Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

“I'm female, got a 30 on my ACT, got a 4Jun 05 2015Mechanical Engineering
I'm female, got a 30 on my ACT, got a 4.5 GPA in HS (with AP classes factored in), took numerous AP classes, was involved in two sports and three clubs in my HS. I displayed interested for math and science.
ACT: 30 Female

“I'm not sure how I got in hahaOct 12 2012Architecture
I'm not sure how I got in haha. I'm smart but not a genius. I had a 2090 for SAT score (A 1400 for Math and Reading). RPI gives out a lot of scholarships which is great. I got a 25,000 yearly Leadership Award which really helped. I had a lot of extracurriculars coming out of high school: Debate, National Honor Society, Unified Sports, etc. I'd suggest mainting a relatively good GPA (doesn't have to be superb), I had a 3.75 on a 4.33 scale, unweighted. I did well on AP exams (both AP calc and AP physics), and I wrote some solid essays. When you apply, just make sure you present yourself as a well rounded, motivated student. Don't be afraid to take a risk with the essays.
SAT: 2090 Female

“Well to get in, you need to be anMay 06 2010Other
Well to get in, you need to be an academically outstanding student, because it is a top-tier school among MIT, Carnegie, Cornell, WPI, BU, (at least in terms of engineering) etc. Being in the top 10% of your class will help alot, as well as taking a handful of APs. Doing what you can to be proactive in high school is key; getting into national honors society, AP scholar, and even the RPI medal (plus helps defray tuition costs). Besides academics, its good to have a good extracurricular credentials; my advice would be to join only a few clubs and excel at them. I myself joined boy scouts, where I achieved Eagle, band, where I got to play in competitions in DC and Disney World, and WAVM radio station, where I got some experience working director/manager positions. Overall, it is good to be a well-rounded student, but also be specialized in areas you are interested in.
ACT: 26 Male

“I wasn't an outstanding high school student, but IOct 28 2008Biology
I wasn't an outstanding high school student, but I was well rounded: from a small town in WNY, 3rd in my class (of 100), did awesome on the ACT but pretty crappy on the SAT, varsity sports all 4 years of high school, art classes, NHS. I guess the well-rounded-ness helped me out. I ended up getting $30K in scholarships, which led to my decision to come here. But I advise you stay a night at the campus to check it out first. And talk to students (that don't have their noses burried in books) about how they feel.
ACT: 32 Female

“The Rensselaer Medal scholarship is always a good helpJul 07 2008Computer Engineering
The Rensselaer Medal scholarship is always a good help. Not only does it provide an awesome monetary scholarship, it helps with admissions as well. High School extracurriculars, decent test scores/GPA, and especially good letters of recommendation are a must.

When considering schools, don't immediately assume you cannot afford it. My family makes under $50k combined (both parents), plus my brother is also in school now, and I will be able to graduate with under $15k in loans. Consider average engineering starting salaries are upwards of $50k (if you intern/Co-op, expect over $60k), that isn't so bad.
ACT: 34 SAT: 1450 Male