What is the chance to get into UChicago, Cornell and Dartmouth? what is the best fit ED school? [MA resident, 3.72 GPA, 1540 SAT, bioengineering]

Chance Me / Match Me
21

Besides soccer which did not lead to recruitment, he interned at a biotech company.

22

And you’ve checked that he will still be able to apply as a freshman rather than a transfer?

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23

Just curious, if the answer was yes from Michigan, would he have gone?

I guess i’m trying to understand why the gap year? It’s one of the lower paying engineering disciplines - and for example, UCONN as a school that reports, has not much a different median than Michigan ($5K delta). It’s more likely the job location than the school.

UMass is strong - so that was a great admit. I hope he didn’t take the gap year just because the name wasn’t big enough but what’s done is done. But I hope he doesn’t pass again if that’ the best option for him.

Dartmouth is the one that confuses - they don’t have the major in engineering so if he wants that then I would remove. But they do have the Biomedical Sciences Engineering Major which doesn’t appear to be accredited per the Dartmouth or ABET websites.

Biomedical Engineering Sciences Major | Dartmouth Engineering

24

If he is taking college classes at ASU as a HS graduate, many if not most 4 year colleges will consider him a transfer student for fall 2026. (Depending on how many credits he’s taken.) check each school’s website for details.

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25

I don’t understand your argument here. Are you saying “because the discipline is lower paying, the school’s reputation shouldn’t matter as much to the OP”? Because it seems to me that the opposite would be true
 if the job market is tougher in this discipline (my D26 is also applying for BioE, and we’ve heard there are not a lot of jobs out there), wouldn’t a student have more incentive to go to a school with a strong reputation in this area?

26

Thanks lot for reminding!

27

Thanks again for replying. Very good question, we may have to think bit more about it. Another big factor for a gap year because my son want to find a soccer recruitment opportunity.

28

Not making an argument in regards to strength of name and job. We know @momsearcheng student is struggling - either 9 months or 15 months out of Ga Tech.

I’d assume like every school - there will be hired, continuing education and not hired.

UConn, for 2024, shows 50% in more school, 46.5% employed and 4.5% seeking. Not sure when the snapshot was taken.

Purdue shows for 2024 an average of 73.4k - so within UM and UCONN range.

They show 45% employed. 47% continuing education. 7% not employed.

If you look at top ranked UCB from last year for ECE, at last snapshot, 24% were still seeking - taken months after graduation.

I don’t want to go down the survey quality rabbit hole again - but to answer your question, while I understand why you, others and even I see value in a name, I think by skipping a year a student passed up a year of earning and I don’t think going to UMich necessarily means getting a job vs U Mass - simply because of the name. I’m admittedly jaded because my son interned alongside two from arguably the top engineering school in the country from an SEC school - and was invited back a second summer and they were not.

In reality, the student didn’t really skip tho as they took classes - and @Mwfan1921 brought up a great point on maybe being a transfer now.

Back to power of the name being that clear differentiator - UCB example for ECE - other schools have far less seeking but they aren’t the same big name.

But don’t want to go down this rabbit hole again.

But that is my opinion (and yes others disagree) - that especially in engineering people over estimate the power of the name - maybe short of an MIT/Cal Tech/CMU/Stanford. ABET accredidation, where needed, would be my concern.

Thanks

29

Looks like OP will be a transfer at Dartmouth:

Transfer Eligibility

  • Students who have matriculated at a college and who have completed two years or fewer of college coursework—even if they have attended for one term or fewer—are only eligible for transfer admission.

At UChicago, OP would be a first year applicant if they attend ASU (or any college) for less than one term:

If you have already completed at least one term as a full-time student in a bachelor’s degree-seeking program at another college or university, you should apply as a transfer student.

At Cornell these are the transfer eligibility rules:

Transfer Applicants

Students are considered transfer applicants if they have:

  • Completed a high school diploma (or an equivalent)

  • Earned at least 12 semester hours of college credit (not including exams such as Advanced Placement) after graduating high school

If a student has earned 12 or more semester hours of credit since completing high school (or earning an equivalent), they must apply as a transfer.

If a student has enrolled as a full-time student at another institution, they must apply as a transfer.

And the UMass Amherst rules:

Transfer

A high school graduate or GED/HiSet recipient who has enrolled as a full-time degree student or who has attempted 12 or more credits of college study post high school graduation and is applying to a four-year bachelor’s degree program.

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30

Unless your child is being recruited for soccer by one of his reach schools, I don’t think he has a realistic chance of admission. His grades- while very solid- just aren’t good enough; that’s especially true coming from MA. If he’s interested in Engineering, WPI, RPI and University of Rochester would all be worth a look.

31

Really appreciate the information you collected! It seems my son must take less 12 credit to be eligible for first year application. To be safe take less than 3 courses. He was thinking to take more courses but not report on the transcript for curiosity and maintaining academic momentum during gap year. Whether is it a potential problem?

32

My son’s gap year activities /routine:

  1. Morning: Currently enrolled soccer school, aiming for soccer recruitment
  2. Afternoon: Interns at a biotech startup discovering and developing immunotherapeutic, to gain real-world and hands-on bioengineering experience
  3. Evening: ASU online courses, to fulfill academic curiosity and maintain academic momentum.
33

If I understand you correctly and that you mean take courses but not report them on the college application, yes it is a problem. The application requires you to truthfully answer all questions , which includes listing all college courses taken. If it is discovered that something was withheld, any admission can be rescinded. And they will discover it because they will require an official transcript from ASU before confirming enrollment.

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34

Yes. All college attendance data is collected by the National Student Clearinghouse. Often, colleges will check this database for each year’s matriculants (especially those who have taken a gap year/years.)

If your son wants to be able to apply to Dartmouth as a first year (to take one example), he should drop any classes he’s currently in. Unless he already completed a class (or more) in the summer.

Class of 2026 men’s soccer recruiting is complete for many schools. Where do his discussions with coaches stand?

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35

Sorry, I did not explain clearly. Actually my son is taking course via ASU Universal Learner Courses. If we don’t pay $400, the courses will never show up on an transcript, only stay on the Universal Learner Courses dashboard.

36

Yes, you’re right, many have closed the cycle for class of 26. No fruit for my son yet, still ongoing, actively interacting with couple coaches.

37

I asked Google: What if I dont pay $400 to put on transcript, whether taking ASU ULC course will avoid my Eligibility of first year student? What Google answered:

No, taking an ASU Universal Learner course without paying the conversion fee will not affect your eligibility as a first-year student

. Your status is only impacted if you formally enroll in a college-level degree program or transfer college credits earned after high school graduation.

Here is a breakdown of why an unconverted Universal Learner course does not change your freshman status:

  • Non-credit status: Without the paid conversion, the Universal Learner course is considered a non-credit or non-matriculated course. It is for personal enrichment, and you do not earn any transferable credit.

  • Transcript record: Since no official college credit is awarded, nothing about the course appears on an academic transcript. Universities check for post-high school enrollment and credit-bearing work through official transcripts and the National Student Clearinghouse.

  • No formal enrollment: Participating in the Universal Learner program does not make you a formally enrolled ASU student in a degree-granting program.

What to consider when applying

If you apply to another university, you must still be honest about all your educational experiences. Here’s how to navigate this on an application:

  • Don’t list it as college credit: When reporting your high school curriculum, report the Universal Learner course as non-credit coursework or as an independent study, and make it clear that no college credit was earned or transferred.

  • Check the rules: Always consult the admissions office at any college you plan to apply to. While the general rule is that non-credit courses do not impact freshman eligibility, some specific university policies may differ.

  • Consider potential impacts: While your freshman eligibility is safe, some selective colleges may scrutinize any post-high school coursework, even if it’s not for credit. Be prepared to explain the nature of the Universal Learner program during your application process.

38

I just checked Dartmouth website, here are the terms regarding taking college level coursework:

  • Students who have not matriculated at a college are eligible for first-year admission.

  • Students who have taken college coursework that is counting towards their high school graduation must apply for first-year admission. This includes students pursuing an associate’s degree while finishing high school.

  • Students who have completed high school and have matriculated at a college, even if they have attended for one term or less, must apply for transfer admission.

My son’s case: ASU Universal Learner Courses do not require admission and do not confer degree-seeking status, do not enroll ASU, so he has not matriculated.
So, he fits squarely in this first category — eligible for first-year admission.

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39

He doesn’t have a choice about “reporting” college courses he has taken for college credit. It is required by colleges that transcripts for ALL college courses be submitted. Not optional.

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40

So, I was just looking at the ASU Universal Learner web site. It appears that these courses are not technically “taken for college credit” until after the course is complete, the student earns a grade, and the student chooses to pay an additional $400 to have the course designated as a for-credit course on a transcript. The student has up to a year to decide whether to do this. If the student doesn’t pay the $400, it isn’t considered a for-credit course and doesn’t appear on a transcript.

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