What kind of schools can i get into?

Question

ok well i want to study engineering (not sure which one)

id like to go to a school on the east side or in florida (where i live)

i have a 32 on my ACT

and my gpa is 3.7/4.3

I have over 300 community service hours

i held a job down for about 5 months my junior year

when i graduate i will have taken around 8 AP classes

which include calculus AB and calculus BC

the only problem is that I had to take two SAT subject test and did horrible

i got a 550 in physics

and a 620 in math 1

the reason i didn't do so good in physics is that i never took AP physics

do you think that colleges

specifally MIT would overlook those scores

i personally say no

btw i am also hispanic and come from a low income family

if that helps

and also is UF or UCF better for engineering

thanks

i wouldn't appreciate if you could answer any of my questions

Answer 1

MIT would not overlook your scores but also would not overlook the fact you are female and Hispanic as well as your extracurricular stuff.  Don't give up hope on MIT but do some research on other engineering schools.  Not sure about UF or UCF.

And, you would appreciate, not wouldn't appreciate answers.

Answer 2

Don't rule anything out. My friend, Hank Rentzel, got into Penn or was it Wharton (some big school) with less impressive scores than yours. He's a talker that guy and a real BS artist. But he did it!

Answer 3

Here are MIT stats for admission:

Average freshman SAT verbal score: 712

Average freshman SAT math score: 742

Average freshman ACT score: 27

Very Important

Character/personal qualities

Important

Extracurricular activities

Academic GPA

Interview

Class rank

Recommendation(s)

Rigor of secondary school record

Talent/ability

Standardized test scores

Considered

Alumni/ae relation

Level of applicant's interest

Application essay

First generation

Geographical residence

Racial/ethnic status

Volunteer work

Work experience

Not Considered

Religious affiliation/commitment

State residency

Answer 4

Ouch on your subject tests. But your ACT and your grades are great, so that's seriously in your favor. The fact that you're also female, hispanic, low income and planning to study engineering - all that on it's own wouldn't make you sought after, but with your GPA and ACT, I think you'll be in good shape.

Your math subject exam is actually okay. Not great, but okay. The physics, though... ouch. Will schools overlook that? No, but it will be balanced out by your strong ACT, your GPA, and the rest of your application. So is it worth your time to apply to schools like MIT? Yes, but as reach schools. Have backups.

The best engineering school in Florida is U Florida, which ranks top 30. Embry Riddle is also strong, but not as good as U Florida. I believe you could get into both of those. I encourage you to apply. Both are stronger than UCF.

Very strong engineering schools on the east coast include: MIT (naturally), Cooper Union (which is free if you can get in), Olin College of Engineering (also free if you get in), Cornell, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, Penn State University Park, Columbia U, Rensselaer Polytechnic (which I really do want you to look at), Duke, U Maryland College Park, North Carolina State Raleigh, U Penn, Harvard, U Virginia, Lehigh, Bucknell, Yale, Brown, Rutgers New Brunswick, Dartmouth, U Delaware, UMass Amherst, Boston University, Clemson, Drexel, Northeastern, Tufts, Villanova, Carnegie Mellon, and Worcester Polytechnic.

I'd want you to pick some reach schools (perhaps MIT, Cornell, Olin, Duke, Carnegie Mellon), some fit schools (maybe Rensselaer, BU, U Maryland, U Florida), and some backups (BU, Clemson, Drexel, Worcester Polytechnic.) See where you get in. See what aid they offer you. Then decide.

You could well get into some reach schools, despite your so-so subject tests, so it's worth it for you to try for some.

Answer 5

I think you will get into a really good school, especially since the fact of your GPA and your ACT score.  I would apply.  YOu will get in to a great school.  

Good luck.  

Answer 6

No MIT is not going to overlook those scores, they can't, you'd have a hard time competing there. Virtually all applicants take the mathII and the majority get an 800. Sorry, I think you'll get into good colleges but not MIT.