<p>I have my list of colleges that I want to apply to, but now I want to make sure I have some safety schools under my belt.</p>
<p>My Non-Safety Schools
[ul]
[<em>]Carnegie Mellon University
[</em>]George Washington University
[<em>]Georgia Institute of Technology
[</em>]Purdue University
[<em>]Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
[</em>]University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign
[<em>]University of Maryland: College Park
[</em>]Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
[/ul]</p>
<p>I don't want to provide my stats because I want this information to be available for everyone, not just for students that fit my profile.</p>
<p>Bama.</p>
<p>If you’ve got the stats to get admitted to the schools above, then chances are very good that you’d qualify for automatic scholarships at Alabama. The engineering department also gives additional awards.</p>
<p>Add to that, that the entire engineering complex at Bama is brand new. The department is also growing and hiring professors when many other schools are struggling with funding.</p>
<p>And then add to that the fact that it isn’t recruited nearly as heavily as the schools he has listed (save GWU, which seems out of place). That isn’t to say no one recruits Bama engineers, but the opportunities right off the bat are less. Always look into the career fairs and companies that typically recruit a school before deciding to attend there to make sure it’s a match.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>The OP did ask for safeties. Agreed that the schools on his list will provide better opportunities, but for those looking for safeties, Bama is a good option.</p>
<p>BTW - my S, now a sophomore at Bama (who was admitted to Purdue and Georgia Tech and Rose-Hulman), did intern this summer after his freshman year. No, the business didn’t recruit at the school, but with a little leg work on our own, we had no problem finding an opportunity.</p>
<p>VCU, especially if you happen to be from VA.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Safeties can only be determined in the context of the applicant, mainly his/her academic credentials and cost constraints. What is a safety for one applicant may not be a safety for some other applicant.</p>
<p>I kept GW on my list because I’m considering it to be an up-and-coming school since they’re building a $350 million engineering building (their biggest investment). They also have the SCALE-uP program which organizes the classroom so that students are grouped together which promotes the teamwork aspect of engineering.</p>
<p>The assumption that there are safety schools for future engineers, in general, is wrong. Different students will have different safety schools depending on individual qualifications and needs.</p>
<p>For most students, the safety school will be an in-state public university with automatic admission requirements or rolling admissions with quick turnaround.</p>
<p>If you insist…</p>
<p>My Statistics
- <a href=“UW”></a> GPA: 3.7
<a href=“W”></a> GPA: 4.416
[<em>]Class Rank: 3 or 4 out of ~200 (Top 5%)
[</em>]SAT Scores: 650 M | 640 CR | 630 W (not official because I will be retaking in October and I have been preparing)
[<em>]6 AP Courses throughout high school including Calculus AB & BC, Chemistry, Biology, English Language and Composition, and Psychology–I’m also considering self-studying Physics
[</em>]All of my other classes have been Honors unless it was gym, health, or a tech class (no Honors available)
[<em>]STEM Academy Student and Project Lead the Way classes
Extracurriculars
[ul]
[</em>]Board of Directors in NHS
[<em>]HS Jazz Ensemble
[</em>]Guitar Lessons (4 years)
[<em>]Summer Jobs (Camp Counselor one year and Electrical Engineering Intern for this year and next year)
[</em>]900+ hours of volunteer work
[li]Self studies[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Iowa State is a good safety school it also host the biggest engineering career fair in the US so good opportunities, not to mention is pretty cheap!</p>
<p>Iowa State is a good safety school in terms of acceptance rate. I haven’t heard anything about Alabama–I’ll have to look that one up.</p>
<p>You’re from MD, right?</p>
<p>Look at UMBC.</p>
<p>UMBC doesn’t offer a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (the major I want to pursue).</p>
<p>Iowa State auto-admits students who meet a specified score on its Regents Admissions Index formula. Of course, you need to make sure that it is affordable.</p>
<p>Your stats (if your real SAT matches your prediction) give an automatic full ride to Prairie View A&M. It has various engineering majors, and the automatic full ride makes it affordable.</p>
<p>is Ohio State doable with those stats?</p>
<p>sun - You have some very nice qualifications. But I think your current SAT scores are a bit low for your college list… making many a Reach. When you study for the Oct test, concentrate on Math - it’s the more important one for Engineering. Also I think it would be the one most likely to improve with studying. </p>
<p>Even now you have SAT scores about same as mine. (They were in 1970s, but not sure if the scales have changed much). They were good enough to get into all 7 colleges applied (engineering) and then do well in college. BUT my list was not as top heavy as yours. Admittedly, you have better EC etc than I did. </p>
<p>I think you need some more matches as well as a safeties.</p>
<p>Try to get higher on your Math score on the SAT. Engineering acceptance is hugely based on how high the math scores are on the SAT or ACT. Your GPA is good but the math scores are a bit low for engineering. Most students entering engineering have a score of 700 or higher in the math section.</p>
<p>I didn’t study the first time around because I was so busy with AP exams so I think my next scores will improve. I’m hoping to boost my math score as you said. I got a 5 in my AP Calculus and I love math so I don’t know why I scored so low. I think I skipped and omitted 10 questions.</p>
<p>Wow - 5 on AP Calc is great! Sometimes students taking higher level math are rusty on their rote math skills. So in you case it may be more a matter of brushing up on your skills and getting familiar with test format than learning the material. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you colorado_mom, you’re support is greatly appreciated!</p>