Chance me for Computer Science/Computer Engineering in Top Schools Please? I'll chance back :)

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Some old chance me threads from this member were merged together, hence the odd date jumps. - Fallenchemist

Hi, I am a rising senior in a normal public school in Ohio and I was hoping that you guys could chance me for Stanford, UPenn, MIT, Cornell, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, and University of Michigan? All of them for computer science or computer engineering (in the school of engineering not arts and sciences)… so one of the hardest majors to get into
4.3 = A+
5.3 = A+ in weighted class
Weighted GPA: 4.98 (5.3 scale)
Unweighted GPA: 4.28 (4.3 scale)

APs:
10th Grade: Stats(A+, A+, 5), APUSH(A+, A+, 4)
11th Grade: Physics 1(A, A+), Calc AB(A+, A+), Gov(A, A), Lang(A+, A+), Pilot school for Comp. Sci. Principles (A+, A+)
Self-studied Physics C Mech, and Comp. Sci. A
Projected 12th: Art History, Studio Art, Chem, Bio, Calc BC, Lit

ACT Composite: 34
ACT Superscore: 35; 35 on all sections except 36 in math

I took the Math II and Physics Subject Tests, but haven’t gotten my scores back.

Awards:
Verizon Innovative App Challenge
• Finalist for the Best In Nation
• Won Best in the Region (Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin)
• Won Best in the State and earned a $5000 grant for furthering STEM education in our school
• We used to money to buy VR Equipment and are developing games this summer
• Captained a team in creating an app concept called PING that is a type of social media that brings awareness to problems around the world and connects cultures
• Created a 3 minute video, a 30 second commercial and an essay outlining our concept

ID-Tech 3D Modeling Contest hosted by Shapeways
• Had to design a Minecraft themed thing and was one of 10 finalists in the nation
• Made a Minecraft themed Chrysler Building

Hyland Innovation Showdown
• First place and won iPad Minis
• Like Verizon App Challenge but made a prototype for a clothes modeler for online clothing store that worked with 3d body scans; made on Unity

Annual SouthWest Design Contest
• Won 2nd place
• Created a design on AutoCAD and Inventor of a part that attaches to a bicycle to help the impaired ride one normally
• 3D printed a prototype

Model Home Design Contest
• Won 2nd place
• Drafted architectural sets on AutoCAD and Revit, created a model, and made a presentation with a virtual walkthrough of a house

Extra-Curriculars:

• Accepted into Carnegie Mellon’s APEA program and got two A’s in Programming and Audio Engineering (College transcript)
• Currently have and internship at an international software company Hyland Software and am working on their product OnBase; Only high schooler that got an internship here

Computer Club: Aug 2015 - Present
Co-Founder and Co-President
• Teach beginners Python and advanced students C++
• Work on projects that would benefit school faculty such as an equation solving program for math teachers
• Currently organizing a club field trip to Hyland Software in March and a school-wide hackathon

Regional Information Technology Engagement Board (RITE): Aug 2014 - Present
Assistant Lead Delegate
• Organize trips to companies such as Smucker’s and Acumen Solutions to allow students to observe and speak with people in information technology
• Represent the Westlake RITE Board in the Get IT Here! Annual Summit where we connect students with employees and managers from IT departments in major organizations such as KeyBank, Progressive, NASA Glenn, and Cleveland Clinic

Techmates: Aug 2013 - Present
Secretary
• Captain teams in design, architecture, and engineering competitions such as the Hyland Innovation Showdown
• Won 1st place in open division at the 2015 Gravity Racing Challenge
• Organized meetings with companies such as Thogus and RP&M to allow students to see STEM applications

Member in the National Honors Society: Aug 2015 - present

First Robotics Team: Aug 2015 - Present
Leader of 3D modeling division
(My school didn’t have one, so I joined a first year team at a private school an hour away)
• In the team we create a robot from scratch and run it through a series of trials in the First Robotics Competition
• Every part in the robot is designed and assembled using the computer programs SolidWorks and Inventor
• Design and 3D print custom parts for the robot
• Also involved in the basic programming of the robot using C++

Hyland Software (A local Company) Jun 2014 - Present
• Member of Hy-Tech Club where I learned HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and PHP (with SQL databases)
• Participated in the Hyland Innovation Showdown and the Hyland Hackathon
• Created a website that is currently online for the Westlake Lacrosse Association

Science Olympiad: Aug 2009 - Present
• Member of the varsity middle school (division B) team from 2009 - 2011
• Member of the varsity high school (division C) team from 2011 – present
• Won 1st in regionals and numerous 1st-3rd place medals in invitationals; go to states each year and placed 6th

Cubing Club: Aug 2013 - Present
Founder and president
• Teach students and kids with special needs how to solve Rubik’s cubes and other puzzles
• Conduct in-school cube solving competitions
• Design and create murals made out of 100 - 600 Rubik’s cubes

Citizens Advisory Committee: Aug 2014 - Present
Student Delegate

  • Meet with school board members and city board members to discuss topic proposals to board meetings
  • Currently working on a proposal in schools to introduce CS in grades 1-8
  • Only student on the board and will hopefully bring changes to the system.

Math Club: Aug 2013 - Present
Officer
• Participate in numerous math competitions including Math Madness, AMC, OCTM, and OML.
• One of the top ranked OML teams in Ohio
• Went to finals in Math Madness

FIRST Lego League: Aug 2013 - Jun 2014
• Mentored middle school members and taught them to program in Lego Mind Storm

Bharathanatyam: Aug 2004 - Present
• Student in the Nritya Geethanjali School of Dance for classical South Indian dance
• Currently in the highest rank group
• Have danced at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art multiple times
• Have plans to dance in Columbus’s annual contest

Tennis: Aug 2006 - Present
• Member of the varsity girls team every year of high school
• Placed 1st, 3rd, and 1st individually and 1st, 3rd, and 1st as a team in 2013, 2014, and 2015 respectively at regionals
• Was section champion of the Force Seasonal Mixed Doubles Tournament

Orchestra: Aug 2006 - Present
• Played violin in school orchestra in grades 5-9
• Currently learning and performing South Indian classical Carnatic music on the violin

Drawing/Painting/Photography:Jun 2006 - Present
• Have won the gold key (highest rank) in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• Have had my artwork displayed in art shows and locations such as the Rae Ann Art Show and Key Bank

Volunteer Experience:

Stem For Seniors: Aug 2015 - Present
• Work with senior citizens and technology through the Westlake Porter Public Library

St. John Medical Center: Jun 2015 - Present
• 100+ hours
• Transport and discharge patients in wheelchairs every Sunday
• Bake and deliver cookies to patients and their visitors

Tutoring: Aug 2015 – Present
• Work with school peers in various math subjects two days a week

2

I’ve always thought that the ACT Science section is the easiest one to improve upon with practice. You really don’t need to know much science, just how to interpret charts, tables and graphs. Kids often have time pressure on the science section but you can get by with just reading the questions and going back and looking for answers IMO. Schools like Stanford and MIT superscore the ACT I believe so you’re in pretty good shape if you raise the science section to a 34 or higher. With your stats, I’d say this is easily achievable.

I think you’re competitive for all the schools on your list given your focus on CS as a female, Lots more kids applying for CS over the past five years so it’s gotten a lot more competitive even as a female but you should be in the running if you get your ACT score up and get 750+ on your subject tests. Many Asians applicants will have an 800 on the SAT II math test so be aware of that. In order to be a serious contender for CS, it’s important to be strong in math which your participation in math competitions shows. Continue to build on this along with your CS credentials. Not sure what you’re planning to do this summer but if you can get involved with CS or math research or land a programming internship at a company like Microsoft you will be an even stronger applicant.

Veteran posters might tell you that most schools don’t admit by intended major and largely that’s true unless the profile of the applicant strongly supports the intended major. PM me if you’re interested in some advice how to improve our chances at the very top schools on your list.

I’ll say a prayer for your dad. Good luck!!

3

Hi, we need your class rank to accurately judge you. ACT is low for those schools (majors)

4

And shoot for a 35 on the ACT. The science is all time management. I took it 3 times, the first time I had to rush the last 5 Q’s and got a 31. 2nd time I ran out of time and guessed the last 7 for a 24. And 3rd time I finished it in time and got a 34. It’s so easy that as long as you finish it you should get a 32-35.

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how about UIUC? I think that’d be a match school for you

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My class rank is 4/385. And I’m studying for the act again and aim to get at 35 at least.

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I’m aiming higher I think.

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@Falcon1 Thanks for your reply from awhile ago! I managed to raise my score to a 34 and don’t have any plans on retaking it. I also took subject tests and am waiting on my scores. Do you think that I should try and take the SAT next year? Btw I got a programming internship only offered to college students this summer at Hyland Software.

9

Your GPA and extracurricular involvement is exemplary - awesome job! Your one possible weakness is with your ACT score (even though a 33 is a great score). I am a current OOS student at Michigan, and I think you have pretty good chances at admission - just make sure you present yourself well in the application and your essays!

EDIT: Just saw your post that you now have a 34 on the ACT - nice! Hit those SAT subject tests out of the park too to really make yourself even more competitive.

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@yikesyikesyikes Thanks! I decided that if I do manage to raise my score to a 35, it would just be a fluke, because I know all the material and can manage my time. It’s just that I tend to mess up random questions. Do you think I should take the SAT in September? Or do colleges think that just the ACT is fine?

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I think your time would be better invested in Subject Tests (get an 800 on Math level 2 and 750+ on one or two others), since a 34 ACT already puts you comfortably in the admissions range (and your GPA/extracurriculars are already great). For clarification, I am providing (unprofessional) advice specifically for Michigan. For Stanford, I would maybe consider the taking the SAT if you feel like you could score a 1500+ out of 1600.

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@yikesyikesyikes Thanks for your advice!

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You are welcome @sneharams.

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I know all my schools are reaches, and posting on here is kinda pointless the summer after junior year, but I just want to hear peoples thoughts.

15

Oh plus I’m a girl. I don’t know if that really helps though

16

You should be good for UMich and Cornell. It kind of depends on what colleges your school sends kids to. What’s your rank? Also, you should consider applying for University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as a safety they have a high acceptance rate but also a top 5 CS program.

Nice EC’s!

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@shaash thanks! My rank is 4/385. I am interested in art and engineering so a few non-weighted electives has brought my weighted GPA down. Do you think I have a chance at the other schools?

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You’re fine, keep doing what you like to do and don’t forget to add a couple matches and safeties as long as they don’t affect you in terms of time during your application.

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@Mrduque thanks :slight_smile: and yes I have safeties. I figured I wouldn’t have to ask on here for those

20

Does it look more impressive to mention that the Ohio House of Representatives sent me a special signed certificate for representing Ohio at such a high level?