CC GPA: 3.33
ACT: 27
I am a 32 year old Army veteran with 4 kids, so I hope my backstory will help me get accepted and I’m fortunate to only live 40 or so miles away from one of the top Engineering schools in the country.
Obviously my GPA is shit but as long as I get that up I’m hoping to transfer to Aerospace or Nuclear Engineering. I guess I’m asking if anyone has recently been accepted into these programs with a similar story or numbers or a GPA that I can reasonable hit soon.
Thank you for your service. I’m a Marine Corps veteran from way back. My son graduated last May with a Masters in Aerospace Engineering and a 3.81 GPA and was inducted into the Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi. He made the mistake of focusing exclusively on his academics, and not pursuing an internship since doing so while studying for upcoming exams and current projects would have been impacted. That was a big mistake. After countless resumes and a smattering of interviews…No offers, and he was willing to relocate without issue. The industry is not doing that well, and government cutbacks are causing companies and their current employees to retrench. They want 2 years experience for their “entry level” jobs. Without those internships providing whatever little experience they could, essentially they’re extended interviews since you really don’t even start your core courses until your Junior year, your chances of landing a job are slim these days. Now with your Veteran status, you may fare better once you obtain a degree, but you don’t provide any information on the number of hours that you’ve confirmed with your counselor which are transferable to UIUC. If less than 60, then they will look at your ACT which, at 27, is quite low for current acceptance into engineering. The Math, Physics and Chem courses don’t pull any punches. They’re brutal for many, but are absolutely necessary for you to preform well within your core courses. Talk with your counselor about transferring, and what is needed. I would say your best chance is to get that CC GPA up. 3.33 isn’t bad, but won’t be an asset to your application to a top engineering school. Good luck, however.
One last thing. You might want to consider looking into an engineering program that includes Co-Op in its curriculum. Just saying. That would have helped my son get a job in his degree field. He’s now coding a mobile app using Python with a UIUC CS Eng grad. I’m hoping that pans out for him. Anyway, good luck to you. As always, you won’t know whether you’d have been accepted if you don’t apply.
“Never give up, never surrender!” -Galaxy Quest