<p>Many of the [url=“<a href=“http://theaitu.org%22%5DAITU%5B/url”>http://theaitu.org”]AITU[/url</a>] schools are similar to Rose Hulman. Since they are primarily Engineering and Science, they need to have high academic standards but since the pool is relatively limited across the country, the acceptance rate is high except for the most selective ones (read MIT, Cal Tech, etc.). However, the OP needs to consider that success in any engineering program is highly correlated with high school grades in math and science as well as test scores. Students with marginal academic statistics are at risk in in an engineering curriculum and so the advice to start with community college as given above might be the best way to go. </p>
<p>Yes, I know that there are sometimes very intelligent students who do poorly in high school and should be given a chance, however, my personal experience as a physics professor at Illinois Tech for the past 31 years indicates that it takes both intelligence and the self discipline to go to class and do the homework to succeed in engineering or physics. When i look at applications I like to see a balance between test scores and grades in high school with the weight being given to someone who has taken the most challenging courses in high school and gotten high grades. It is well known that test like the ACT and SAT have inherent flaws that make them an imperfect measure.</p>