kansascity53

My S just got back his Oct SAT scores and only got 520 in Math. So my question is this:

Assuming he gets accepted to Northeastern but does not get into the engineering program is it better to enroll as undecided and get his math skills up freshman year and then try to transfer into the engineering school or should he just go to one of the schools that did accept him into their engineering program? I would think that the former would require an extra semester or two to finish his degree but might be worth it in the long run. (let's assume that all other schools have accepted him into engineering except Northeastern.)

He is applying to the following schools (in order of preference):

Northeastern
Syracuse
Purdue
Drexel
Temple
UConn, U. Rhode Island, UMass, Rutgers.

Looking for your thoughts.

colorado_mom

I often hear higher math scores for engineering students. You have to really like math to enjoy engineering coursework. Your son may just not be good on timed tests. But if he has not been doing well in his math classes and enjoying them too, he may want to also consider other majors.

kansascity53

colorado_mom: Thanks. He definitely likes math and does well in his HS math classes. As you mentioned he is definitely one of those kids that does not do well on timed standardized tests. For the Oct SAT he said he did not get to answer the final six questions on the math section because time ran out. He did slightly better on his Junior year math SAT which was before he was even taught some of the material covered on the test. So he learns more material and studied more for Oct and did 10 points worse.

Northeasternkid

Can you list your sons stats?

for the college of engineering it will be very difficult especially with a 520 math score and it is also one of the most difficult to transfer into.

kansascity53

He has 520 math, 530 Reading, 540 Writing. GPA is 3.4 in a difficult HS curriculum at a private HS. Took 2 advanced history soph year and is taking advanced Physics and AP Calc senior year, Leadership includes Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader (equiv of Prez for his Scout Troop, VP of one HS club and Prez of another (VP of that club last year). Works 3 days per week for the past two years including summers and has a lot of community service for his 4 years of HS.

Since those stats dont seem to match up for College of Eng at NEU does it match up with the University in general? Looks like a 'reach' all around to me.

colorado_mom

kansascity53 - I like the Peterson web site for a quick comparison of colleges. It looks like test scores could be an issue for your son. He has other great strengths, so maybe try meeting with a teacher or guidance counselor for college advise.

Admissions - NORTHEASTERN
Freshman
Admission: 35,754 applied; 12,592 admitted; 2,923 enrolled

Test Scores
SAT critical reading scores over 500 96%
SAT math scores over 500 98%
ACT scores over 18 100%
SAT critical reading scores over 600 68%
SAT math scores over 600 81%
ACT scores over 24 91%
SAT critical reading scores over 700 12%
SAT math scores over 700 24%
ACT scores over 30 30%