I get the no merit thing, but not understanding the wasted year part. I believe the classes are required for the major, regardless.
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Exactly!
I get the hurt part, too. Glad they have Purdue to fall back on.
Even in Engineering, at most universities, the first year, at least, can be completed without having declared a major. Granted, some schools are so competitive, that they have to limit admission to DA; but, that doesnāt seem to be the case for Boulder (or am I wrong?).
At Purdue all admitted engineering students take first year engineering classes. Maybe I donāt understand how exploratory studies operates. Would a student in exploratory studies be able to take all the same first year engineering classes as those admitted to the engineering school? I took exploratory studies to mean you are taking classes from all the different schools trying to figure out what you want to major in but maybe that is an incorrect assumption.
If you are serious about Boulderās program, take a minute or two to contact Admissions, you might be pleasantly surprised.
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Definitely call to discuss, but here are a couple pages from their website to give you an idea
Sample course schedule for aerospace:
Internal Transfer requirements
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Iām shocked! And so sorry. Thatās truly unbelievable.
My S25 is OOS, 4.6 GPA with strong ECs and essays and was admitted Undecided in Arts and Sciences (his choice). He was also selected for the Honors College but there is no merit aid offered which seems odd. Heās a good enough candidate for Honors but not for some merit money? Itās off the list. Very frustrating.
Iām so sorry and very surprised.
Did he provide test scores? At some schools if you donāt do that, they donāt give merit. If he did and it was good - give them a call.
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He did not provide test scores so maybe that is it? Seems like if thatās the case, they should let applicants know that during the process. His test scores were decent but he didnāt submit them because they arenāt as strong as his grades but if it had meant merit, he would have submitted them.
Has admissions released any data regarding the number of applicants received for Fall 2025 admissions? I am so curious to see those numbers given some of the kids who were deferred or declined with very good stats. The entire merit thing seems to have no rhyme nor reason to it. How can you be asked to submit to the honors program yet receive no merit? CU is the ONLY school not to offer my child merit. She has very good stats so it was very shocking. She immediately started to look the scholarship opps on the website but wonder if she would even qualify for any of those given that she didnāt receive any merit. This one is a head scratcher.
Weāre in the same boat as you, right down to an acceptance at Purdue and MV Calc in high school but placed in Exploratory Studies. From a reddit deep dive this morning, it sure seems like the first year classes are all the same (save one Iāll get to):
- Assuming the goal is to transfer into Engineering after freshman year via IUT (Inter-University Transfer), ES kids have the option to take the same preliminary math and science classes that first year Engineering direct admits take. There are multiple threads on r/cuboulder about the choice between taking MATH and APPM math classes as a freshman, wtih APPM classes deemed geared toward engineers and considered harder, more problem-based than the MATH classes in the Math department. Point being, both are available to ES kids.
- In addition to two math classes, ES kids need to take a science course, in Physics, Chemistry, or Computer Science. For aerospace kids, thereās a note on the IUT explanatory page (Intra-University Transfer (IUT) Into College of Engineering & Applied Science Bachelor's Degree Programs | Student Support & Advising Services | University of Colorado Boulder) that a Computer Science course (either CSCI 1300 or ASEN 1320) is a prerequisite for sophomore level aerospace courses. But again, ASEN looks to be an Engineering department course that is exactly what the Engineering direct admits are taking.
- If an ES kid can achieve a 2.7 GPA in those three math/science classes, they are guaranteed admission to Engineering as a sophomore.
- The only difference I know of between classes available to ES kids and Engineering direct admits is an aerospace seminar that first year Aerospce engineers can take. It was mentioned on the tour we took last year, and is more of a team-oriented, fun class that focuses on a project build, like a model airplane or simple machine, if I recall correctly.
- Having said all that: my question for anyone here who has gone through this already is more about whether the freshman year experience is different for ES kids than for direct admits. For instance: 1) all of the first year engineering kids are housed in the WIlliams VIllage North dorm. Can an ES kid get into Will Vill north to start building friendships with engineering classmates? If not Will Vill North, does being in a nearby Will Vill dorm allow for meeting and befriending other freshmen engineers the same way? 2) ES kids can apply to the College of Arts and Sciences Honors program. If they get in, and then transfer to Engineering as a sophomore, can they transfer honor colleges as well? 3) Are there any other quality of life opportunities (events with professors, Engineering school events, etc.) that ES kids donāt have access to that are significant in any way?
Sorry for the long post, but i know lots of us are thinking through these questions. My son really loves Colorado and is very much still interested in becoming an engineer there, even if these first steps arenāt as direct as they could be.
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If you are OOS, CU doesnāt consider SAT/ACT scores for the Presidential or Chancellors scholarships.
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My daughter has 3.9/4.3, 10APs, is in an engineering pathway, has a couple community college classes (science related), varsity/club athlete, founder and treasurer of a very active club at her school, volunteers 8 hours a week as a coach for a club sport for six months a year, works min 12 hours a week at a paying job.
We werenāt offered anything, that makes me sad for her, she really works hard.
She was also accepted into Villanova, no merit offer there either.
There are a lot of great students out there, I wish more schools took more LORs from people outside of school. Lots of times kids have managers, coaches, etc that know kids much better than a teacher or counselor that is managing hundreds of students a year.
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Itās almost like they are throwing darts on the merit aid. My child has similar stats and ECāsā¦I know all admissions are different in the way they scramble grades and come up with their own criteria (GPA) but my childās would still be pretty high after CU reworked it. I am really baffled by this oneā¦
Sadly, in the grand scheme of things and the reality of the total cost of attendance, even the smaller merit amount only makes a slight dent. But I think it is more of a symbolic thing in our eyes.
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What does that mean? Can you provide more context?
Iām so sorry. It makes no sense.
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Read posts (posted after mine) by:
And
My understanding:
From a purely academic perspective, getting into Boulder is what matters. Most first year exploratory studies students will be able to take the same classes as Direct Admits to a specific major; and, with B or less GPA, transfer into desired major after 1st year.
Perhaps the admissions office should somehow address this in acceptance letter when they hit high stat & expectations parents with an āexploratory studiesā surprise.
My son UW 4.0, a lot of internships in engineering, sports, tons of APs and Dual enrollment got rejected from Purdue FYE but got into CU Boulder for Mechanical engineering. I thought he had a great chance at PURDUE but did not pan out. He prefers Colorado in general but I had him apply b/c Purdue is a great engineering school and tuition was reasonable for out of state. I think admissions are very unpredictable and doesnāt necessary make sense. I was little sad when he was rejected from Purdue but I heard that purdue had over 10,000 more applicants for their EA. Your son should be really proud that he got into Purdue FYE bc I think they deferred and rejected a lot of applicants.
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OOS son UW 4.0/W 4.8 with 1500 SAT and LOTS of EC was admitted Exploratory Studies with no merit or honors. School of Mines offered it all a month and a half ago. I understand the transfer and have no concern he wouldnāt qualify immediately but I know he is also disappointed. Even though he is waiting on some high-level schools, I think he would have accepted it right away with admission and merit/honors. Heās a big boy, though. He will figure it all out.
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