Match my son- rising HS senior interested in engineering [CA resident, 3.9 GPA (3.88/4.13/4.13 for UC), 1570 SAT, likely NMSF]

Chance Me / Match Me
,
1

Demographics

  • US domestic *(US citizen)
  • State/Location of residency: CA
  • Type of high school public:
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional): Caucasian
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.): n/a

Intended Major(s)
Engineering (leaning toward mechanical, computer, or electrical)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.9
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.1
  • Class Rank: n/a
  • ACT/SAT Scores: SAT 1590

Coursework
*AP Comp Sci - grade A, 5 on test

  • AP Physics 1 - grade A, AP test score not available yet
  • Chemistry Honors - grade A
    By graduation, will have 4 years of English, foreign language, science, math. (Sr yr science is AP Physics C, Sr yr math is AP Calc AB)

Awards
Will probably be a National Merit finalist

Extracurriculars
FRC Robotics
Year-round volunteering
Drama club
Young Mens Service League
Mentor/counselor at a hands-on building camp for kids
Officer role in Neurodivergent Club with a global presence

Essays/LORs/Other
Essay reviewers have said it’s very good.
Will get LORs from English, math, and science teachers

Cost Constraints / Budget
Well-funded; won’t need aid

Schools
This is where we need help. Have visited schools, but want to add more to the list.
Open to schools on west coast or in northeast.
Will apply to:
UC Irvine
UCLA
Cal Poly SLO
WPI
Northeastern
RIT
UConn
Tufts

Will not apply to (based on visits):
U of So Cal
Harvey Mudd
Cal Poly Pomona
Rose Hulman
RPI
U of Rochester

1 Like
2

For UCs, what are the three GPAs calculated using the method at GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub ?

For CSUs, use the weighted-capped GPA, except for CPSLO, where you recalculate weighted-capped GPA including courses and grades from 9th grade as well as 10th-11th grades.

1 Like
3

UConn and Tufts is an odd combo. If you like UConn, you’ll be fine with the list as is.

With your stats, there’s tons of schools.

There’s many great flagships - from an Alabama, Ms State or UAH - where you’d cost $20k a year - you may be well funded but how great to attend a fantastic program and save. If you like UCLA, you might like Arizona. If you like UConn, maybe Delaware or UMass. If you like Northeastern, maybe Pitt.

Honestly with your stats, there’s many you can get into. For mid size, look at UAH or Col School of Mines.

What do you seek - size wise (you’re all over), weather, sports, etc.?

You’ll have a chance at more schools then you can ever imagine.

1 Like
4

This is for my son. Yes, he’s all over the place, which is causing me to pull out my hair. The “vibe” of a place is important to him. If a place doesn’t feel right to him, it’s off his list. (It’s probably part of his ADHD.) He has no interest in sports or Greek life. Campus and state must be LGBQT+ friendly. A school with a general first-year engineering program would be a plus.

2 Likes
5

Bay Area parents, two D’s who went to Northeastern. Glad it’s on his list. My D’s were not Engineering but they have strong programs and coops. I know it’s been a rough year for coops in engineering and CS, but that’s the general economy. It’s a great city school but has its own campus, not a big Greek or sports school but plenty of school spirit. LGBTQ friendly. Check it out if you have not. They do have strong yield protection for high stats kids, so ED would be helpful if he knows he wants to go there. They also have interesting first semester abroad NUIN program that could be a good fit too.

1 Like
6

Some Engineering admit rates for Computer Engineering/Computer Science Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

Campus Computer Engineering/CSE
UC Berkeley EECS 7%
UC Davis <20% Selective Major
UC Irvine Comp Eng 28% /CSE 24%
UCLA Comp Eng 3.7%/CSE 3.2%
UC Merced 91%
UC Riverside 42%
UC San Diego No data but <10% Top 5 most popular declared major
UC Santa Barbara 19%
UC Santa Cruz 57%
Cal Poly SLO 21%
Cal State Long Beach 36%
San Diego State 43%
San Jose State 31%
Campus Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering
UC Berkeley 4.9% 2024 7.6% EECS
UC Davis Estimated <30% Selective Major Estimated <40%
UC Irvine 12.5% 25.2%
UCLA 4.2% 9.9%
UC Merced 90% 89%
UC Riverside 51.5% 71.4%
UC San Diego Estimated <20% Capped Major Estimated <25% Capped Major
UC Santa Barbara Estimated <15% Estimated 21%
UC Santa Cruz N/A 61.7%
Campus Mechanical Eng Electrical Eng
Cal Poly SLO 15% 49%
Cal State Long Beach 50% 44%
San Diego State 50% 45%
San Jose State 61% 82%
1 Like
7

Take off my mentions of UAH, Alabama, and Ms State.

The rest, especially Pitt, can work. My guess is Pitt WILL work. You apply early and get accepted early. You can visit later. Same with Delaware and UMass. And Col School of Mines.

maybe Buffalo and / or Stony Brook (which like UCI will thin out on weekends)

Maybe Oregon State too ?

These would all be in lgbtq friendly areas.

You eliminated RHIT - while Purdue could work and I’m guessing an LGBTQ student would be fine, the state is not welcoming.

1 Like
8

I 100% agree that vibe is important.

That said, I find myself unable to infer any sort of “vibe algorithm” from his list of “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” schools. I can’t seem to channel a trend in order to make more suggestions based on fit.

Has he considered UW Seattle? They have FYE, LGBTQ-friendliness, and a vibrant, urban feel that could appeal to a student who likes Northeastern and Tufts.

Has he considered CWRU? Purdue? (Purdue’s location may not be ideal, but they’re the quintessential FYE-model school.)

Among the New England flagships, why UConn in particular? (More rural than any of his other thumbs-up schools.) Has he considered UMass Amherst? UVM?

Oregon State could be a nice safety. Nice environment, very hands-on, strong in all areas of interest.

He has a strong GPA and great standardized tests, but doesn’t have the rigor that a lot of applicants to top schools will have. But as long as he has “likely” schools on his list that he could be happy with, he’ll be in great shape even if he doesn’t get in everywhere.

Do you consider community around neurodiversity to be important, in addition to LGBTQ+ community? RIT is probably the best-known for this, on your list
 UConn is pretty good too (perhaps why it made the list?) - this, for example, looks interesting. Drexel is another, and it’s a co-op model school like Northeastern, if that appeals, and would be a safety.

ETA: I know you’re generally looking at the coasts, but CU Boulder might really fit the criteria too. Maybe UW-Madison too. Both super-LBGT-friendly cities in blueish states, and both great engineering schools.

5 Likes
9

I mentioned Arizona earlier. Tucson is welcoming. Arizona is purple.

U of A has the Salt Center for alternative learning. It’s a back up for many UCLA people.

https://www.salt.arizona.edu/

1 Like
10

However, be careful if declaration of a specific major is difficult (in terms of college GPA) or highly competitive.

1 Like
11

Have you considered Lehigh for its engineering program? Its up in Bethlehem, PA, and it’s got a really nice campus. I would say that Pennsylvania as a state check most of the boxes that you’ve discussed (albeit the final call is yours).

Here’s some more info - it may not be as highly ranked compared to other schools, but your child would be pretty competitive for their program.

https://engineering.lehigh.edu/academics/undergraduate

4 Likes
12

Curious why schools like MIT, Caltech, CMU, Stanford or maybe a Michigan aren’t on his radar? Maybe Cornell?

1 Like
13

Thank you all for your help. If all these questions had easy answers, I wouldn’t need suggestions. :slight_smile:

He doesn’t want to go to an ultra-competitive, high-pressure school, like MIT or Stanford.

For his ADHD, the only accommodations he has used are extra time for College Board tests and that he can stand/pace in the back of the classroom. He’s the type of kid who will wiggle and fidget with something, but he is listening to and absorbing everything his teachers say. In college, I think the only need will be a note-taking service/tool.

He went to the NE over spring break and could only see a certain number of schools.

Re: large campuses. He’s fine with them as long as they have their own campus. For example, he didn’t like USC because city streets go through the campus. UCLA doesn’t have that, so he’s fine with that. He likes “planned” campuses, like UCI. (But I worry about it being a commuter school.)

He went to a summer program at RHIT. Enjoyed the program, drove through some other schools while there, and decided Indiana isn’t for him.

I appreciate all the suggestions you have given.

2 Likes
14

Does his school offer AP Calc BC or only AB? I am surprised with his SAT score and interest in engineering that he isn’t taking BC this year.

2 Likes
15

My daughter was like that with roads yet goes to a small urban one with roads.

There are only so many lgbtq friendly states. You can find all the schools that are ABET accredited for each major. You can google map them and then eliminate which doesn’t work. Could be a project for your son.

Go to search by category. Put in the major.

Then put in US and select the states which I imagine are the three west coast (Ca, Or, WA) plus NM, NV, CO, IL, MN, WI, MI, DC, MD, DE, Nj, Ny, CT, RI, Mass, PA, VT.

And maybe Kansas - dem Governor and reproductive rights embedded in the constitution and Lawrence (where KU is) is liberal. And Arizona with Tucson going to be ok. Roads surround the campus but don’t go through the main parts.

It’s most likely he can eliminate many (large flagships) this way. But move others to the forefront.

Ps - with NMF you have schools like UTD, Tulsa, Bama, Maine and more that will give you a great deal. You don’t need the funds but maybe they can be redirected to a Roth IRA, grad school, or a house down payment. I understand the ADHD but maybe a Tulsa (full ride) or UTD or Maine could be visited to see. It sounds like one never knows which will strike his fancy.

https://amspub.abet.org/aps/name-search?searchType=institution

1 Like
16

Covid math in 8th grade was really tough for him. So he started high school with geometry, then Alg 2, then pre-calc. So AB next year.

I know that lots of parents focus on ranking and prestige, that’s not us. What’s truly important to us is that he finds his spot and his people.

I just don’t know if we’ve missed any hidden gems in his desired locales.

10 Likes
18

I wish more parents and students (especially on CC) thought this way.

Your kid sounds great - talented and grounded - and I don’t doubt that he will do great at a well-chosen college and beyond.

10 Likes
19
  • UCs and CSUs do not look at test scores.
  • Engineering is extremely competitive.
  • Since the UC application can be sent to multiple campuses, I would add UCSD, UCSB, UCD and either UCR or UCSC depending on what he is looking for outside of academics.
  • The same holds true for CSUs. If he is sending his application to SLO, he might consider sending it to SJSU, CPP, and maybe SDSU as well.

If he is likely a NMSF, I would have him give USC a second look. Did he visit the campus casually or did he take a tour? Did he tour Viterbi? On that note, did he tour UCLA Engineering?

If he is a NMSF, and he is admitted to USC, he is guaranteed a half-tuition scholarship. USC offers a small number of full-tuition merit scholarships. To be considered for those, his application would need to be submitted by Nov 1.

2 Likes
20

My son had a similar SAT and higher GPA. He didn’t have any interest in Caltech, MIT or CMU. Why? He wanted a “typical college experience” and those decidedly are not.

There are lots of schools where a student can be successful in ME
LOTS.

He ended up at Cal Poly (BS/MS ME concentration mechatronics ‘19) and has done quite well since.

As for big and small schools on the list, it’s about the vibe. Some “big” school vibe small, like Cal Poly and Utah. Some feel bigger than they are like WPI. My son’s list and those he rejected without applying was very similar.

3 Likes
21

I think he has some nice safties on there, so if he’s happy with the list, I think you’re good.

It sounds like WPI might be a good fit. Is he okay with the quarter system?

5 Likes