Scholar Award Recipient
I currently live in the state of Washington. I want to go to CU Boulder and study Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering. What are my chances?
Entry into the CU Engineering program is highly competitive. Your stats are well below the middle 50% of students admitted to Engineering last year. Those that apply to Engineering but are not offered direct admission are considered for the Pre-Engineering program. If they are accepted into that program, they have access to most of the resources that are available to full engineering students. This includes being able to stay in the engineering dorms, and taking an engineering projects course. If you follow the program, and make the grades, you are guaranteed admission to the major of your choice. This is path my son took. He really worked hard during his first semester, and was able to transfer to the Engineering School after his first semester (this is not the norm, it usually takes at least two semesters).
If admissions does not offer you entrance into Pre-Engineering, you can always do an Intra-University Transfer. The requirements for IUT are tough, but if you meet them, you will be eligible for transfer to the Engineering School. You are not competing for a slot - If you meet the criteria, you are in. I like this approach, since it gives you a very clear path of what you need to do.
I mean, it will likely be a stretch for you to be admitted straight into engineering. With that said, if you gain admission into CU Boulder in A&S or Business or whatever, you can still do Intra- Unviersity Transfer (IUT) which basically guarantees you will get a spot in the engineering program if you want.
Yeah, the verdict is out that CU Boulder is becoming a highly competitive university. This year CU is expecting to have their lowest admissions rate ever and the highest test scores,too. It is not a stretch of the imagination to see CU Boulder’s average ACT move to the 30 range. Here is a link to IUT
With your mismatched SAT and GPA you’ll have a very hard time getting direct entry to the college of Engineering. I’d say with almost certainty that they will admit you into the pre engineering program to see how you fare.
My D has a 1420 SAT (750 math), a 4.85 gpa (3.85 unweighted), took Calc BC as a junior ( got a 5 on the exam) and AP Physics 1 (got a 4), is currently enrolled in 3 AP’s including Stats and Physics C, and is taking Calc 3 at the community college - applied for ME but got accepted into the pre-engineering program. We were a little surprised!
I wish your talented child great success! You certainly made me feel better about my son, also accepted to pre-engineering in ME, who is pretty darn good, but not that good.
@momamet Mechanical engineering is the largest department at CU Engineering. Its very surprising that a girl with those stats and classes like BC Calculus and AP Physics C, would not get directly into CU Engineering, call and ask, it might be a mistake. Mechanical does not admit to the major, Engineering as a whole admits. So maybe they just have too many mechanical engineers this year, or she applied somewhat late so they slotted her to pre engineering? Its best to apply to CU Engineering in early September.
There will be drop outs as they make mistakes in admissions at CU, and many engineering students drop out, so
there will be room for her ,for certain, either way.
It may be her math and physics grades that got her the pre engineering slot, is all I can think of, her unweighted GPA
you did not specify her grades in math, which is what they care about.
It is dang hard to be admitted into engineering, CU Boulder does not make mistakes on admissions. Unfortunately for her, her stats and likely overall application could not cut it at CU Boulder.
@spike22 I was not talking about OP but @momamet’s daughter with AP physics C, good GPA and a 750 on her math SAT, as well as a score of 5 on her BC calculus exam in 11th grade ! . She is enrolled in Calculus 3. I do not see how a student can be better than momamet’s daughter in fact, what would a student need? It appears to be a mistake to me. Mechanical engineering is tougher than CU Engineering is what I am hearing. Its astonishing that a girl with @momamet 's scores did not get directly into her major but she did not.
Large Colleges like UT Austin and CU Boulder, make so many mistakes in admissions that there is a process to call and ask them to look at the record again! I know a rejected student who got into UT Austin Engineering that way. @momamet should call CU Boulder and see if there was a mistake. Mistakes happen all the time in admissions, but the daughter is admitted to pre engineering, not rejected.