Hi, so I am going into my senior year of highchool and want to attend either A&M or UT. Right now I have a 1310 SAT, and 29 ACT. I have a 3.5 GPA and top 22%. If I get a 30 on my ACT, I get into A&M automatically so I’m going to retake it but lets speak as I just have the 29. I also want to do computer engineering so I want to know if I will get into their engineering school. I have had a business internship with the Texas Rangers and a computer science/computer engineering internship with Link 3 Technologies, who work with NASA and the military building stuff along the lines of flight training simulators. I was also in a robotics competition that placed 2nd in the 2017 State BEST robotics compeition. I’m in NHS, key club,science nhs, computer science nhs, a program within our highschool called the STEM academy which only a handful of students in our district got into. I’ve played football, competed in a video production competition called Techonology student associated. competed in a competition called UTA innovation day, i take all pre-ap classes. have taken 3 engineering and 2 computer science classes. have taken govt and econonics at UTA. played football for 2 years before i quit to do internships.have went on multiple mission trips with my church. that’s all i can think of at the moment but im wondering if i will.get into these schools and their respective engineering colleges.
Your class rank is going to kill your chances at UT for engineering and likely the same at A&M. Class rank is the first thing they look at regardless of the competition at your high school. I find it odd that you have UT and A&M as your top choices since they are such different schools. Most folks like one over the other and they are seldom on the same list. If you want to go into engineering and stick with the public schools, you need to start your search with Tech, UofH or UTD.
UT is out of reach. TAMU is likely but not for engineering. Spend time checking out UTDallas, UHouston, Texas Tech, UTSA.
Mizzou, Must-Rolla, UArk, UOK may be possible.
UT is going to be a stretch, especially for computers. A&M is a match, but computer engineering has very limited slots. With computers, it really doesn’t matter where you go to school, so you have tons of options. UT-Dallas is a top tech school and it’s in a location where there’s internships and job opportunities. It’s the same with U of H. Texas State is a prime location. It’s 30 minutes from Austin and 45 min away from San Antonio, so you the best of internships in both cities. Of course there’s UTSA.
UT is out.
You are not a match for A&M, despite what was told you. The numbers on the online sites take all of A&M types of admissions offers and lumps them together, so they include all of the dual enrollment admissions, not just full admissions to College Station. For A&M academic admit, you need more than a 30 on ACT or 1360. You must have the minimum sub scores to be considered for academic admit.
There is no guarantee you will get into the engineering school, as that is holistic review, even for auto/academic admits. Getting in to A&M engineering is one thing. Staying in is another thing entirely. They have a 55% retention rate for freshmen. 40% thus far, have failed the math placement test at their NSC and are enrolled in pre Calculus for fall. These students have one more opportunity to retake the MEP during Howdy week to see if they can improve their score and thus, take Calculus I (Math 151).
Know that if you want computer engineering or computer science, you will have to earn your way there. At A&M, you are not admitted to your major. Every freshman starts out in General Engineering. During your second semester, you apply to a major. This cycle, there were many, many students who did not get their first choice major and if they only want that one major, there isn’t anything they can do except improve their GPA and apply the next fall or Spring but specific major classes will not be available since you won’t be in that major yet.
Definitely apply to UTA as a safety/back up. Know that A&M will give you zero help to offset the cost of attending as for merit aid and demonstrated need scholarships are competitive as well. UT Dallas is also a very good alternative. Both UTA and UTD though, do not have the traditional college university fell/experience.
Texas State Computer Engineering is part of the Electrical Engineering major (The Computer Engineering program is a separately-accredited concentration within the Electrical Engineering degree program.
Texas Tech is an option, as is University of Houston. Don’t count out Oklahoma State. Their school spirit is close to that of TAMU. It is a great university.
Students declare a major in Electrical Engineering (EE) with a “concentration” in Computer Engineering (EE/CE). The EE/CE curriculum shares many components of the EE curriculum, but has some specific differences which pertain to the field of Computer Engineering. The EE/CE program was developed to accommodate a separate, standalone CE degree in the future).
UT is a major reach considering your ranking. Your scores aren’t bad, but entry into the engineering program is not likely to leave a lot of wiggle room. As for A&M, acceptance does not look out of the question; however, the engineering program might be a reach. I think it’s worth more of a shot than UT, but don’t rely on it.
If you’re looking for engineering in-state, try looking at Texas Tech. Their program yields a greater acceptance rate. Plus, if you liked the environment of A&M, Tech isn’t too different.
I agree with Thelma. I would also second her thoughts on Oklahoma State. You could even get some merit there to at least get it in reach of our state schools as far as costs. They have a 3 week “bridge” program that starts in early august that is like a physics and calculus boot camp and they have a ton of resources in place to make it a great experience. I’m super impressed with what I hear from them.
UT Arlington could be a good fit as well. You just have to make up your mind ahead of time to go and be intentional about finding activities related to your major and making it a good experience.