Chance Me and Match Me (2nd Time): 35 ACT, 3.98 UW looking for good target schools to add [TX resident, CS/BME, <$50k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Guidelines

  • Please check back to answer questions.
  • Please do not share identifying information.
  • Please do not include your race.

Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
  • State/Location of residency: Texas Resident
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public High School
  • Other special factors: (first generation to college, legacy, recruitable athlete, etc.): N/A

Cost Constraints / Budget

  • For Instate Public - 30k - 40k
  • For OOS or Private - <=50k
    (High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)

Intended Major(s)

  • Computer Science Major at top reach schools
    - With flexible major selection allowing me to pursue other stem fields in addition

  • Bioengineering

  • CS + X programs (Ex: CS + Neuroscience)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: (calculate it yourself if your high school does not calculate it) - 3.98 UW/4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA: (must specify weighting system; note that weighted GPA from the high school is usually not informative, unless aligned with the recalculation used by a college of interest, such as CA, FL, SC public universities)
    - 5.13 W/6.0
  • College GPA: (for transfer applicants)
  • Class Rank: Not Listed
  • ACT/SAT Scores:
    Choosing to report only ACT - 35 Composite (35 E, 35 M, 34 R, 34 S)

List your HS coursework
12 APS so far (Freshman - Junior)

(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)
Adv = Honors

  • English: Adv English (9th -10th), AP Lang (4), AP Lit (12th Grade)
  • Math: (including highest level course(s) completed)
    - Adv Alg 2, Adv Pre Calc, Calc AB (5), Calc BC (12th Grade)
  • Science: (including which ones, such as biology, chemistry, physics)
    - Adv Bio, AP Bio (4), AP Physics 1 (4), AP Physics 2 (4) AP Physics C E&M (4),
    AP Physics C Mech (4), Chemistry Adv
  • History and social studies: AP Human Geo (5), AP World Hist (4), AP US Hist (4), AP Gov/AP Econ (12th Grade)
  • Language other than English: (including highest level completed) → Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3 Adv
  • Visual or performing arts:
  • Other academic courses: AP Seminar (3), AP CSA (3), AP Psych (12th Grade)

College Coursework (Transfer Applicants)
(Include college courses taken while in high school if not included above.)

  • General education course work:
  • Major preparation course work:

Awards

  • AP Scholar With Distinction (10 - 12)
  • Top 10 CS competition

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

  1. Website Development (100+ hours): 11th - 12th
  2. Computer Science Club (Various competitions participated): 10th-12th [2hrs/wk & 30 wks/year]
  3. Math Club (Helped host tutoring and was VP): 11th - 12th [3hrs/wk & 25 wks/year]
  4. Academic Club/Class (Various competitions): 10th [8 hrs/wk & 30 wks/year]
  5. Volunteering (Food Drives & other places): 11th - 12th [~70 hours]
  6. NHS Volunteering: 11th - 12th [~30 hours]

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)

From Science teachers and Humanities (~ 7.5/10)
From Counselor (~6-7/10)

I feel fairly confident in my essays ( ~8/10)

Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if unsure, leave them unclassified)

Early Action: Texas A&M, UTD, UT Austin, Purdue, UIUC, University Pittsburgh, MIT

Regular Decision: Baylor, Brown, CMU, Cornell, JHU, Princeton, Rice, UPenn, Vanderbilt, University of Houston

If a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below; also, for colleges that admit by major or division, consider that in chance estimate.

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability):
  • Extremely Likely: UTD, University of Houston
  • Likely: Texas A&M, Baylor, University of Pittsburgh
  • Toss-up: Purdue, UIUC
  • Lower Probability:
  • Low Probability: Brown, UPenn, Rice, Princeton, JHU, Cornell, Vanderbilt, CMU, MIT, UT Austin

*I am looking to remove a couple of reaches and add more colleges to the lower probability and toss-up. I am open to liberal arts colleges too and will appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

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For UIUC I believe the CS + X programs have higher acceptance rates than just CS, but I am not too sure.

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Here is a link to OP’s initial chance me: Chance Me for Top 20s: TX Resident, 3.89 UW GPA, 1480 SAT [top 15% rank, <$50k]

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At UIUC , CS + X does have a higher admit rate than regular CS. Neuroscience isn’t a + X option. Here is a list of CS + X major choices:

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I would really appreciate it if you guys have any suggestions for target schools with good CS programs and generous out of state financial aid and scholarships.

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You can add UMD which will be in budget with merit of $10k or above. They do offer merit to OOS and I believe S25 got $15k and some even got $20k merit.

Edit: Please apply OA and they are very strict on deadlines.

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Likelies within 50k could be Ohio State, UMN, Iowa State, University of Iowa, UNH, URI and UVM

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Would I still be able to receive a decent amount of merit scholarship if I were to apply to these schools in the regular decision period. This is because I want to focus on applying early mainly to instate schools and other schools with programs that best fit me (CS + X at UIUC, AI at Purdue, and computational majors with other stem fields integrated).

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For Iowa and Iowa State you can apply online tonight and have an acceptance right away, but merit offers will come later (They use a Regent Admission Index).

All of the others are super easy applications and on the Common App. I know Ohio State awards merit for earlier applications (when it’s gone, it’s gone, not sure when that is). I would set aside time to apply to the Honors programs, but usually, that is a later application after you receive an invite based on GPA and grades. I’m not sure of the Honors timeline of each of these schools, but you can check on the websites.

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Do you qualify for need aid? If not, why apply to Brown, Penn, Princeton, Cornell, CMU, MIT.

You don’t need targets. You need a school you would love to go to that you an afford.

Pitt and UIUC aren’t going to make budget - so why apply to them. I like VW LIzard list - you won’t like that names but for generous scholarships to get under $40K - you need Alabama, UAH, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Kansas, UNM - schools like that.

Your list is built for your stats, but not for budget.

Your’re likely for A&M so that’s good.

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I can qualify for some financial aid and from the net price calculators I checked my coa per year could be around 50-60k. If I do I get into a top private school, my parents are open to raising the budget a bit higher.

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What good public schools are there that could fit my budget for out of state. I know that University of Florida has reasonable out of state tuition. Since I am going into a highly competitive major, I am just worried that by not going to a well-regarded school in my field I would just leave myself in a lot of student debt in the future.

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If you are serious about Baylor, you 100% need to apply EA. They are very clear that applying EA gets you more money—that’s because scholarship events like Invitation to Excellence are announced in December, and departmental scholarships start coming out in the Spring. For Baylor you could be looking at high 20s/ low 30s depending on need, maybe less.

If you don’t want to go there, then I would not bother applying. And that’s true of any school, actually.

I would expect a lot of money from UTD.

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14

If you don’t want to be in debt and you shouldn’t, then don’t take on debt.

VS grades are struggling right now. Even top schools. There’s a Ga Tech parent who at last time here said couldn’t find a job.

So you find inexpensive - needn’t be targets. Birmingham is a healthcare Mecca so UAB. Nashville is too. Tennessee Tech isn’t far. I know a person from UT Chatt with a six figure Oracle offer in Nashville. Sure some schools rate higher and do better overall. But you need a no loan budget. Top schools like UNC - posters are saying 150 APs, no nibbles.

In general, with little exception, debt is not a friend.

A great school with lots of loans is a potential death trap.

Loans are expensive - fees and more.

What’s your no loan budget? A Bama is a sub to Florida. You get $30.5 off - 28k plus 2.5k engineering. You are $20k a year - less than half of Florida.

My nephew is an Arizona undergrad poli sci - makes in the 2s - passed CS tests. Not even a degree. Has a finance mba too.

So budget first.

You make no sense - not going to well regarded doesn’t = debt.

Expense over what u can truly afford = debt. There’s no job guarantee no matter where you go.

The Texas schools, in your case, are your friend. UTD, Tech, A&M, Houston etc.

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Not to mention which, with a 35 ACT, there are schools OP could attend on a full ride. I was thinking the same thing—there is no clear picture about finances, and even delaying a lot of these applications to RD hurts the finances even more.

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Thank you guys for the feedback. My family really wants me to attend a top university as they believe it is the best chance to get a good job in this growing competition. For this, they could potentially pay up to 60-65k if I get into a selective university. I on the other hand am okay with attending a mid-range school with really good scholarships. I am open to suggestions for schools that I could potentially attend with a full-ride scholarship (like DivineMarshmallow has mentioned) as a backup in case the financial package from other top schools is too much.

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I don’t have National Merit, so that could potentially hinder my chances at a full-ride or full tuition scholarship.

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Some schools with early action fill up their admissions classes, fill up their popular majors, and/or give all of their scholarships in the early action round, so that regular action applicants are much less likely to get admitted, get admitted to their majors, or get scholarships. University of Maryland is well known for filling >90% of its admission class in early action.

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Are you national merit?

In reality, harder to get into schools will do better long run.

Is it because of the school or the caliber of the student the school had to work with? Studs are studs - and they go to all schools.

But a UT Austin has higher stats than say Oklahoma or Alabama so on average they will do better. If you took those at Alabama / Oklahoma that meet the UT standards, would they do worse?

Schools like Bama and Oklahoma are flooded with National merit - Bama amongst the most in the country. UTD is another with tons of smart kids.

Prarie View would be a freebie I believe and potentially Troy.

Bama would be $20K - that’s a big flagship name.

This is Troy - a public in Alabama. I’m not suggesting it for you - but you asked the question.

The Scholars PLUS Award

  • Students with a 33-36 ACT/1450-1600 RSAT and a 3.7 GPA will receive tuition, full housing, and meal plan

Cornell is a fine school - right?

Whenever they last updated their career survey for 2024, 10% of CS grads were still seeking jobs.

I am not saying they aren’t great - because they are - but for 10%, they’re not.

How did people find their jobs?

134 - internet postings - by far #1.

Where did Cornell intervene:

Handshake - their own linkedin - 24 - so companies posted with them

Alum 14

Career Fair 12

on Campus interview 11

Many - maybe most kids today - are getting jobs on line - linkedin, indeed. Most schools won’t share that but Cornell does.

Yes, they do great and their salaries are high.

They may also place in places where it’s $4K to get an apartment, etc.

Companies pay by location, not school - in most cases. My Alabama engineer met a Columbia grad at trivia night in Utah and found out he made more. It may not be the norm, or on the averages, but happens more than you think.

Best of luck whichever direction you go.

Just don’t put yourself in a financial nightmare b4 you even start - don’t hamstring yourself.

Good luck.

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Great (maybe not all “top”) OOS schools with strong STEM programs that should be under $65K:

Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech
NC State
Clemson
Cal Poly SLO

A little more expensive:

The U of California schools

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