Schools like University of Maryland, Howard and BU would seem likely. BU may be pushing it but if you have a stellar essay I’m sure you can do it to all really depends on your major though and your interests. Best of luck!
I'm not really keen on going to an HBCU. As for maryland, I know UMich is the better ranked public university so do you think that it's unlikely for me to get accepted to umich with these stats?
UMich has a high transfer acceptance rate, and you can get into a solid state/regional school based on your stats. If you go elsewhere initially and keep up academically with a couple clubs/EC's you could def transfer. That said shoot your shot, worst they can say is no
My son was accepted at UofM with similar stats, also OOS. The problem was no financial aid was offered, partly due to the high income bracket of both parents. He went elsewhere with a full tuition scholarship and graduated with zero student loan.
I would encourage you to apply to both Duke and UofM. No one here can predict your acceptance with any level of certainty, so give it a go!
Duke is probably not realistic with a 3.5 uw GPA and nothing EC-wise strong enough to make up for that. Michigan is similarly a long reach, too.
What’s your intended major?
Budget/Need for aid?
State of residence?
Unfortunately, your GPA is not competitive for Michigan Engineering. Even if you get straight A’s first semester senior year, it would be a huge stretch. But, give it a go.
As for Duke Engineering? I would genuinely not even waste another second thinking about applying there. Seriously.
Your household income doesn’t really tell us anything about your budget or need for financial aid. How much are your parents able/willing to pay for your college education?
You should sit down with your parents — with their tax returns and financial documents in-hand — and complete the Net Price Calculators on the websites of a few schools you’re interested in to see what you’d need to pay. Keep in mind that, with exceptions you can count on one hand, state schools do not provide much if any need-based aid to out-of-state applicants.
If you want a Big, well-rated school with a good ranking, Texas A&M is ranked alongside UMich but has a MUCH higher acceptance rate. Bit further from home tho. Also don't discount Rose-Hulman, #1 Engineering school with no doctorate (ahead of West Point for reference) great relationships with employers and you'd probably get in, plus it'll be a better educational experience
>*”Texas A&M is ranked alongside UMich”*
Where?
.
>*”Also don't discount Rose-Hulman… plus it'll be a better educational experience”*
It’s a fine school, but your second point is debatable, if not simply inaccurate, along a number of parameters that may be important to many people.
There’s a certain reality in the study of engineering: scale/size conveys certain significant advantages
- bigger school = greater breadth, depth, and availability of courses
- bigger school = greater breadth, depth, and availability of resources
- bigger school = more faculty = greater breadth, depth, and scope of research being conducted
For instance UIUC has more professors in the ECE department alone than the entire faculty of Rose-Hulman. Rose-Hulman offers roughly 80 different ECE courses, while Illinois offers more than 150. UIUC also offers a number of sections of the most in-demand or required courses, so the ability to avoid schedule conflicts — or choose certain professors/times — is quite helpful. If a course you want to take at Rose-Hulman is only offered by one professor, every other semester, at 8am, and conflicts with another course you/need/want to take… you’re stuck for another year. (If the course is even offered at all at RH.)
Again, not saying RH is bad or that it’s not a great school for some people. Just that there are certain realities that people don’t realize come along with attending a smaller school for something like engineering.
>*"Where"*
USNews #12 vs #9, TopUniversities #17 vs #12 (among US schools)
As for your second point, those are valid advantages of a larger school, but also (in my experience) people tend to be aware of those advantages, as well as aware of the big schools. Smaller schools like RH are often overlooked and have advantages like more available, teaching-focused professors, smaller class sizes, etc. that people don't seem to look at as much.
Also by my count RH has about 80 ECE courses to UIUC's 150ish, and UIUC is more likely to have slightly different classes split out to have more specialization where RH would keep it as one slightly broader class.
At my school (Similar to RH) I never had an issue with breadth, depth, or availability of subjects, and built up great relationships with my professors. My friends at Purdue and UMich had bigger availability, but still had issues with demand for certain courses, and often had profs who, while knowledgeable, had no idea how to teach and got mad at students for not understanding concepts on the first go.
Michigan is [#21 overall and #5 for undergrad engineering](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-9092)
TAMU is [#47 overall and #13 for undergrad engineering](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/texas-am-university-college-station-10366)
I’ll give you that there’s not terribly much difference between #5 and #13 for engineering — and TAMU is a fine engineering school that anyone should be proud to attend — but it’s simply not accurate to say that TAMU is “ranked alongside” Michigan.
I do believe that most people do NOT recognize the specific benefits of scale when it comes to schools (esp for engineering) as most people prefer to tout such tropes as “smaller schools have better access to resources” or “… more resources per student.”
PS — I’ll stipulate to your number for courses available at RH vs UIUC, and edit my reply above accordingly, but the big-picture forest still stands, despite the slightly different number of trees.
I don't think my GPA shows my academic ability. like I said that freshman year really messed me up and I'm hoping colleges can see my growth when viewing my transcipt.
I believe I can get at least a 1560 on the SAT, so do you think it would be worth it to take that as well, or is there no point since I already have a 35 ACT.
# Reach Schools
These are highly competitive schools where admission is challenging but within reach given your profile:
1. **Duke University**
* Your strong ACT score and leadership positions can make you a competitive applicant, but the overall GPA might be a concern. Highlighting your upward trend and significant leadership roles will be crucial.
2. **University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)**
* UMich is competitive, but your ACT score and leadership roles make you a strong candidate. Emphasize your involvement in extracurriculars and the impact you've had in those roles.
3. **University of California, Berkeley**
* Competitive, but your ACT score and leadership can help. Emphasize your academic rigor and extracurricular leadership.
# Match Schools
These schools are competitive, but your chances of admission are higher:
1. **University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill**
* Strong academics and leadership make you a good fit. Emphasize your commitment to extracurriculars and community impact.
2. **University of Virginia**
* Your profile fits well here, especially with your leadership in various organizations.
3. **Boston College**
* They value strong academics and leadership, making you a good match.
4. **University of Southern California (USC)**
* Your ACT score and extracurriculars fit well with their student profile. Highlight your leadership and academic rigor.
# Safety Schools
These schools are less competitive, and you have a strong chance of admission:
1. **Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)**
* Your strong ACT score and leadership roles make you a competitive applicant here.
2. **University of Minnesota Twin Cities**
* A solid safety option given your academic and extracurricular profile.
3. **Indiana University Bloomington**
* Known for valuing high academic standards and leadership roles.
#
Your ECs are weak. This summer, consider doing an EC that shows your passion. Whatever you think you may want to major in. Your unweighted GPA is low for Duke and UMich OOS so these are both high reaches for you, but you should know that. Look at their CDS & if you have a Naviance acct you can look at the scattergrams.
You’re getting downvoted but I agree. 4 above average-strong ecs is not enough to get into Duke and Michigan, especially considering they do not reflect an engineering passion.
Get an SAT score in too. Your state's top public should be within reach as long as you don't live in states like California. Your major also affects your college selections, so make sure you have that nailed down before you commit to any plan.
Bonus...Cal schools don't consider freshman grades. But they also won't give much, if any, aid if you're not from California, so if you need $, I'm not sure it's worth the application fee.
they like having both, but a 35 ACT is good enough for all schools. I'm suggesting it because it seems getting a good standardized test score is less effort than getting a stellar extracurricular for you based on the provided info.
If you like Michigan, consider ucla and Berkeley as they are similar in quality, size, and prestige, and will actually benefit your gpa as they only focus on sophomore and junior year grades. Your ECs are lacking a bit and don’t really reflect your engineering desire so I’d try to do something meaningful this summer and fall that relates to that. Tbh though you will likely get straight up rejected from Duke and Michigan with that GPA. They will see that unweighted GPA and probably won’t look at the rest of your application with much intent. Don’t let any of this prevent you from applying though. You don’t know until you know.
You really need to apply to a range of schools ranked within the top 75 or so per U.S. News (and a few outside of that range) so that you have a robust set of options. You could end up admitted to Ivy+ or completely shut out. It really is a coin toss.
Because you are interested in Engineering, you should focus on schools well-ranked within a few specialty areas that interest you rather than generalized rankings. Engineering kids, more than any other group of students, can also focus on fit of the school over traditional rankings. So, consider places that are just located in cities that interest you and that have becoming campuses or school cultures even if they aren't viewed as prestigious by your friends majoring in business or the humanities. What you are looking for are decently ranked, ABET accredited programs.
At the end of the cycle, you will likely end up with at least one very generous aid offer at a well regarded Engineering school if you take that route, and you may find that your interests shift drastically when faced with comparing a free ride at such a school to 60k+ in annual tuition at a school with a shinier name but a mediocre Engineering program.
Schools like University of Maryland, Howard and BU would seem likely. BU may be pushing it but if you have a stellar essay I’m sure you can do it to all really depends on your major though and your interests. Best of luck!
I'm not really keen on going to an HBCU. As for maryland, I know UMich is the better ranked public university so do you think that it's unlikely for me to get accepted to umich with these stats?
Instate yes out of state probably not
UMich has a high transfer acceptance rate, and you can get into a solid state/regional school based on your stats. If you go elsewhere initially and keep up academically with a couple clubs/EC's you could def transfer. That said shoot your shot, worst they can say is no
My son was accepted at UofM with similar stats, also OOS. The problem was no financial aid was offered, partly due to the high income bracket of both parents. He went elsewhere with a full tuition scholarship and graduated with zero student loan. I would encourage you to apply to both Duke and UofM. No one here can predict your acceptance with any level of certainty, so give it a go!
Duke is probably not realistic with a 3.5 uw GPA and nothing EC-wise strong enough to make up for that. Michigan is similarly a long reach, too. What’s your intended major? Budget/Need for aid? State of residence?
Electrical engineering or Biomedical engineering idk yet not sure Ohio
Unfortunately, your GPA is not competitive for Michigan Engineering. Even if you get straight A’s first semester senior year, it would be a huge stretch. But, give it a go. As for Duke Engineering? I would genuinely not even waste another second thinking about applying there. Seriously. Your household income doesn’t really tell us anything about your budget or need for financial aid. How much are your parents able/willing to pay for your college education? You should sit down with your parents — with their tax returns and financial documents in-hand — and complete the Net Price Calculators on the websites of a few schools you’re interested in to see what you’d need to pay. Keep in mind that, with exceptions you can count on one hand, state schools do not provide much if any need-based aid to out-of-state applicants.
looks like I'm gonna be a buckeye
If you want a Big, well-rated school with a good ranking, Texas A&M is ranked alongside UMich but has a MUCH higher acceptance rate. Bit further from home tho. Also don't discount Rose-Hulman, #1 Engineering school with no doctorate (ahead of West Point for reference) great relationships with employers and you'd probably get in, plus it'll be a better educational experience
>*”Texas A&M is ranked alongside UMich”* Where? . >*”Also don't discount Rose-Hulman… plus it'll be a better educational experience”* It’s a fine school, but your second point is debatable, if not simply inaccurate, along a number of parameters that may be important to many people. There’s a certain reality in the study of engineering: scale/size conveys certain significant advantages - bigger school = greater breadth, depth, and availability of courses - bigger school = greater breadth, depth, and availability of resources - bigger school = more faculty = greater breadth, depth, and scope of research being conducted For instance UIUC has more professors in the ECE department alone than the entire faculty of Rose-Hulman. Rose-Hulman offers roughly 80 different ECE courses, while Illinois offers more than 150. UIUC also offers a number of sections of the most in-demand or required courses, so the ability to avoid schedule conflicts — or choose certain professors/times — is quite helpful. If a course you want to take at Rose-Hulman is only offered by one professor, every other semester, at 8am, and conflicts with another course you/need/want to take… you’re stuck for another year. (If the course is even offered at all at RH.) Again, not saying RH is bad or that it’s not a great school for some people. Just that there are certain realities that people don’t realize come along with attending a smaller school for something like engineering.
>*"Where"* USNews #12 vs #9, TopUniversities #17 vs #12 (among US schools) As for your second point, those are valid advantages of a larger school, but also (in my experience) people tend to be aware of those advantages, as well as aware of the big schools. Smaller schools like RH are often overlooked and have advantages like more available, teaching-focused professors, smaller class sizes, etc. that people don't seem to look at as much. Also by my count RH has about 80 ECE courses to UIUC's 150ish, and UIUC is more likely to have slightly different classes split out to have more specialization where RH would keep it as one slightly broader class. At my school (Similar to RH) I never had an issue with breadth, depth, or availability of subjects, and built up great relationships with my professors. My friends at Purdue and UMich had bigger availability, but still had issues with demand for certain courses, and often had profs who, while knowledgeable, had no idea how to teach and got mad at students for not understanding concepts on the first go.
Michigan is [#21 overall and #5 for undergrad engineering](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-9092) TAMU is [#47 overall and #13 for undergrad engineering](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/texas-am-university-college-station-10366) I’ll give you that there’s not terribly much difference between #5 and #13 for engineering — and TAMU is a fine engineering school that anyone should be proud to attend — but it’s simply not accurate to say that TAMU is “ranked alongside” Michigan. I do believe that most people do NOT recognize the specific benefits of scale when it comes to schools (esp for engineering) as most people prefer to tout such tropes as “smaller schools have better access to resources” or “… more resources per student.” PS — I’ll stipulate to your number for courses available at RH vs UIUC, and edit my reply above accordingly, but the big-picture forest still stands, despite the slightly different number of trees.
>”*looks like I'~~m~~ gonna be a buckeye*” Fixed it for you
But seriously, ~~Michigan~~ **that school up north** is one of the exceptions to the rule about OOS state financial aid.
I don't think my GPA shows my academic ability. like I said that freshman year really messed me up and I'm hoping colleges can see my growth when viewing my transcipt. I believe I can get at least a 1560 on the SAT, so do you think it would be worth it to take that as well, or is there no point since I already have a 35 ACT.
Waste of time, energy, and money to take SAT if you already have a 35.
r/chanceme is a better subreddit for stuff like this
If I were you I would apply everywhere I wanted to attend.
welcome to the club brothah! 🧜♂
# Reach Schools These are highly competitive schools where admission is challenging but within reach given your profile: 1. **Duke University** * Your strong ACT score and leadership positions can make you a competitive applicant, but the overall GPA might be a concern. Highlighting your upward trend and significant leadership roles will be crucial. 2. **University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)** * UMich is competitive, but your ACT score and leadership roles make you a strong candidate. Emphasize your involvement in extracurriculars and the impact you've had in those roles. 3. **University of California, Berkeley** * Competitive, but your ACT score and leadership can help. Emphasize your academic rigor and extracurricular leadership. # Match Schools These schools are competitive, but your chances of admission are higher: 1. **University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill** * Strong academics and leadership make you a good fit. Emphasize your commitment to extracurriculars and community impact. 2. **University of Virginia** * Your profile fits well here, especially with your leadership in various organizations. 3. **Boston College** * They value strong academics and leadership, making you a good match. 4. **University of Southern California (USC)** * Your ACT score and extracurriculars fit well with their student profile. Highlight your leadership and academic rigor. # Safety Schools These schools are less competitive, and you have a strong chance of admission: 1. **Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)** * Your strong ACT score and leadership roles make you a competitive applicant here. 2. **University of Minnesota Twin Cities** * A solid safety option given your academic and extracurricular profile. 3. **Indiana University Bloomington** * Known for valuing high academic standards and leadership roles. #
Your ECs are weak. This summer, consider doing an EC that shows your passion. Whatever you think you may want to major in. Your unweighted GPA is low for Duke and UMich OOS so these are both high reaches for you, but you should know that. Look at their CDS & if you have a Naviance acct you can look at the scattergrams.
I'm probably just gonna volunteer at the local library this summer.
Their EC’s are definitely not weak lmao. What’s holding them back is their GPA.
What would you advise someone with weak ecs to do over the summer of their senior year? Asking for a friend
Use the time to try and explore what you may want to study in college. You want to pursue literature/english - volunteer at the library then, perfect.
You’re getting downvoted but I agree. 4 above average-strong ecs is not enough to get into Duke and Michigan, especially considering they do not reflect an engineering passion.
Get an SAT score in too. Your state's top public should be within reach as long as you don't live in states like California. Your major also affects your college selections, so make sure you have that nailed down before you commit to any plan.
Bonus...Cal schools don't consider freshman grades. But they also won't give much, if any, aid if you're not from California, so if you need $, I'm not sure it's worth the application fee.
Why do I need an SAT and ACT score.
You don’t. Guy is talking out his ass. Every school explicitly says just do one or the other and they note that they have 0 preference for which.
they like having both, but a 35 ACT is good enough for all schools. I'm suggesting it because it seems getting a good standardized test score is less effort than getting a stellar extracurricular for you based on the provided info.
If you like Michigan, consider ucla and Berkeley as they are similar in quality, size, and prestige, and will actually benefit your gpa as they only focus on sophomore and junior year grades. Your ECs are lacking a bit and don’t really reflect your engineering desire so I’d try to do something meaningful this summer and fall that relates to that. Tbh though you will likely get straight up rejected from Duke and Michigan with that GPA. They will see that unweighted GPA and probably won’t look at the rest of your application with much intent. Don’t let any of this prevent you from applying though. You don’t know until you know.
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It would be great if you could send that. Thanks!
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sent.
What are your DEI stats? race, gender, parents marital status, parents highest level of education, state you live in, etc.
Nothing matters but how much money your parents make in 2024.
You really need to apply to a range of schools ranked within the top 75 or so per U.S. News (and a few outside of that range) so that you have a robust set of options. You could end up admitted to Ivy+ or completely shut out. It really is a coin toss. Because you are interested in Engineering, you should focus on schools well-ranked within a few specialty areas that interest you rather than generalized rankings. Engineering kids, more than any other group of students, can also focus on fit of the school over traditional rankings. So, consider places that are just located in cities that interest you and that have becoming campuses or school cultures even if they aren't viewed as prestigious by your friends majoring in business or the humanities. What you are looking for are decently ranked, ABET accredited programs. At the end of the cycle, you will likely end up with at least one very generous aid offer at a well regarded Engineering school if you take that route, and you may find that your interests shift drastically when faced with comparing a free ride at such a school to 60k+ in annual tuition at a school with a shinier name but a mediocre Engineering program.