Where to start looking? (biology/engineering)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey, so I'm an incoming senior right now and I've gotten serious about narrowing down my list of colleges to apply to. I'd like to major in bioengineering or something similar. Here are my stats:
WGPA: 3.70
ACT: 30
No SAT
AP World: 5
AP Enviro: 4</p>

<p>I go to a super-competetive high school in SoCal and I've always taken the most rigorous classes available, so I guess that explains my mediocre GPA. We can't take weighted or AP classes until junior year, so that's also really deflated my GPA.
I've also started my essays and applications, and I'm a pretty decent writer, so I expect those to really help my application.
My junior schedule: chem, AP enviro, honors english, AP world, honors math, spanish 3
Planned senior schedule: AP gov/honors econ, AP english, AP bio, FST (functions, stats, trig), journalism, world religions, psychology </p>

<p>So for bioengineering, I'm looking into these schools:
UCI
UCD
UCSD
UCSB
UCSC
Cal Poly SLO
Wash U
WPI
U Michigan
I'm not sure where else to look into, as my parents want me to stay on the west coast, and I heard that a lot of the CSUs are more technical, and I'm looking to go to grad school eventually. If anyone could point me in the right direction or if anyone has any advice, that would be amazing. Thanks in advance! </p>

2

<p>Focus on the UC schools, which is the practical way to do. Wash U and U Michigan are high reaches. WPI is agood choice for engineering majors but do not be optimistic about the FA if you need it. Consider Case Western.
<a href=“http://engineering.case.edu/2014-USNews-undergraduate-rankings”>http://engineering.case.edu/2014-USNews-undergraduate-rankings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>I’m curious about the break down of your ACT. Could you provide it, please?</p>

4

<p>English: 33
Math: 29
Science: 26
Reading: 30
Writing: 10
(this was my first time taking it)</p>

5

<p>Thanks. I was curious, OP, about your math and, to a lesser degree, science skills. When I looked at your coursework, I didn’t see any calc or plans to take any calc. The FST looks more like a pre-calc course with some stats. This could be an indication of a weakness in math, or it could be I don’t know what FST entails. </p>

<p>Your ACT doesn’t suggest a particular strength in math either. </p>

<p>Am I wrong to be concerned that you’re going into a math intensive field when you struggle with math?</p>

6

<p>Actually, I’m on track with math at my school.
Before I moved to Cali in middle school, I was accelerated one year in math, but when I entered the school system here, the curriculums didn’t quite line up, and so I was (rather unfairly) pushed back a year, putting me at the average.
I’m pretty strong in math in that I consistently get As, but I can’t do anything to accelerate past FST, sadly. </p>

7

<p>A lot of elite science and engineering students will have higher ACT scores and will have AP’d out of a semester or two of calc, but it will be your first time experiencing it. It’s quite a handful. So any self-study of calc you can do would be helpful, and with your good grades in math it should not be that hard. Finding the time in the fall might be a problem, however.</p>

8

<p>Have you run the net price calculators at these schools? Have you shown your parents what it will cost them? what do they say they can contribute? A safety has to be a school they can absolutely afford, among other things.</p>

<p>From what I see right now of the list, you have matches in CA and MA, and high reaches elsewhere. You need a safety. Case is a high match at this point. Don’t count on much money from OOS schools.</p>

9

<p>Is the GPA you listed your UC and CSU/SLO GPA? If not, you need to determine your UC and CSU GPA. Since the only CSU you have listed is SLO, make sure you calculate your GPA using grades 9-11 (unlike the other CSU’s which only use 10th & 11th grade). </p>

<p>Use this calculator to determine CSU gpa (make sure to add your 9th grade classes).
<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU;

<p>UC GPA information - <a href=“University of California Counselors”>University of California Counselors;

10

<p>Your WGPA is lower than average for the UC’s and SLO especially for BioEngineering. If you only took 2 AP’s Junior year, I am assuming your UC GPA will be close to the 3.7. For your intended major, you will need close to a 4.2 UC GPA and at least an ACT of 31+ to be competitive for SLO and the UC’s.
UCSC: High Match
UCD/UCSB/UCI/WPI: Low Reach
UCSD/SLO/WASH U/U MICH: Reach
I would add UCR, SDSU and CPP (Biotechnology major) and if affordable, University of the Pacific (UOP). Also noted in the above post, if you plan to be competitive for BME/BE, you would need to take at least AP Calculus AB preferably BC in your Senior year.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the advice! Are there any other schools that you would suggest looking into, or maybe safeties? I’m trying to finalize my list of colleges to have ready to show to my GC when I return to school in the fall. </p>

12

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<p>Very true. Ask your parents how much they can pay. That will determine where you should apply.</p>

<p>What is the reason behind BioE? What is your career goal? You often dont have to limit yourself to schools with BioE or BiomedE since the grad schools accept other undergrad majors. </p>