Right now I’m a senior.
My GPA is about 3.7 unweighted with a good number of dual enrollment and AP classes.
I got a 35 composite on the ACT. I’m taking SAT math 2 and bio, and will probably get mid to high 700s.
My ECS aren’t amazing, but I have a broad range of long term commitments in athletics, community service and academics.
I’m interested in engineerinf, but I really just want the best schools I can realistically, maybe or definitely get into. I plan to pursue research so that’s a must, but otherwise, I have no major desires, and money isn’t a limiting factor.
I’m from Florida. I’m interested in mechanical, electrical, computer and industrial engineering. I don’t really have a preference big vs small, public vs private. And like I said, obviously cheaper would be cool, but cost won’t stop me from going to a university.
Are your parents on the same page with you financially? We can recommend some great schools that are $60,000 per year… but let’s not spend the time unless you are sure they can and will pay.
My parents care more about my and my sibling’so education than almost anything else. They have the resources and have made it clear that should not affect my decision. Though if there are 2 schools that were almost the same and one was less expensive, I would keep that in mind.
Since you have no other criteria and money isn’t a constraint, why not just google ‘top engineering undergrad programs’ and similar? You’ll get lots of lists which you can compare. The usual suspects show up over and over. The only reason to come here and ask for recs is when you have some unique criteria that the lists don’t take into account, or some unusual combination of requirements.
I’ve looked at some, but I know that 3.7 isn’t a top GPA, and I was just wondering what you guys though was a good level to target, and what’s a good level to see as safe. I see different numbers for averages on websites, and I know my ACY is higher than my GPA, so I just wanted to get your take on where to set my sights.
Assuming your high school subscribes to Naviance check out where students from your high school with stats such as your were accepted in previous years.
With your stats you are likely to be academically competitive for most colleges, including the most selective.
You can also go to the Common Data Set for every school you might be interested in (google it) and scroll down to Section C, where you can compare your academic stats to those of the admitted student population for the prior year. That’s the best way to access your chances. (Keep in mind that the bottom quarter of the class academically is usually hooked in some way so if you aren’t hooked, you need to at least match the middle.)
Where do you want to live? Engineering companies often hire from local (state or region) colleges as they know what to expect from those. If you want to stay in FL, I’d give serious consideration to FSU, U Alabama (where you’d get nice merit aid) or Ga Tech (if money doesn’t matter).
Then you can try some of the engineering powerhouses like MIT, Stanford, etc, to see what happens IF they are affordable. Those names will rarely be dismissed anywhere BUT I’ll admit to knowing some Civil Engineering firms still prefer local due to local regulations. Penn St or Virginia Tech grads will have an edge over those other top names locally due to being in the same general region. (Local college teach/use those regulations, so graduates know about them.)
Post #12, it’s not as home run as you think. 2 parents on CC who have reported kids with ACT 35 and higher, they both attending Santa Clara University for Computer Science. In my district there was almost 10 with ACT 36 a few years ago.
Like others have said, we can’t make very informed suggestions if you don’t list any preferences. There are other things you can think about besides public/private or big/small. What part(s) of the country? In a city, the suburbs or totally rural? What kind of climate? Do you want a big sports or Greek scene? More liberal or conservative?
You’re right, I haven’t given a great idea of what I’m looking for, but I’m not completely sure myself. I kind of just want to have a well rounded group of schools to apply too, and then make final decisions after I’ve been accepted or denied.
That said, right now I’m looking at:
UWashington Seattle
Georgia Tech
UF
Michigan
MIT
Northwestern
Stanford
Drexel
You can see I’ve got public and private, huge and medium, but no real small, though I’m open to any small school suggestions. West coast, East Coast, Midwest. Some real hard to get into schools, some safer ones. Is there any kind of school I should add to get a more complete set? Do you think this is a good mix of selectivity level?
I like your list. I like it a lot. UWashington and Georgia Tech should be automatic. Michigan, not automatic, but you should get in. Drexel is a safety.