Chance me [GA resident, 4.0 GPA, 1550 SAT, applying to GT, Purdue, UMich, UT Austin, Aerospace Eng]

Chance Me / Match Me
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1

Demographics

  • US Citizen
  • State/Location of residency: GA
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public
  • Other special factors: None

Cost Constraints / Budget
No major cost constraints, depends on situation, but parents are willing to spend on top schools like MIT, Cornell, etc.

Intended Major(s)

Aerospace Engineering/Applied Physics where AE is not offered

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.00
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.42/5.00 (5.0+ per AP/dual class, 4.0 for honors/on-level assuming As)
  • Class Rank: 90/649
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1550 superscore (790M 760RW)

List your HS coursework

  • English: Honors Lit (9), Honors Lit (10), AP Lang (11), AP Lit (12)
  • Math: Accel Geometry/Algebra, AP Precalc (10), AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC (11), Linear Algebra/Multivariable Calculus (12, dual enrollment at Georgia Tech)
  • Science: Honors Biology (9), Honors Chemistry (10), AP Physics 1 (11), AP Physics C Mechanics (12) AP Physics C Electricity and Magnetism (12)
  • History and social studies: AP Human Geography (9), AP World History (10), AP US History (11), AP Government (12), AP Macroeconomics (12)
  • Language other than English: Spanish 4
  • Visual or performing arts: Took drama as a class all four years, was part of the reason my class rank is lower, since it doesn’t contribute to my GPA, but acting has been a hobby since I was young and it’s a great stress reliever for me :slight_smile:
  • Other academic courses: Engineering pathway (9, 10, 11, also lowered class rank, since all courses were on level, but it was a career pathway at my school, so it shows up on my diploma/had to take end of pathway exam), Computer Science Pathway (Intro to Software Tech (9), AP Comp Sci Prin. (10), AP Comp Sci A (11))

Awards

FBLA State and Regional 1st place awards

AP Scholar with Distinction

Collegeboard National Recognition Award

School awards for English (9), Physics (11), Physics (11) (nominated by respective teachers)

(I feel like this section is kinda weak, I don’t know…I’m also adding my honor societies here on my app (NHS, NTHS, NEHS, Rho Kappa, Intl Thespian Society))

Extracurriculars
Beta Club (grades 10-12)
Leadership Description: Service Project Manager and President
Grew membership by 200+ members, publicized/held 20+ volunteer events over 2 yrs, pushing for club to attend state conference for the first time.

Karate (age 4-present)
Trained for 12 years, took 3+ hour black belt test, learned discipline and perseverance, helped teach classes and lead summer camps

SSP (Summer Science Program) (Summer between 11th-12th grade)
Worked 300+ hrs over 5 wks gathering and studying asteroid orbital determination data, wrote 15 pg paper w/ findings submitted to Minor Planet Center

Book Club (grades 9-12)
Led group of 30 members through discussion of novels. Grew from 1->30 members, organized book drives and raised 200+ books, partnered with other clubs

FBLA (grades 9-12)
Competed yearly and placed at regionals and state, acted as squad leader to bridge gap between members and officers as well as guide new members.

Theatre (grades 9-12)
Performed in 11 shows with lead or supporting roles, ran spotlights for competition musical and helped run middle school show as senior tech crew

Mentor Me (grades 11-12)
Matched with elementary student, developed valuable social and literacy skills through homework and games, built strong relationship throughout year

Vitality Bowls (Summer before 11th grade-present)
Publicized new business to community, learned how to make 50+ recipes and help customers create acai bowls out of 6 bases and 15+ toppings

Aaji’s Garden (grade 9)
Established plant business w/ sister, raised $200+ for nonprofit (name hidden to protect location), developed skills in customer service, social media, and design

Teen Advisory Board at Library (grade 10)
Met monthly to plan and promote library events to fellow teens. Designed graphics, drafted budgets and found supplies for events.

Essays/LORs/Other
Essays: I think they are pretty strong, I have revised and checked with college students, parents, teachers, etc. My CommonApp essay feels like my story and a good depiction of who I am.

LORs:

Engineering Teacher: I met her in 10th grade, but kept a great relationship with her. She wrote all my summer program recommendations, including the one that got me into SSP, so I know she has a pretty good letter ready for me.

10th grade ELA teacher: I know you’re supposed to ask teachers from 11th, but I have a great relationship with this teacher as well. She really liked me in her class in 10th grade and I was an active student. In 11th grade, she became sponsor of Beta Club, which I was an officer of. I became closer with her then, since I was active as an officer, and she was one of the people who selected me for president. Also, I think MIT suggests students have both a STEM and Humanities teacher write a recommendation, so this rec fulfills that.

Schools

  • Extremely Likely: Kennesaw State University, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Likely: Georgia Tech (could be toss up), UGA, UIUC, Purdue
  • Toss-up: UMich Ann Arbor, CMU (may be lower probability)
  • Low Probability: UT Austin, Princeton, Cornell, MIT
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You are a strong applicant! Congrats on doing well in HS!

I’m concerned that the out of state publics on your list can be unpredictable for your intended major, including UIUC and Purdue. At this point, they are not likelies, even for very strong OOS candidates. I also think UM and CMU are low probabilities.

As such, I think your list is reach (low probability) heavy. If you are OK with your instate schools, I think it’s fine to shoot your shot but if you’d like more options, I’d add some more likewise and toss ups (targets/matches). If you like CMU, a school like RPI would be a good to explore for a more likely school (and you’d likely see merit money). Embry Riddle in FL is also extremely strong for AE and should be a true likely for you.

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You have a great record - congratulations on your hard work. You should get several acceptances from this list and as long as you are happy with your extremely likely schools you should be good to go (I think you will also get into Purdue and UGA and have a good chance at Georgia Tech). The toss ups and low probabilities are tougher to gauge - maybe a Michigan or UT Austin comes through. Princeton, Cornell and MIT will be unlikely coming from outside the top 10% of your HS - especially as an unhooked student.

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4

Thank you! I was worried about that, I’ll look into applying to more safeties. Embry-Riddle has been on my radar, so I’ll talk to my parents about it. I appreciate it!

5

This is reassuring, GT is my dream school off this list (other than MIT), so if that works out, it would be perfect. I am also really liking Purdue, especially because it seems like there are many options for women in engineering there. I know the Ivies and MIT are unlikely, but I wanted to try. My parents were okay with it and I felt like I’d regret if I didn’t even give it a shot. Thank you so much!

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6

Absolutely worth a try - you have the academics and you just never know.

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I forgot to add, I am also applying to Auburn for AE. I think it’s a likely for me.

8

I understand they are OK with the cost of top schools like those, but are they ok with the cost of CU Boulder? It’s not quite as much as a private, but still a bit pricey OOS and not noted for offering a ton of merit.

You have a strong record and I think it’s unlikely you will end up at your safety school, but it’s still important to have a school that you would be happy to attend that is both a financial and admissions safety (or extremely likely).

9

We have talked about that and are currently considering whether or not I should apply. We’re still thinking about it, and will compare with the other safeties named in this list as well as my list to see if there are better options.

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10

You have a strong profile but I agree that your list is reach heavy.

If you want to add a couple of schools that have great aerospace engineering programs and might be easier admits, consider Virginia Tech, UMD and Penn State.

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Since Purdue is on your list, you might look at the Purdue Data Digest, here: https://www.purdue.edu/datadigest/; and especially the links to “Applications, Admits, and Matriculations” and “New First-Time Beginner Profile”. You can plug in your stats to some of the interactive links on these sites, and perhaps get an idea where you might fall relative to recently admitted OOS applicants to Purdue.

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12

You have a great record. You’ll need an LOR from a core teacher for some schools - most will likely be ok with engineering but maybe not all. If you want to be in aero, apply for aero or meche but not physics which has a tougher transition into an engineering role.

Kennesaw doesn’t fit your list. CU Boulder is a safety - even if you get exploratory and I doubt it, it’s still a good thing.

UGA is likely too.

Another school to look at in addition to Embry Riddle is UAH, surrounded by aero industry and now the Feds are moving US Space Command to Huntsville.

You note your folks are willing to pay big for nakes but will it strain them ? UAH will be under $20k per year and places very well. Budget matters and nebulous answers like you gave are hard to digest if $60k, for example, is too much, your list would need changing. Companies pay the same regardless of school attended in most cases - the school rank is often a bit overhyped

Best of luck.

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Yes but apply in one of the early rounds. It will be safe.

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14

It sounds like your back up plan would be to, if need be, go to Kennesaw and then transfer to Georgia Tech. That’s a perfectly reasonable plan if it comes to that.

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Would an ELA teacher count as a core LOR or does it need to be a math or science teacher?Yes, I would be okay with exploratory studies, as I’ve heard people transfer to their desired major after a year. As far as I know, KSU just started their AE degree and is a good pathway to transferring to GT, if it comes to that. I’ve also spoken to some professors there and met students. Is there any reason it wouldn’t be worth applying to? UAH seems like a great option, especially since we’re already open to Auburn. I’m my parents’ first kid going through the college process and they also didn’t attend undergrad in the US, so we’re still trying to fully figure out the college and financial process. Thank you for the advice, its super helpful!

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My opinion - no - and you want an 11th grade teacher. This may only matter for one or two in your list.

Not a fan of the pathway. Others are. I believe you should go to a 4 year school. School is about more than the name. It’s the experience. Short of MIT and CMU, I’m not sure the names on your top tier list mater.

My son turned down one for Bama. I told him he was crazy. He told me I was - rankings are for parents. Companies want ABET.

He lived with an interned with two kids one summer from one of your top schools. He got invited back. They didn’t. When he hired on post grad, he had 19 interviews and 5 offers by Xmas. He works with Michigan, Purdue, UWash etc but also Akron, W Michigan, Buffalo. They were all hired in the same cohort - same $$. The company required ABET - that’s what matters

It’s ABET accreditation that matters. Kennesaw is in MechE but not aero. If you truly want aero, I wouldn’t consider it. What if you can’t make the transfer ?

I wouldn’t go to transfer anyway - to each his own but that really fragments your ability to make four year relationships.

UAH is very different than Auburn in that it will be under $20k with automerit. Bama would too. Auburn not close. Fine school but pricier.

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Safe - Kennesaw State University, University of Colorado Boulder

Your class rank and choice of major increase level of difficulty for you IMO.

18

With an unweighted 4.0 GPA (which I interpret as all A’s), and a large number of AP classes, I am surprised that you are not in the top 10% of your class. I am having a bit of trouble understanding this. I do not think that rank matters in this case unless I am missing something. Straight A’s plus your strong rigor and strong SAT score to me suggests that you are academically qualified for any university. Of course your reaches will have many more academically qualified applicants than they have places to put them.

MIT is a “fit” school. You need to want to work very hard in tough classes for it to be a good fit for you. What I see in your post suggests that it probably is a good fit, but make sure that you agree. To a large extent I might say the same thing about Georgia Tech. As one example note that your 790 math SAT score is excellent, but is just average at MIT.

If you get accepted to Georgia Tech, and assuming that you are fine with working hard for four years, then it is a VERY good university. I am not sure that I see the point in going anywhere else and spending a lot more (unless you qualify for a lot of need based aid) if you get into GT. UGA is very good also. Either would provide an excellent education, and allow you to save $$ which could be either used for a graduate program or just to help your parents to save for retirement or siblings or other expenses. Admittedly they are big schools.

I am very confident that if you ever get to applying to graduate programs, graduate admissions at Princeton, Cornell, MIT, and Stanford will all know very well how strong the undergraduate education is at Georgia Tech. The same will be true for employers.

Congratulations on your great effort and strong results in high school. This should give you a good start towards doing well wherever you end up. Best wishes.

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Women in aeronautical engineering - or any kind of engineering - are rare. I expect that you will be in demand. You have a great list of schools and excellent suggestions from this forum. My advice is to cast your net wide, apply to a lot of schools. This will enable you to see where you get the best financial packages and possibly even negotiate a better deal by using your best offer to convince your favorite school to give you more money.

Best of luck with the process.

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This really isn’t true anymore at some of the school’s on the OP’s list. Cornell has had gender parity in engineering for quite some time. (And for the OP - they don’t have an AE major, just a minor through mech e). And some of the schools on OP’s list don’t admit by major, just to their college of engineering so AE wouldn’t come into play until they transition to their major, which is typically strictly based on GPA in certain classes and has zero to do with gender.

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