Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 17:02     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That GPA is not competitive for engineering especially if based on freshman and sophomore year (junior year classes are harder!). Will be up against many students with close to 4.0 UW in rigorous classes. You are right to aim lower.


This is untrue... A 3.5-3.6 UW GPA coupled with 1500-1550 SAT and AP physics and calculus is super competitive at all but the best colleges. Again, I can only speak from experience through this past admission cycle.

Furthermore, if I put OPs weighted GPA and SAT in my kids Naviance, I struggle to find a school outside of the Ivies and the UNC, UC type schools that heavily tilt towards in-state, where there is a rejection. Likely, a different high school, but worth noting for need perfect grades set.


My student had a 1500/3.95UW gpa/8 AP--all STEM except for AP Psychology
1 A- in freshman history (ex APUSH teacher who tried to teach it like an AP course, kid missed an A by 0.02%) and a B in AP Calc BC first semester (hard teacher, but everyone in class earned a 5 on the AP test, so material was learned). Otherwise all As and many hard STEM courses

And my kid did not get admission to any T30 (Deferred/rejected at a T10, Rejected at 2 T20, WL at T30, accepted everywhere else above ~30). But most places they will be competing with kids who took similar courses and have a 3.8UW+, not a 3.5 UW.



Top 30 colleges or top 30 undergraduate engineering program? Those stats should have been competitive at the Big Ten schools except for maybe Northwestern and Michigan. No success at Illinoius, Purdue, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin or Minnesota? All in the top 30 for engineering.
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:54     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:Some not mentioned…. Santa Clara (ED), CU Boulder, University of Utah, Arizona State, University of Denver, San Jose State. Definitely apply EA to WPI

Why are you sending OP across the country?
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:47     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That GPA is not competitive for engineering especially if based on freshman and sophomore year (junior year classes are harder!). Will be up against many students with close to 4.0 UW in rigorous classes. You are right to aim lower.


This is untrue... A 3.5-3.6 UW GPA coupled with 1500-1550 SAT and AP physics and calculus is super competitive at all but the best colleges. Again, I can only speak from experience through this past admission cycle.

Furthermore, if I put OPs weighted GPA and SAT in my kids Naviance, I struggle to find a school outside of the Ivies and the UNC, UC type schools that heavily tilt towards in-state, where there is a rejection. Likely, a different high school, but worth noting for need perfect grades set.


My student had a 1500/3.95UW gpa/8 AP--all STEM except for AP Psychology
1 A- in freshman history (ex APUSH teacher who tried to teach it like an AP course, kid missed an A by 0.02%) and a B in AP Calc BC first semester (hard teacher, but everyone in class earned a 5 on the AP test, so material was learned). Otherwise all As and many hard STEM courses

And my kid did not get admission to any T30 (Deferred/rejected at a T10, Rejected at 2 T20, WL at T30, accepted everywhere else above ~30). But most places they will be competing with kids who took similar courses and have a 3.8UW+, not a 3.5 UW.

Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:47     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Looks solid for VT. The GPA below is weighted.
https://eng.vt.edu/about.html

Fall 2023 first-year student profile:
Average high school GPA is 4.26
Average SAT Math score is 689
Average SAT Reading score is 669
Total SAT average is 1358
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:41     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:What is mediocre about his grades?


They don't match his UW GPA. Unless he's at an elite private (not likely with that many APs), a 3.5/3.6 UW is more inline with a 1350 SAT typically (obviously your results may vary).

Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:40     Subject: Re:Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:The profile is excellent but it’s engineering and let’s just say that he will be competing with kids who make up a ton of BS. One recent UCLA admit in our school is running around bragging how he listed he is CEO of a start up with investors but it’s really only a GitHub page and the investors are relatives. The scam has worked for others in his large extended family. Hundreds of volunteer hours that are made up and a hardship story that is also BS. My favorite is he lied about spending hours volunteering for the Harris campaign while in reality he wears a MAGA hat. He thinks he is brilliant for hustling his way into UCLA.

So my advice is to either -
Lie, cheat, fake it till you make it.
If you are too ethical for that, shotgun approach. Ignore up to T30 unless you don’t mind the app fee but send as many as you can to T50-T150 schools that have engineering.


His SAT score along with that GPA will get him into most T50+ engineering programs. WPI might be difficult because avg GPA is 3.89UW, and they are test blind. But otherwise, Mich State, Marquette, Gonzaga, etc will all be excellent choices.

Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:39     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:Some ideas:

Target: U Rochester, Lehigh

Safeties: regional state universities. For privates, something like Gonzaga

Rolling admission school that can give an early acceptance and thus become a safety once that happens: Colorado School of Mines


While Gonzaga is an excellent school, know that their engineering is limited in majors. So make certain they have what your kid is interested in first.
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 16:38     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:State flagships and Pitt are a good start.


Adding to that:
WPI (although the GPA might be the killer here. Their avg GPA is 3.89 UW!!!! and they do not consider SAT scores at all--Test BLIND) Visit and show interest, and it might work

RIT
RPI
Drexel
CWRU
Rochester

Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:51     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
with grades like that, community college for sure ... if he can even get in!

give me a break!
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:39     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:https://afford.ua.edu/scholarships/out-of-state-freshman/

Your son would qualify for a massive scholarship at University of Alabama (almost the entire cost of tuition.)
I know many on DCUM love to hate on it, but I'd recommend checking it out. My son and I did and we were really impressed; my son liked it more than Virginia Tech (which is in state for us.) My son ended up choosing Purdue, but also would have been very excited about going to Alabama.


This is good advice. My son's friend is at Alabama with this scholarship, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Chose Alabama over VT (OOS).
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:37     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
https://afford.ua.edu/scholarships/out-of-state-freshman/

Your son would qualify for a massive scholarship at University of Alabama (almost the entire cost of tuition.)
I know many on DCUM love to hate on it, but I'd recommend checking it out. My son and I did and we were really impressed; my son liked it more than Virginia Tech (which is in state for us.) My son ended up choosing Purdue, but also would have been very excited about going to Alabama.
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:35     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on whether places like Union or UMass or RPI would be within range? I was thinking of doing an upstate NY/Western MA tour with him this summer but if those don’t seem realistic, I won’t go out of my way.

If you're going up, stop at Clarkson too. It's a prettier and friendlier version of RPI. I'd skip UMass, as it's just another big state school. There are better options.
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:30     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:That GPA is not competitive for engineering especially if based on freshman and sophomore year (junior year classes are harder!). Will be up against many students with close to 4.0 UW in rigorous classes. You are right to aim lower.


I'm assuming that you have a student with similar stat's as OP's that was shut out of engineering schools with similar stats? If not, how would you know?
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:28     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:NC State, VT, UMBC, NJIT

Not NC State or VaTech.


These stats are very competitive for VT out of state. In-state form northern Virginia, I would say 50-50. Should be solid for NC State as well but with NC's. heavy preference for in-state students and the popularity of the south nothing is certain. This kid also will have much better options than NC State.
Anonymous
Post 04/01/2025 09:23     Subject: Suggestions for Engineering -- mediocre grades
Anonymous wrote:That GPA is not competitive for engineering especially if based on freshman and sophomore year (junior year classes are harder!). Will be up against many students with close to 4.0 UW in rigorous classes. You are right to aim lower.


This is untrue... A 3.5-3.6 UW GPA coupled with 1500-1550 SAT and AP physics and calculus is super competitive at all but the best colleges. Again, I can only speak from experience through this past admission cycle.

Furthermore, if I put OPs weighted GPA and SAT in my kids Naviance, I struggle to find a school outside of the Ivies and the UNC, UC type schools that heavily tilt towards in-state, where there is a rejection. Likely, a different high school, but worth noting for need perfect grades set.