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6 months ago
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Any College Recommendations for Mech Engr Major (W/Average GPA)+ Advice for College?

Hi all! I'm a rising Junior from Maryland and I have a 4.7 Weighted, 3.15 Unweighted GPA. I'm taking 13 total AP's, and 18 Honors/GT classes. My extracurriculars are above average, with several leadership positions. I haven't taken the SAT, but I got a 1300 on the PSAT. However, my GPA (unweighted) concerns me. Does anyone have tips to raise it, or as per the title of this post, any good engineering schools I have a shot at? My dream school is MIT, but I don't know too many other schools that are attainable for me.

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6 months ago
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Hello there!

Your weighted GPA is excellent. You unweighted is not terrible; colleges prefer seeing you challenging yourself with difficult courses vs. a perfect GPA. I think they will respect that you took a huge amount of AP/honor which is excellent as well.

1300 on PSAT is a good start! Definitely a sign that you are capable of doing well. I recommend starting SAT prep right now. It can take many tries to get the score you need, so the sooner, the better.

I know you can raise the weighted GPA through advanced classes like you have, but I wasn't sure about unweighted, so I used Ivy assistant:

Consistent effort: How well do you manage your time and prioritize your schoolwork? Establishing good study habits and staying organized can make a significant difference in your academic performance.

Seeking help: Are there any subjects or concepts you're struggling with? Consider seeking help from your teachers, classmates, or a tutor to clarify any misunderstandings and strengthen your knowledge in those areas.

Extra practice: Are you fully grasping the material you're learning? Practicing problems or reviewing class material regularly can help reinforce your understanding and improve your performance on tests and assignments.

Time management: Are you able to balance your extracurricular activities with your academics? If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider evaluating your commitments and allocating more time to your studies.

Setting realistic goals: What are your short-term and long-term academic goals? Setting specific, achievable goals can help motivate you and provide a clear path for improvement."

Because the UW GPA is based on your overall performance, raising it will require you to basically get higher grades. Maybe you need to find a new way to study for a specific class, get a peer/friend tutor, manage your time better, take better notes...the biggest thing I think is getting help as soon as you start struggling. Find out why you didn't get 100, then improve.

Here are some schools that you may want to look into:

San José State University (San Jose, CA)

University of Houston (Houston, TX)

California State University, Northridge (Northridge, CA)

Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)

Milwaukee School of Engineering (Milwaukee, WI)

University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, AL)

University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, MA)

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Pomona, CA)

I highly recommend using Ivy assistant to find a more curated list of schools that could fit you.

Hope this helps and lmk if you have any questions!

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Awarded
🎤6 months ago

Thanks!

1

6 months ago

Seeing as @Jael_S238 already gave a great and in-depth answer, all I have to say is that you should check out the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). I know UAB was mentioned, but locally, UAH is known more for mechanical engineering, as UAB is more known for medicine. UAH is also in Huntsville, which is a great city to live in, and has a lot of opportunities for aeronautics and anything NASA related. Good luck, hope this helps!!

2
6 months ago

Thanks for that info...I am honestly not familiar with UA

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6 months ago[edited]

If you're interested in tech schools that won't flame you for a minor GPA blip, you could consider Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Frank W. Olin College of Engineering, Purdue, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, or University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Texas A&M and UC Boulder are also good. These schools will all have great research opportunities and are nationally accredited engineering institutions.

As for GPA, it's possible you're overloading. I don't know what grades you're earning in these classes. If you've got low B's and C's, you should probably chill out your course rigor. Admissions values proper balance. If you're being dragged down by A-'s and B's mostly, your rigor is probably adequate, but you might benefit from learning some of your course material during the summer. Coming into STEM AP's with a good background in the subject matter is a winning strategy.

1
🎤6 months ago

thanks!

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Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

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