Hello all who read. I have been stressing lately over which college I should apply to and if I don’t get accepted transfer to later. I’m going to major in Chemical Engineering. Originally I had UCSB as my first choice and was pumped about going and all about it. However, I asked my teacher who’s daughter is going to UCSB and he said admissions is a joke and some classes are overly hard. His other daughter is going to UC Riverside which was another college I had in mind but was of very low interest. He explained how they support you there and give you help when needed aswell as it being a bourns college of engineering. I’m only a junior and my current gpa is 3.6 UW and my past score is 1150 first time. I did retake it recently and am going to take the actual SAT later in November. I’m wondering if any current ChemE majors or people planning on going in have any advice on these 2 colleges or any others I have not mentioned. I am aware of Berkeley however it seems a bit more rigorous from what I’ve heard and people end up dropping their engineering major. Money is also being thought about as loans after college sound like a pain. However if you know of any way to pay them quicker or anything like that please tell me. We don’t qualify for FAFSA for reasons I won’t state so that’s also out of the picture. Thanks in advance. Sorry if it’s too long.
Edit: forgot to mention that I also want the highest chance of getting a job right after college and I’m planning on doing as many internships during college.
Berkeley isn’t likely an option with your GPA and initial test scores. Regarding FAFSA, do your parents make too much to get a Pell grant? Or is there some reason you can’t at least take out your federal loans (you need to fill out FAFSA for that)?
Wait until you get your actual SAT score and then look for in-state options in your academic range.
And I’d echo what @eyemgh says – engineering will be hard at any school you attend.
Well if I dont get accepted right off the bat I was planning on going to a community college and then transfer to a UC or other college. Would this be a better option or to go to a state university and not transfer at all?
Until you complete Junior year and have retaken the SAT or try the ACT, it is difficult to recommend any schools. In-state schools are usually the most affordable and being a California resident gives you many options. Do not discount UC’s like Riverside and Santa Cruz (do not have Chemical Engineering) or the Cal States such as CSU Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, San Jose state. Transferring to a UC or CSU is another option if affordability is an issue or you are not happy with your choices after graduation.
All UC’s use the capped weighted UC GPA but UCLA/UCB are the only UC’s that actually post their stats using the Fully weighted UC GPA. All the UC’s will look at your self-reported grades to calculate your GPA. UC GPA, test scores, HS course rigor and your essays are the most important considerations for the UC’s in their application review. EC’s are considered but not weighted as heavily. UCB invites applicants to submit LOR’s but none of the other UC’s currently accept LOR’s.
For the CSU’s, CSU/UC capped weighted GPA, test scores, HS course rigor and local vs non local are the most important criteria. EC’s other than for Cal Poly SLO are not considered and no essays or LOR’s are required or accepted.
So say my weighted GPA is sitting at 3.8 and I improve my SAT score or score a 1300, this would increase my chances tremendously right? Senior year also im planning on taking more AP’s which as long as I perform well im assuming this helps. Im also planning on taking the SAT Math 2 test aswell.
Cal Poly doesn’t have Chem E, but it’s fairly comparable to UCB and UCLA for engineering admission. Their average CSU GPA is 4.16 and their average SAT is 1467. Engineering even at the easier admit schools in CA isn’t that much easier. Get the best grades that you can this year and study for the SAT trying to maximize your score.
Don’t write off the CSUs, especially Long Beach.
Lastly, direct admit is always better than transferring in CA. First, you know you’re in, so you’ve eliminated the uncertainty. Second, transferring into the UC and CSU engineering programs is VERY competitive. They have far fewer slots for transfers than first time freshmen.
Yes, it will help your chances, but not tremendously. Engineering at UCs and Cal States is very competitive and the mid tier UCs and top Cal States will be a reach for you with those stats. The good news is, California has very good universities, even the easier admits will give you a fine chem engineering degree that will get you hired (so, apply broadly). And APs will help to show rigor, so they are important, but will not be calculated toward GPA (only 9-11 or 10-11).
The value of AP classes is that you see material you will see again in college. Even if you do not get credit from the AP exams, the exposure to the material is important. Universities do take into account the fact that you are challenging yourself.