have been lurking on CC for a while and it’s been incredibly sobering. I’ve brought my prospective schools down more than a few notches, but I’m still worried my rough list may be too ambitious.
Likely major:
Computer Science or Information Systems
Stats:
SAT: 1530 (790 Math, 740 Reading)
Weighted GPA: 3.9
APs & scores:
⦁ CompSci, 5
⦁ World History, 4
⦁ Gov, waiting
⦁ Lang & Comp, waiting
College classes:
⦁ CompSci at local university for one semester
Senior year course load:
⦁ AP latin
⦁ AP Calc AB
⦁ AP Physics A
⦁ Senior English self-study
⦁ 2 semesters of CompSci at local university
Extracurriculars:
⦁ Cello in semiprofessional orchestra
⦁ IT job at school district (does this even count??)
⦁ FIRST robotics
Volunteer/Community service:
virtually nonexistent
Summer Activities:
⦁ one summer camp at CMU paid for by parents
This is an incredibly short and rough list. If anything looks off or doesn’t make much sense, it’s because I haven’t extensively researched these schools. It’s a task to heavily crack on this summer
Reaches:
UMichigan, UChicago
Realistic:
OSU, UPitt, Case Western
Safety:
several small local liberal arts colleges/universities
What is your home state?
What is your unweighted GPA?
If you’re considering LACs, look into Hamilton. It would offer you an option intermediate in general selectivity between UM and UC. You’d also find it to offer excellent opportunities for music performance.
https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/comp-sci-department-hosts-college-computing-conference
https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/departments/Research?dept=Music
Agree with #1…can’t categorize schools without this info. Calculate your unweighted GPA, core courses only, on a 4 point scale.
State is Ohio. Unweighted GPA is 3.73
This link can help you see schools in relative selectivity terms and may help you generate new ideas: https://amp.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9. Note that the included scores are somewhat older, and have since been superseded by a newer version of the SAT.
For a suggestion that might be appropriate for you based on the colleges you have chosen for your current mix, look into the University of Rochester, which might offer you an option roughly similar in selectivity to schools such as CWRU and UMich.
Can you list the safeties? (Just because something is a LAC doesn’t make it easier to get into). Have you run net price calculators on you schools?
Regarding research, get a copy of the Fiske Guide To Colleges and carefully read about each school on your list. Your library or GC should hsve it. Even a version a few years old is fine, the descriptions don’t change a lot.
Since most of these are close, I’d assume you can make visits to them. I’m assuming you are a junior right now. I would start doing that ASAP.
This doesn’t seem like an unreasonable list to me IF all seem affordable AND you actually like them once you visit/research more.
We live in a different part of the country (northeast). However, based on what I know and what you have said OSU does indeed look to me like a very good school to keep on your list. Your high school guidance counselor or someone from Ohio would know much better than I what your chances are there.
At least where we live some LACs have computer science, and some do not. Assuming that you have checked this out, and that your safeties really are safeties, to me your list looks very reasonable.