Match an unsure engineer/cs rising senior [CA resident, 3.89 GPA UW, 4.35W (3.84/4.16/4.52 for UC), 35 ACT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Dang - you sound very organized :slight_smile: I’m glad you recognize the school type differences.

Taking Calc BC and Physics that early - he’s well advanced. Sometimes these kids go too far ahead but I don’t think it’s disaster - far from it.

I think he’s good at more schools than you realize. I don’t think he’ll need a regional/local like Stevens, unless it’s a school he just really likes.

As for UW, you’re ahead of it with knowing the admission rate for CS. They don’t appear to have a minor but do have courses non majors can take. You might look into frequency of offerings. I linked these below.

The Merced and Riverside thing are long standing. When I was in HS, it was Santa Cruz and Riverside - people considered them beneath them. It’s crazy because if you use US News as a proxy, they’re higher ranked than many you mentioned - at #57 and #75. But you are right - peer pressure is tough.

Very different picture than yesterday’s post. You sound very much in control and with good processes.

Good luck

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Of the schools on your list, Pittsburgh has a first year undeclared engineering program, where declaring a specific engineering major is not restricted beyond a 2.0 college GPA: Choosing a Major . However, computer science is in a separate division, where changing into it requires a competitive admission process: School of Computing and Information - University of Pittsburgh - Acalog ACMS™

Generally, it appears that schools not running into capacity limits for engineering or computer science majors are one or more of the following:

  • less selective – they do not have that large a number of students willing and capable of doing these majors.
  • small – the minimum size of the departments is large enough that even if a larger percentage of students wants the major, they will have the capacity.
  • wealthy – they are able to maintain overcapacity or expand capacity in popular departments.

But it means that the more popular and selective large state universities that make up much of the list are more likely to be the ones running into capacity limits for engineering or computer science majors. Among the UCs and CSUs, it seems that the student’s list of preferred campuses is pretty much the list of those running into the capacity limits.

You and the student may want to do web searches like “[school] change major to [major]” for each school and each of the majors of interest.

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You can look at prior prior year UC admission by campus and broad discipline major groups at Freshman admission by discipline | University of California (GPA shown is weighted-capped, so his 4.22 would be what to compare). Excluding UCR and UCM means increases the likelihood of getting no UC admissions, although his GPA gives at least a reasonable chance at the others.

CPP and SJSU do have some information about prior year admission thresholds.

CPP: CSU_GPA * 1000 + 450 is the index used (CSU_GPA is like UC weighted capped GPA). Prior year thresholds were AE 4658 (4.208 CSU GPA), ME 4587 (4.137 CSU GPA), CS 4200 (3.75 CSU GPA). CPP Freshmen Student Profile: Multifactor Admission

SJSU: CSU_GPA * 800 is the basic index. For engineering (but not computer science) majors, add math_GPA * 400 (it is unclear whether math_GPA is weighted). See Impaction | Admissions . Prior year thresholds were AE 4320, materials engineering 3000, ME 4800, CS 3440 (equivalent to 4.3 CSU_GPA), software engineering 4500. See Freshmen Impaction Results | Admissions .

CPSLO, CSULB, CSU Fullerton, and SDSU are impacted campuses that are less transparent about prior year admission thresholds. Of course, some less selective CSUs with at least mechanical engineering and computer science like Chico, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco are not impacted for the campus and major and will admit at CSU baseline (CSU GPA of 2.5 for California residents). But it is likely that the peer pressure against them is similar to that against UCR and UCM.

Also note that the impacted campuses and majors likely have higher college GPA requirements or competitive admission to change major.

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My son is an alum (BS/MS ME mechatronics ‘19) if you want to PM with questions :+1:

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no message

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This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.

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Reopened at request of the OP.

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Ok, all, I’m back. I updated S27’s stats in the title, but will put them below as well:
UW 3.89, W 4.35
UCs: UW 3.84, Capped weighted 4.16, Uncapped weighted 4.52
APs: Spanish Lang (5), English Lang (5), World (5), APUSH (5), Calc BC (5), CS Principles (5), CS A (5), Physics C: Mechanics (4)
ACT 35
After 2 Bs first semester, S27 got straight As his last semester junior year.

I thought S27 had decided on engineering, but he today informed me that what he thinks he really wants to do is the Guidance, Navigation, and Controls part of aerospace, and at the company he’s interning at this summer, they were all CS majors in college. So I’m back to ask the following:

  1. Do we have any aerospace people on CC these days? If not, can anyone chime in about majoring in CS to work in aerospace? S27 said “I’ll just major in CS and minor in AE.” I did a cursory glance at the schools that are presently on his list–it is an option to do that at two of the schools, but one of those has (had?) a sub 5% OOS CS admit, so… let’s say one school on his list. That is not a tenable number. This leads to question 2….
  2. There are more schools that offer a mechanical engineering minor. Is this a viable option? Is a double major a better one? Or do I suggest he try to major in AE or ME and minor in CS?
  3. I know mechatronics got suggested upthread. Would a CS major and a mechatronics minor make sense?

Confession: I’m a little nervous he needs to re-make his list, so I would love any and all thoughts. (Right now the list is almost entirely big flagships, with one small tech school and one mid-size private to round it out.)

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To me this sounds like an area that would have quite a bit of mathematics. Of course you can either major in CS and also take the math courses, or major in math and also take the CS courses.

There are some algorithms classes that seem like they might relate to aerospace (I recall a homework assignment related to this) but these would be advanced upper year (or graduate) level classes appropriate for someone with a major in either math or CS.

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Your kid sounds like a great kid. Full of personality and having fun at school and home. And high achieving.

My vibe is that he’ll have the best time at SLO or Santa Cruz, where he can nerd out but also have fun and not totally turn into a tech slave bot. Those two schools have outstanding ultimate teams. I hope he never stops playing.

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I have no idea how I missed your thread earlier, but glad you came back!

I’m not an engineering, CS, aerospace, or math person, so keep that in mind with my suggestions.

When I was reading your first post, before seeing the update, I was thinking about Gonzaga. It has about 5300 undergrads (54% female!), ultimate frisbee, it’s in a city (Spokane) but with great access to outdoor activities, it’s going to be cooler weather, it’s on the west coast, and I believe there’s tremendous flexibility to change majors. It’s ABET accredited for numerous areas (including computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering) and offers a robotics minor (or a robotics concentration for students majoring in computer or electrical engineering). And my hunch is that because it’s in the state of Washington, its alumni or faculty may have some connections with aerospace companies in the state. And his desire to discuss the state of the world and finding solutions to help it improve seem as though it may align well with the Jesuit ethos of questioning ideas, thinking critically, and seeking to serve the common good. This would be an extremely likely admit for your son, and I suspect that substantial merit aid would come, which is not required in your family’s case, but always a nice benefit.

With his interest in mechatronics, I would definitely see if you could get him to look into Cal State - Chico. If things don’t work out at Cal Poly, it’s always nice to have another in-state option, and with his interests really dovetailing into mechatronics, he might be more amenable to the idea (and this would be an extremely likely admit). Plus, there’s lots of flexibility to change majors at Chico, should he desire to do so. Mechatronic Engineering BS — Chico State . And it’s 56% female to boot!

Also, I think WPI should stay on the worthy-of-more consideration list. It’s got ultimate frisbee, an outdoor club (since 1932!), and I’m sure plenty of folks who would be happy to play D&D. It also touts itself as one of the tops in robotics in the country: Robotics Engineering | Worcester Polytechnic Institute . And even though WPI is 67% male, it participates in a consortium where students can take classes at other schools like College of the Holy Cross (54% female) and Clark (57% female). I’m not sure how well the academic calendars line up for cross-registration since WPI has shorter terms (@OctoberKate?), but there are definitely other college-aged females in the area. And again, lots of flexibility to change majors, I believe. If he shows interest, I think this is a likely admit.

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First, I agree with the schools @AustenNut suggested. My son has a BS from Cal Poly in ME with a mechatronics concentration and an MS in ME focused on aerodynamics also from Cal Poly.

Chico State offers more mechatronics classes than Cal Poly does, and WPI has a robotics major. My son got a great education at Cal Poly, but I have no doubt that he would have had a great experience at Chico or WPI.

Now to the aerospace industry. You can major in almost anything, the industry is so broad, even civil. The trick is to find out what he’s interested in and then decide on the major. Does he want to be at the systems level or deep in the weeds?

Take propulsion for example. Engineers coordinate all the parts or they figure out specifics of parts. At Cal Poly, the former is more AE, while the latter, deep in the weeds fluid dynamics stuff is in ME. It will vary from school to school. It’s more important that he focus on the curriculum and job outcomes than the degree title.

Clubs and projects will be important too. Employers will look at his curriculum, but just as, if not more importantly, they’ll look at how he has applied that knowledge.

Lastly, I’d caution on CS. Make sure that looking at a screen all day is in his wheelhouse because that’s what it is, pounding code. There’s no getting into the lab and working with hardware.

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As @AustenNut knows, I’m a huge WPI fan! :slight_smile:

And to answer the question, yes, while it is technically possible to take classes at the other schools, it’s logistically incredibly challenging due to the different terms and the ways classes are then blocked during the week. WPI has four, seven week long quarters. Students take three classes per quarter and typically Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri are days that a lecture session or a smaller working session meet and Wednesday is lab day. Making a more typically scheduled college class fit in isn’t easy. The greatest success I saw wasn’t with regular class but ROTC - I know a branch of the service has their ROTC at WPI, but the rest are at Holy Cross, and students from WPI do go to HC for that. Since it’s early in the morning, though, it’s easier to do.

I think the way you’ve described your son he’d find people and activities he really likes at WPI, as well as people with similar interests academically.

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My son was strongly conflicted between WPI and Cal Poly, ultimately choosing the latter for the most mundane reason…he realized sunshine was important for his happiness.

In many ways the schools are similar. They both are well known for producing engineers that can productively step into the workforce immediately. They do it slightly differently, Cal Poly through labs that most other schools don’t have and a rigorous year long senior project, WPI through as many as three year long collaborative projects.

The schools are different though. They each have advantages, but I want to expand on WPI’s here.

No engineering program, and I mean none, do study abroad as well as WPI. They don’t put you at another school. They drop you into ongoing projects all over the world. It’s more akin to an internship than just going to school somewhere else. The problem with the latter is that technical classes often don’t align well so students end up in non-technical electives and get behind.

Off campus housing is substantially cheaper at WPI, and leases are frequently written for the school year rather than a full year like they are in San Luis Obispo.

The biggest advantage that WPI has though (and there are disadvantages to being small) is that it’s a small school. There’s less bureaucracy and more support.

Cal Poly produces quite a few faculty Fulbright Fellows, but if you want to do that as a student, it’s largely a self driven process. Before my son even accepted anywhere, WPI was sending him personal letters outlining how they would shepherd him through the Fulbright process.

Lots to like about both of them, but they are different, each better appreciated by doing an official tour.

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WPI’s main disadvantage is the breadth of majors. For some it won’t matter because they never change, but engineering has the highest undergraduate attrition rate with as many as 50% dropping out. There are a lot of doors closed to WPI students, graphic design, journalism, architecture, etc. to name but a few.

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Thank you, @eyemgh , @AustenNut , @OctoberKate , @cc88288 , and @DadTwoGirls for your thoughts! I’m not sure I have a lot more to add except that I spent a long time on the phone with him last night and he’s very much still thinking things through. I do love how thoughtful he’s being about this, and he reached out to a couple of folks at the company he’s at to try to have a few more conversations before he finishes his internship next week. He’ll head to Purdue for STEP at the end of the month; I think I will wait until after he’s back from that to see if anything spurs him one way or the other.

@DadTwoGirls–I think he’d rather do CS than math, even if there is a ton of overlap. Granted a math major admit might be easier to come by….
@cc88288 , thanks for the kind words. If he does want to apply CS, UCSC stays on the list. If not, they don’t have the type of engineering he wants. I’m hesitant to send an unsure kid to a school that doesn’t have ME, Materials, or AE.
@eyemgh I will talk to S27 about Chico. He won’t be opposed to applying –I mean, the Cal State app is pretty minimal and he’ll already be filling it out for other Cal States–it’s just the attending part that will require an open mind. I did a rotation in grad school in Chico; it was a darling college town at the time and I enjoyed my time there. I appreciate your thoughts on aerospace/cs/me; I think he’s having trouble distilling what he’s most interested in; he likes parts of all three. I had a life-changing experience living abroad for a year in college and hope both my kids take advantage of it if it’s an option. I know it can be a hard task for engineering, so I give schools who do it well a bump. Time will tell if S27 does, too.
@AustenNut , I’ll re-look at Gonzaga. My initial research on it didn’t show fantastic career outcomes (and S27 very much cares about this) but it’s probably worth another look, as much of what you say resonates with what I think he wants. Chico is an easy addition to the Cal State app, so…maybe we just check another box and visit later if it’s on the final list?
@OctoberKate and AustenNut, WPI is on the list. I’m bummed we had to cancel our spring break trip (unexpected robotics competition) to see it and other schools.

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Have your child talk to the honors professors during STEP about his plans and goals. He can also sign up for AAE tour and demos and talk to those profs.

At Purdue, you can’t minor in AAE. But, you can major in AAE and minor in CS. I’d expect that would be the case at most schools but your child should be able to easily get that answered.

One of the big questions to ask is about scheduling/accessing classes for the minor.

Also, Purdue has a controls concentration for AAE majors: Autonomy and Control Research & Facilities - School of Aeronautics and Astronautics - Purdue University

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That’s a great idea to talk to the profs while he’s at STEP. There is time for that? That color coded schedule looked pretty packed. :wink: Once I told him that minoring in engineering (esp AE) was challenging, he paused a bit. And, ooh, I didn’t realize that there’s a controls concentration–that might make him really happy. I just think he–like most 17 year olds–is still figuring things out.

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Yes, there is time to talk to the profs and even more time to talk to the student interns that will be acting as coaches. There should be a specific major “tour” in the schedule as well, and there will be time for Q and A.

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