whats a good engineering school for me to attend

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I know it depends a lot on me and my preferences, but I’d really like to know my options for college. I’ve checked out lists of colleges with good engineering programs but I really want to know what colleges around me would I get accepted to.
I have a 4.1 GPA (out of 4.5) and a 3.89 UW GPA (I haven’t been able to pick my classes for the first few semesters of HS because I moved into my school in the middle of freshman year, so my GPA isn’t great). My class rank is 80/450, but due to me taking multiple AP classes this year It should go up. Unfortunately, I have slacked off during finals so the only 2 Bs I’ve gotten have been an 88 and 89 last year, but due to my 4 AP classes, I might end up with another 89 or 88 in a class. So my W GPA and class rank should go up because of the AP classes, my UW GPA will probably go down.
My ACT is a 29 and I am aiming to raise it to a 32 within the next few months. I would assume I could get it to at least a 30 before I apply.

I live in North Carolina which has several really good colleges(Duke, Chapell Hill, NC State), but they are very selective and I don’t know if I would get in with my stats.
I just want to know good colleges for engineering( mechanical) that I would get accepted to. Imagine that cost and distance aren’t a problem(hypothetically).

I am in several volunteering clubs, volunteer at the library, reff soccer games, am a volunteer soccer coach for kids, and might get an internship over the summer. I am writing me essays on me being a first-generation immigrant, and on the internship, so I THINK the essays shouldn’t be bad.

I am really interested in NC State, Purdue, and Virginia Tech, but I don’t know if my scores are competitive. I am Asain and I’ve heard that hurts my chances. Two of my senior friends got accepted to NC State, one that was about as smart as me, and one that had scores a little lower than me, and they told me I would probably get in. They are non-Asian minorities. I’m sorry if I sound like a jerk, but they directly told me that me being Asian might make it harder for me.
I would happily take any of the colleges I’ve listed but I don’t know if my stats are good enough for me to apply.

2

I’m going to be going to NC State next year for engineering (white female), and I had many people from my school with about the same stats as you get in too! I think you stand a very good chance if you can get your ACT up a few points, and being a first-gen immigrant will definitely help you as well. I wouldn’t stress too much about having a couple of Bs (I had two, one in AP Chem and one in AP Calc and I was fine), especially if you have a heavy workload. I would continue with the ECs you have now, and maybe try to build some leadership. But overall, I think you are a very good fit for NC State IMO, especially as an in-state student. If you have any questions directly about me or my experiences, feel free to DM me!

3

You should talk to your parents about what they will contribute to your college costs, and run the net price calculator on each college’s web site to get an idea of whether it will be affordable. Do this for each college before putting the college on your application list.

North Carolina public universities that have mechanical engineering are NCSU, NC A&T, and UNC-Charlotte. The only other university in North Carolina with mechanical engineering is Duke, which is private and highly selective.

4

Any ABET accredited Engineering school will be fine. Of course apply to your state U…but use tools like CC College Search, College board search, and Naviance to help come up with a list.

Decide if you like
Big or small schools
Urban/rural/suburban
etc