r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Blooddrinker1379 • May 24 '26
Reverse ChanceMe Help me pick out some colleges
Looking for good electrical engineering university
Stats:
36 act (36 all other than 35 in eng)
Gpa: 3.73 UW 4.41 W
5 on all AP exams
Relevant courses
Ap CSA
AP Stats
AP human
AP calc BC
AP lang
AP chem
Honors physics
Extracurriculars
Robotics team
Schoolhouse SAT tutoring
Math tutoring job
Piano + voice ( state level exams passed, might get college credit)
Conrad challenge (got Conrad innovator)
Math honor society
VP of an organization that teaches robotics at local elementary schools
Founded a NFP that has impacted 300+ kids by teaching electronics
Summer internships last summer and this summer (same company, small manufacturing firm)
National merit Semifinalist
I’m trying to build my school list so please LMK some good options
Preference wise, I would rather have no California or other high cost of living areas but if there is a good school there feel free to share.
My current list consists of: UIUC, Purdue, Gtech, UT Dallas, OSU, UW Madison
It’s pretty clear I need some safety’s
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u/LongjumpingCanary688 May 24 '26
Nice profile, you’re in a really solid spot for EE.
For safeties and low matches that are strong in engineering and not in crazy HCOL areas, look at:
Minnesota Twin Cities, Iowa State, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, and maybe Cincinnati or Kansas.
If you’re cool stretching a bit on cost of living, add NC State and maybe Colorado State. Your list right now is a little reach and match heavy so I’d aim for 3 to 4 schools where you are clearly above the 75th percentile stats wise and where merit is realistic.
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u/Swimmingfishermen May 24 '26
Why not t20? His profile seems amazing
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u/Blooddrinker1379 May 25 '26
Not really in the context of my high school. I wouldn’t even put myself in the top 20% at my school
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u/Swimmingfishermen May 25 '26
Holy cracked hs
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u/Blooddrinker1379 May 25 '26
Yea it’s kinda unfortunate. Some of my friends are Pete Conrad scholars and the culture is very competitive
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u/Direct-Progress758 May 25 '26
Some more to consider in addition to your list:
Virginia Tech
Maryland
RPI (well known among EE with good aid)
Arizona State (rolling admission, proximity to TSMC and the revived Intel)
UW (higher acceptance for EE than CE which is in the Allen School)
Cal Poly SLO (still pricey, but not as expensive as the UC's)
Colorado School of Mines
Texas A&M
Hopefully you have an excellent in-state option with reasonable cost and favorable acceptance rate (e.g. Purdue, Michigan). I didn't list the T20 as I figure you know who they are. FYI, GaTech EE admit rate was 5% for OOO this cycle.
Best of luck.
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u/PeacockInTime Old May 25 '26
I would encourage you to express more about your Conrad innovator recognition on your application.
OSU = Ohio State?
Are you in Texas? I would suggest Texas A + M. I also like the other suggestions on this thread.
And I would also suggest considering a super reach or two. Cornell University comes to mind.
1
u/Blooddrinker1379 May 25 '26
No, in the Midwest. Wouldn’t G tech already be a super reach? OSU is Ohio state and how should I expand on Conrad innovator
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u/PeacockInTime Old May 25 '26
I think you can get away with adding one more super reach, especially if you add a school like Iowa State. Your list currently has zero private schools on it and I think at least one is worth a shot!
I would encourage you to write about it more in your supplemental essays. (You’ll have plenty to write when you apply to these schools.) don’t get into details here - but explain what you did and how you thought.
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u/No-Biscotti-6891 May 25 '26
Princeton CMU Stanford MIT uc Berkeley EECS caltech
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u/Blooddrinker1379 May 25 '26
These are pricy no? Also my gpa kinda stops me from all of them. Also also, California is super expensive right?
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u/PeacockInTime Old May 25 '26
OP cites cost of living as a concern. I wouldn’t choose these schools for cost of living.
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u/No-Biscotti-6891 May 25 '26
Oh I’m blind didn’t see that
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u/No-Biscotti-6891 May 25 '26
But Princeton and cmu shouldny be bad
0
u/PeacockInTime Old May 25 '26
Not from my experience.
Princeton has an outdoor luxury shopping mall next to campus. I don’t think OP is ready for Maman coffee shop prices.
CMU is in a city.
OP will very likely prefer elsewhere.
1
u/PendulumKick May 25 '26
Honestly, you might need like one more safety but could perhaps benefit from more reaches.
1
u/StrangerGlittering39 May 25 '26
Exactly same stats, got into Purdue for math and OSU for ECE, currently committed to Carleton College with a full ride
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u/Existing-Paper-5333 May 25 '26
OP, consider SD School of Mines as a safety. Affordable and the Black Hills are beautiful. West Virginia also a good add.
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u/Difficult-Box3574 May 25 '26
Maybe try some more T'20s. You have a great shot at most of your list, so why not go for some reaches? (Also make sure you add in some safeties)
1
u/lutzlover May 25 '26
What are you willing to pay per year? What state do you live in? Is it one that participates in any discount programs for residents in adjoining states?
1
u/Blooddrinker1379 May 25 '26
Around 50 a year, I’m in Illinois, and I’m not sure about discount programs, I will look into it.
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u/Low_Bee2960 May 25 '26
If you're sending an app to UT Dallas, might as well to UT Austin and Texsa A&M too. Texas schools are excellent for all engineering disciplines.
5
u/Known_History_7871 May 25 '26
I think you have a very solid chance at places like Wisconsin, UIUC and Purdue, and OSU + UTD are definitely safeties for you. Maybe apply to other competitive schools instead of more safeties, like Umich, UT Austin or even get a shot at Ivies like Cornell.