Question:Do you have any safer schools on your list or do you plan to attend community college if you don’t get in to any of the other schools listed here? This is a very reachy list.
I’m not sure what other schools that I should add to my list.. that’s kinda why I made the post. I might end up going to community college tho since I can get admission to UIUC CS through the pathways program after 2 years.
How can your weighted GOA be +1.1 given the scale you put above ?
You need a budget. When you say no constraints but prefer merit, what does that mean ? Some schools will be $45k no merit and others $70k with merit. So you need a figure.
Some of your schools have only need aid so will be $400kish or close.
I’d assume UMD and UWisc are closest to a yes but no assurance. Schools like UMass, Pitt, UMN, Ohio State might be smart adds depending on budget. An RPI too with some of your Cal tech types.
The UCs and likely UWash won’t see your test.
I’d drop UWash and it’s 2% OOS acceptance and based on your cost statement Cal Tech and everything after. I’m not sure they’re worth it anyway. But no merit aid at all.
Add add a couple, like I noted above. Or to maximize your accomplishments, an Alabama which will be $20k a year all in based on your accomplishments with their aggressive automerit.
But you should truly run different scenarios - from $20 to $100k a year and all in between as it’s a $300k overall difference - and go over those with your folks to see where you really fit best.
You’ll have chances but I’m not 100% confident that you will at one on your list.
If you go that route, you should consider the Parkland Pathways program. Students there are allowed to live on the UIUC campus so you can get the full “college experience”.
The weighted gpa is since I took more than 5 ap/honors and the way that the weighting works in my school gives it about 0.22 per ap/honors. My parents are fine with the budget of whatever school I get into, but they would prefer it to not be that expensive since there’s more people in my family going to college and they would obv prefer not to work for that long after high school. I’ll look at the other ones u suggested to add and probably take out UWash. Alabama is likely not going to be part of my list since I’m not a fan of conservative states. Thanks for the feedback!
It’s a great program for anyone wanting to get to UIUC. You can take some UIUC classes, too. And saves some money also as the tuition is cheaper for those first two years.
I would prefer some warmer weather but that’s not needed. I want there to be some good internship/job opportunities. I also want to get a “traditional” college experience. There aren’t any specifics that I’m looking for, just a strong CS program.
Warmer, big and don’t like conservative - look at SDSU.
The two Arizona schools are solid too. U of A is in liberal Tucson. Arizona is more a purple state but a Democrat Governor and two Democratic Senators.
Another ‘liberal’ state that has cold but tons of sunshine is Colorado. Both U of Colorado and School of Mines can be two to look at - big and mid size.
Best of luck.
Ps I want there to be some good internship/job opportunities. - will be mostly dependent upon you, not the school. Right now, it’s a struggling major most anywhere as the industry seems to be changing daily.
SDSU is an unknown and won’t look at your test. I’ll say target The two Arizona schools are safe - both are traditional but I prefer Tucson as it’s one campus. ASU has several.
The two Colorado schools are safe (CU) and likely (School of Mines). CU might admit you to Exploratory Studies vs the major but honestly, it’s not a hard bar to pass and you’d save money that first year.
NC State is in Raleigh/Research Triangle, warmer, liberal area, airport to fly home.
I’d talk with your school counselor about submitting those test scores. At the top schools, you don’t submit, they know you are not 1550+. I’d think it better to show you are just under than leave them wondering. And test optional is losing its popularity.
At ASU, the main Tempe campus is where most traditional college students attend. The other campuses are mostly focused on non-traditional commuter students, although some majors are only offered at a non-Tempe campus.
ASU lists automatic admission criteria on its web site, including for each major (some majors have higher criteria than general admission).
UCs are very expensive out of state. Are you good with 80k/year for them? The application is also different from the common app and can be a lot of work. Of course if you love them and can afford them, it’s worth a try.
