Alright, so my circumstances are a little unusual, and I’m curious if I should even bother applying to a place like Berkeley or UIUC.
Community College GPA: 3.145
ACT: 27 (does this even matter for transfer students?)
I know my GPA right now is super low for the top tier engineering schools, however I will be sitting at around a 3.59/3.6-ish by the end up this upcoming fall semester. My GPA is mostly being dragged down by my extremely poor performance the first time I attempted classes in 2010. I failed a ton of classes, and earned several C’s, but I’ve been retaking the courses I failed and I have been doing very well. Since re-enrolling in school I have gotten all A’s, 1 B (jumping into calc 2 after 4 years of no math was a bad idea!) and 1 C in some silly little humanity course that I was very surprised by. Both the B and C were in the first semester I took since I returned to school.
What is possibly the strongest feature of my application is the fact that I am a student-parent, but as a consequence of having a child I have no real EC’s to speak of. This past spring I worked 24-32 hours a week while taking 19 credits and raising a kid, and I still managed to pull off a 4.0 for the semester. I think it goes without saying that I didn’t have time for anything else. Within the next week I am being hired on as a math and physics tutor at my college if that counts as an EC.
Also, if it matters I am a 23 year old male.
I realize the strength of my application is almost definitely very hard to gauge, but I would appreciate any attempts!
If you have 60 credits, the ACT is irrelevant. What is more important is your GPA, particularly in the science and mathematics courses which are fundamental to engineering. You can certainly apply to those “top” schools but it will be a longshot so make sure you apply to other, not so “top” schools who will appreciate the fact that you have turned your academics around all the while dealing with being a parent. Remember that an ABET accredited engineering degree does not ahve to be from a “top” school to be valuable and help you have a great career. Find a school that meets your needs and fits your circumstances and that will be the best… for you.
Your chances aren’t great, but it’s not impossible. I’d like to commend you for working so hard to raise your child while attending school. I don’t know the circumstances behind all that, but you have shown such a work ethic through your simultaneous study and parenting that I’m sure you’ll do great wherever you end up. Best of luck!
I kind of figured it would be a long shot! Compared to everyone else on this site I look awful haha. I kind of knew there was a huge gap in education quality between extremely rural areas (like where I live) and cities/suburban areas, but holy cow I didn’t even know high schools offered a lot of the things kids on here do! My school didn’t even have AP classes.
Anyways, so it’s an uphill battle. Do any of you folks have any advice for how I could potentially increase my chances? Other than GPA that is. The failed courses will be removed as I retake them, but there’s nothing I can do about the C’s I recieved. I know Berkeley isn’t the end-all-be-all of engineering schools, I’m just a sucker for that Ricky Bobby “if you’re not first you’re last” mentality 