I get a fee waiver for 4 California State Universities. Besides being strong in Civil Engineering I would prefer a university with less of a commuter culture, a more balanced gender ratio, and an urban location.
Edit: Something else that I forgot to mention is that I'm a transgender woman (who doesn't pass) so how progressive/accepting the university and surrounding area is matters a lot to me.
Does anyone know why Harvey Mudd College isn't a partner school? All the rest of the Claremont Consortium are along with MIT and Caltech. They also have a fly-in program and great financial aid so they're trying to recruit FGLI students. It kinda pisses me off because I would rank it #3, #2, or maybe #1 if it was a partner school.
Edit: Pitzer also isn't a partner which I'm not super surprised by since they track demonstrated interest.
Does anyone know why Harvey Mudd College isn't a partner school? All the rest of the Claremont Consortium are along with MIT and Caltech. They also have a fly-in program and great financial aid so they're trying to recruit FGLI students. It kinda pisses me off because I would rank it #3, #2, or maybe #1 if it was a partner school.
On another post I saw that a lot of people were also waitlisted. I have bad overall stats but a strong upward trend, good course rigor, and I definitely cooked on the essay.
Does anyone have a USNews subscription who would be willing to share the best civil engineering schools ranking (both doctorate and non-doctorate granting institutions)? I would literally be grateful forever.
Edit: I'm seeing a lot of responses saying to just get the cheapest ABET accredited degree. I understand this and I think it's good advice. However, my family is extremely low income so the prestigious private universities that "cover 100% of demonstrated financial need" are the cheapest options for me, cheaper than my in-state public schools. All of the universities that cover 100% of demonstrated financial need are also all basically the same price for me(~5k/ year in total expenses). So financially they're all the same.
Hi y'all I've been lurking on this subreddit forever (like 3 years) and this is my first post. I came out when I was 13 or 14 and I tried really hard to convince my mom to let me take Estrogen but I didn't convince her. I felt super defeated and basically gave up till a couple days ago. Now at 17 and half she said yes!!! It doesn't make a huge difference because it's just 7 months earlier than what it was going to be. However, it makes a really big emotional difference that my mom said yes. The main problem I always felt in our relationship was her not consenting. But yeah overall I'm feeling very happy!! Woo hoo!🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️❤️
(grades are listed in the first semester then the second semester right below it)
I am planning on doing the Questbridge National College Match and then if I don't match doing regular decision and the UC and CSU applications (California Resident)
I am FGLI (-1,500 SAI, 5k AGI) raised by a single mom in a rural area, but I commute to a T-10 California public school that's in the city.
I am a Questbridge Prep Scholar and I would say my application is strong overall, I have a 3.7 UW GPA and 4.0 W GPA (4.0 and 4.4 excluding 9th grade, which I have extenuating circumstances for). I've taken APWH (5), APUSH (4), AP Phys C Mech (4), AP Calc BC (5), honors US Lit, and DE intro to engineering. Senior year I'm taking Honors Multi Calc, AP Chem, AP Phys C E&M, AP Lit, AP US Gov, and Latin 4.
I took the SAT once and got a 1460 (740 English, 720 Math), I'm planning on retaking and I believe I can get a better score, especially because I got a 1540 on a practice test and had a lot of anxiety going into this one.
My extracurriculars are decent, with a big focus into activism and then a lot of other slightly scattered things (volunteering, Speech and Debate president, Mock Trial understudy, Engineering club member, martial arts). Notably none of my stronger ones are in STEM because I had no clue I wanted to go into Engineering until halfway through 11th grade.
The most important factors for me are affordability, a supportive environment for a trans woman, an ABET accredited Civil Engineering program, the ability to minor or double major in Poli Sci or Sociology or something similar, and my mom/family having heard of it (ik it's shallow but as a first gen student it means a lot to me). The factors that are less important to me are 4 years of on campus housing, a campus where I can walk to all my classes, and small class sizes where I can interact with my professors. All else equal, I would prefer if it wasn't in the middle of nowhere and didn't have the most privileged student body (USC).
I'm mostly looking for Reaches or schools with a specific niche that could draw me in, because if I don't get into anywhere I really want to go I'll just go to community college and try for Berkeley and Cal Poly with the backup of TAGing to UC Davis. So far I'm planning on ranking Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, and Cornell for the NCM then applying RD to JHU, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Cal Poly, some CSU safeties, and Harvey Mudd College.
I am a California resident interested in Civil Engineering. UCs would be around 10k per year for me and I think I have a good shot at Berkeley. Since Berkeley is the #1 Civil Engineering program I'm trying to figure out what universities to rank.
I'm also very interested in sociology, political science, and law and I really enjoy in-class discussions and the ability to ask my teachers questions. Those factors make me lean more towards a smaller liberal arts environment.
Civil engineering is still my main interest and I'm trying to focus on what would be the most practical from an economic perspective.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to rank Stanford and MIT but besides that I'm not sure because I'm trying to figure out if paying 5k more per year is worth it for how much UC Berkeley civil engineering grads make.
I'm a trans woman so I don't want to go to a conservative state or area.
I have a single mom who makes 30k a year and makes 5k AGI (Uber/Lyft driver). I also have 17k in college savings (under my grandparents' name).
I've looked at some net price calculators but the answers seemed unreliable to me, especially for CSUs.
What California schools would be the cheapest for me? For example what would be the cheapest out of UCs, CSUs, and lower-tier privates like Loyola Marymount University and University of San Diego?
I know top private options like Stanford or Harvey Mudd would be the cheapest but IDK if I'll get in.
I'm going into Civil Engineering. If it's too expensive I'll go to my very nice local community college.
For context I'm FGLI and a Questbridge Prep Scholar. My grades and rigor are really good. I have 4.0 UW, 4.3 Capped, 4.4 Uncapped GPAs. I've taken AP World History (5), APUSH (4), AP Calc BC (5), AP Physics C Mech (5), honors American lit, DE intro to engineering (2 credits). Senior year I'm taking honors Multivariable Calc, AP Physics E&M, AP Chem, AP Lit, and AP US Gov. I also have 4 years of Latin and 3 years of VAPA.
I'm planning on applying to UC Berkeley (my dream school), UCLA, UC Davis, and UC Irvine for Civil Engineering. I might also double major or minor in Political Science.
All that being said I'm worried about my extracurriculars and am not sure if they're strong enough. Here they are:
Activism (9th, 10th, 11th): lobbied school board to pass resolution affirming support for transgender and queer students, helped organize two walk out protests, helped create a queer survival zine as a part of my counties QSU (COE* program), presented it to the COE* board
Volunteering (10th, 11th): cooked free food at a Hindu temple (long story)
Speech and Debate Club (11th): was one of like three members lol, I am going to be co-president 12th grade and will hopefully be able to turn it into an actual functioning club
Mock Trial (11th): understudy, went to a bunch of scrimmages and participated in just one trial at county competitions, got voted best witness by opposing team for that trial
Engineering Club (11th): literally just a member lol, might have some random leadership position in 12th grade
Martial arts (10th, 11th): did both BJJ and Capoeira, got my yellow cord in Capoeira
*COE stands for County Office of Education
Also in case it's relevant I go to a very good (top ten) California public with a very competitive and affluent student body. My school is kinda a feeder to UC Berkeley (30% acceptance rate) and UC Irvine (55% acceptance rate).
Demographics:
Gender: transgender woman
race/ethnicity: jewish
state: California
type of school: T-10 California public school which is kinda a Berkeley feeder (30%ish acceptance rate)
hooks: FGLI, rural-ish (live in a rural place but commute to an urban school)
Major: Civil engineering, also interested in a Political Science or Sociology double major
GPA and Rank: 4.0 UW, 4.3 capped weighted, 4.4 uncapped weighted, school doesn't rank but I'd probably be pretty low due to 9th grade grades
Coursework:
Sophomore year: APWH (5)
Junior year: Honors American lit, AP Calc BC (5), AP Physics C Mechanics (4), APUSH (4)
dual enrollment intro to engineering course (2 credits, over the summer)
Senior year course load: Honors Multi Calc, AP Chem, AP Physics C E&M, AP US Gov and Poli, AP English Lit
Idk if they even see this but I had 2.6 gpa 9th grade first semester so definitely have a strong upward trend. Also I have 4 years of foreign language and 3 years of VAPA
Awards: Questbridge College Prep Scholar (also expecting to be a NCM finalist), Collegeboard First Generation Recognition Award
Extracurriculars:
Activism (9th, 10th, 11th): lobbied school board to pass resolution affirming support for transgender and queer students, helped organize two walk out protests, helped create a queer survival zine as a part of my counties QSU (COE* program), presented it to the COE* board
Volunteering (10th, 11th): cooked free food at a Hindu temple (long story)
Speech and Debate Club (11th): was one of like three members lol, I am going to be co-president 12th grade and will hopefully be able to turn it into an actual functioning club
Mock Trial (11th): understudy, went to a bunch of scrimmages and participated in just one trial at county competitions, got voted best witness by opposing team for that trial
Engineering Club (11th): literally just a member lol, might have some random leadership position in 12th grade
Martial arts (10th, 11th): did both BJJ and Capoeira, got my yellow cord in Capoeira
I may get some more extracurricular opportunities this summer (internship at COE* data analysis and tutoring a kid with a learning disability and maybe doing some homeless garden project volunteering) but it remains to be seen what happens.
*COE stands for County Office of Education
I am a rising senior. I am FGLI (-1,500 SAI, 5k AGI) with a single parent, rural-ish (live in a rural area but commute to an urban school), California resident, transgender woman, and looking to go into Civil Engineering and maybe double major in Political Science or Sociology.
I have strong academics - 3.7 cumulative GPA, 4.0 GPA excluding 9th grade and strong course rigor (AP Calc BC, Multivariable Calculus, both AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Chem). I also have a 1460 on the SAT I'm planning on retaking.
I am hoping to go to UC Berkeley or Davis but it looks like there will be about 10k not covered by financial aid each year.
Are there any scholarships I should check out? It's been kinda confusing for me to find reputable places to look.
Demographics:
Gender: transgender woman
race/ethnicity: jewish
state: California
type of school: T-10 California public school which is kinda a Berkeley feeder (30%ish acceptance rate)
hooks: FGLI, rural-ish (live in a rural place but commute to an urban school)
Major: Civil engineering, also interested in a Political Science or Sociology double major
GPA and Rank: 4.0 UW, 4.3 capped weighted, 4.4 uncapped weighted, school doesn't rank but I'd probably be pretty low due to 9th grade grades
Coursework: APWH (5), Honors American lit, AP Calc BC (expecting 5), APUSH (expecting 5), AP Physics C Mechanics (expecting 3 or maybe 4), dual enrollment intro to engineering course (2 credits over the summer)
Senior year course load: Honors Multi Calc, AP Chem, AP Physics C E&M, AP US Gov and Poli, AP English Lit
Idk if they even see this but I had 2.6 gpa 9th grade first semester so definitely have a strong upward trend. Also I have 4 years of foreign language and 3 years of VAPA
Awards: Questbridge College Prep Scholar (also expecting to be a NCM finalist), Collegeboard First Generation Recognition Award
Extracurriculars:
Activism (9th, 10th, 11th): lobbied school board to pass resolution affirming support for transgender and queer students, helped organize two walk out protests, helped create a queer survival zine as a part of my counties QSU (COE program), presented it to the COE board
Volunteering (10th, 11th): cooked free food at a Hindu temple (long story)
Speech and Debate Club (11th): was one of like three members lol, I am going to be co-president 12th grade and will hopefully be able to turn it into an actual functioning club
Mock Trial (11th): understudy, went to a bunch of scrimmages and participated in just one trial at county competitions, got voted best witness by opposing team for that trial
Engineering Club (11th): literally just a member lol, might have some random leadership position in 12th grade
Martial arts (10th, 11th): did both BJJ and Capoeira, got my yellow cord in Capoeira
I may get some more extracurricular opportunities this summer (internship at COE data analysis and tutoring a kid with a learning disability and maybe doing some homeless garden project volunteering) but it remains to be seen what happens.
Is this normal lol? I am a Prep Scholar but got rejected from the 9 summer programs I applied to.
I'm an in-state California student (1st generation) and going to apply for civil engineering.
My grades/courses are as follows:
I took Algebra 1 8th grade (C both semesters).
9th 1st semester: Art 2 (C), Biology (B), English 9 (C), Geometry (A), Latin 1 (B), Medieval World History (C)
9th 2nd semester: same courses with all As besides a B in Art 2
10th and 11th I have all As.
10th: Algebra 2, AP World History , Chemistry, English 10, Latin 2, Video Production
I took Pre-Calculus summer before 11th grade (A both semesters).
11th: American Literature Honors, AP Calculus BC , AP Physics C Mechanics, AP US History, Graphic Art 2, Latin 3
I took DE intro to engineering (2 semester credits) summer before 12th grade (A).
12th: Honors Multivariable Calculus, AP Physics C E&M, AP Chemistry, AP English Lit, Constitutional Law and the Supreme Court (first semester) then AP US Gov and Politics (second semester), Latin 4
My overall Cal Poly GPA is 3.975.
I believe I have all course suggestions fulfilled besides the 5th year of English. Also I have volunteering/community service, leadership in extracurriculars, and might get an internship.
Is my course rigor enough to make up for my low overall gpa?
Demographics:
Gender: transgender woman
race/ethnicity: jewish
state: California
type of school: T-10 California public school which is kinda a Berkeley feeder (30%ish acceptance rate) and an Irvine feeder (50%ish)
hooks: FGLI, rural-ish (live in a rural place but commute to an urban school), transgender
Intended Major(s): Civil Engineering, will apply for Structural Engineering at UCSD
GPA and Rank: 4.0 UW, 4.3 capped weighted, 4.4 uncapped weighted, school doesn't rank but I'd probably be pretty low due to 9th grade grades
Coursework: APWH (5), Honors American lit, AP Calc BC (expecting 5), APUSH (expecting 5), AP Physics C Mechanics (expecting 3 or maybe 4), dual enrollment intro to engineering course (2 credits over the summer)
Senior year course load: Honors Multi Calc, AP Chem, AP Physics C E&M, AP US Gov and Poli, AP English Lit
Also have 4 years of foreign language and 3 years of VAPA
Awards: Questbridge College Prep Scholar (also expecting to be a NCM finalist), Collegeboard First Generation Recognition Award
Extracurriculars:
Activism (9th, 10th, 11th): lobbied school board to pass resolution affirming support for transgender and queer students, helped organize two walk out protests, helped create a queer survival zine as a part of my counties QSU (COE program), presented it to the COE board
Volunteering (10th, 11th): cooked free food at a Hindu temple (long story)
Speech and Debate Club (11th): was one of like three members lol, I am going to be co-president 12th grade and will hopefully be able to turn it into an actual functioning club
Mock Trial (11th): understudy, went to a bunch of scrimmages and participated in just one trial at county competitions, got voted best witness by opposing team for that trial
Engineering Club (11th): literally just a member lol, might have some random leadership position in 12th grade
Martial arts (10th, 11th): did both BJJ and Capoeira, got my yellow cord in Capoeira
If you couldn't tell my main concern is my extracurriculars, ik the activism is decent but everything else is pretty random without a lot of impact or any relationship to Engineering (though a Berkeley AO did tell me that extracurriculars don't have to be aligned with major). Also idk if they even see this but I had 3.2 gpa 9th grade so definitely have a strong upward trend.