Chance me for MIT, UCSD, UChicago, UIUC [SC resident, 3.81 UW, 34 ACT, math/cs, single parent household, <$30k (35000 SAI)]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • Suburban South Carolina
  • Public HS
  • Autistic
  • Male
  • Escaped abusive father, who has since passed (not including any information about him except his passing on my applications)
  • >100k household income

Cost Constraints / Budget
Looking to stay under $30k a year, 35000 SAI but my mom’s wanting to retire and she lost a lot of money divorcing my father so I intend to appeal

Intended Major(s)

Mathematics and Computer Science or Mathematics

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.81
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.818 SC UGP GPA
  • Class Rank: 13th percentile
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 34 ACT (36 Science, 35 Math, 34 English, 31 Reading)

List your HS coursework

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

  • English: English 1-4, all Honors with the exception of English 2
  • Math: Algebra 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra 2 Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, Calculus AB (currently taking)
  • Science: Earth Science Honors, Biology Honors, AP Biology
  • History and social studies: Human Geography CP (non-honors), World History Honors, US History Honors, US Government and Economy (enrolled)
  • Language other than English: Spanish 1 CP (non-honors), Spanish 2 CP (non-honors)
  • Visual or performing arts: Band (8 credits worth), Chorus (currently taking), Piano (enrolled)
  • Other academic courses: Took a high school level HTML class in middle school, Intro to Computer Programming (no honors offered), AP Computer Science, Teacher Cadets (college-level)

Awards

  • Made regional and all-county band every year
  • Made all-county chorus this year (after like a month of being in chorus)
  • Got 1st place across all categories at a marching competition as section leader

Extracurriculars

  • Marching Band (Section leader)
  • Jazz Band (Founder)
  • Brass Ensemble
  • FTC Robotics (Founder)
  • Independent amateur mycology
  • Listed my computer hobby

Schools

Early Action

  • Assured: College of Charleston (w/ fee waiver), Columbia College (SC), Florida Polytechnic University, Nazareth University (already got direct admissions w/ 25k scholarship)
  • Extremely Likely: Loyola University Maryland (w/ fee waiver)
  • Likely: Florida Tech, Rochester Institute of Technology (w/ fee waiver)
  • Toss-up:USC Columbia w/ top scholarship
  • Lower Probability: UIUC
  • Low Probability: MIT, UChicago

Regular Decision (most of these I will decide whether to apply based on my acceptances during EA)

  • Assured:
  • Extremely Likely:
  • Likely: Boston University
  • Toss-up: UC San Diego
  • Lower Probability: Notre Dame, UCLA
  • Low Probability: Harvard, Yale, Rice, Duke, WashU, UC Berkeley, Cornell, Vanderbilt
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Does your high school offer Calc BC? (Some schools will compare your math coursework to the most rigorous math courses offered at your HS.)

Have you taken any classes in physics and/or chemistry in high school?

This EC sounds awesome :heart:

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The UCs will cost close to $80,000/year, so these will not work with your budget, unfortunately. The upside is that this will save you the time the UC app would have taken, so you can really work to make your other apps the very best they can be.

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So budget matters. You need to run net price calculators.

UCSD, LA, and Berkeley, for example, very hard to do the app and won’t come close budget wise.

As for the private schools, please have your parent run the net price calculator. I imagine all will meet cost but can’t be sure -for example, if there are assets.

As for chancing, I’m not an Admission Officer but I don’t see a single acceptance. Don’t forget, UCs will not see your test but cost too much anyway.

You should apply to U of SC (likely), College of Charleston (safe) and Clemson - low reach.

Schools like Alabama, UAH, Miss State, WVU will hit budget as an example - and U Kansas might.

You can throw a few SUNYs in - try Bing, Buffalo.

Right now, you have all reaches. High reaches at that. Maybe you get lucky but I don’t think so.

You need schools where you can study what you want, are likely for admission, and will hit budget. So your list was, in my opinion, improperly built.

I wish you the best of luck. I put the BU NPC below to go over with your mom.

Good luck.

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Sorry - I missed your first list - apologies

Yea to C of C but when you move off campus it gets pricey.

Polytechnic - yes but a bit over budget - not sure if merit.

I don’t see Loyola hitting cost but you can try. But run NPCs. Lots of schools have feee apps - that alone is no reason to apply.

UIUC won’t hit cost. No matter there

FIT may hit cost…so that’s a fair try.

RIT -I don’t think so.

How a lot a less $$ in - state - Coastal. C of C is going to happen tho. Just worry about the off campus cost. U of SC is also a reasonable get.

Best of luck to you.

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You and/or your parent should check the net prices calculator on each college’s web site to check affordability.

That he is deceased means that you will not have the complication of non custodial parent information that some of the colleges on your list require for financial aid. This makes it simpler to do net price calculators and financial aid forms, and increases the likelihood of getting financial aid.

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Does your high school offer Calc BC?

Sadly not.

Have you taken any classes in physics and/or chemistry in high school?

I haven’t been able to because the band classes take up my schedule sadly

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I will leave the money to others, but regarding your chance me question -

MIT - no

UCSD - 50/50

U Chicago - no

UIUC - Likely

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Thanks. Do you know if selective colleges consider GPAs differently for students with autism or is that just wishful thinking?

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Your GPA is your GPA. And it’s a fine GPA, by the way!

If you currently have accommodations in high school via a 504 plan or an IEP, you probably need to consider whether you will need these accommodations in college.

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It’s good that you are taking the highest math class available at your HS! :+1:

Realistically, the most highly selective colleges would generally prefer to see

  • More than two years of world language
  • More breadth in science classes (typically physics, chemistry, and biology, although I’m guessing your earth sciences class would count too)

I am not an expert, but I do know a few high school students with autism, and I know that people who have autism are all different. So I think this would be a good thing to talk about with your high school counselor, because they know you better. They will also be writing the counselor letter for colleges that gives colleges more background about you, and helps them to interpret your transcript in light of any challenges you have faced.

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Ngl I was taking a third year of world language and I had to drop out because the teacher wasn’t accommodating of my autism. The whole format of the class was just incompatible. Thankfully they gave me an exemption to withdraw without it affecting my GPA or anything

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I’m sorry to hear that. (My own daughter is having a very frustrating time in one of her classes right now.)

Challenges like this would be something your counselor may be able to explain in their letter.

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In my opinion, UCSD and UIUC are both unlikely and also well over the stated budget.

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I agree but I think if it’s math and not CS, UIUC is likely but at $54K tuition, room and board and no merit coming, what’s the point - as you noted.

There are sub schools (yes, won’t be as high on a US News ranking) that come in within budget.

UIUC and the UCs are wasted energy, money and time in applying, and just no. But the sub schools work - and that’s what OP should consider - schools achieving the budget, not schools that sound great on paper but are well past what they can spend.

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Freshman Applicants - | University of South Carolina suggests that your ACT is your strongest stat, while your class rank is your weakest stat. Admission seems likely based on the stat ranges listed there, but getting Capstone Scholars or Honors College is harder to assess (more likely if they emphasize ACT, less likely if they emphasize class rank).

If the minimum criteria to change majors after enrolling is any indication, computer science may be a little more competitive than the baseline, but not as competitive as some other majors like nursing and some business majors: Change of Major Requirements - Academic Advising | University of South Carolina

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What can you tell us about your learning style, and the kind of accommodations you need? Would you benefit from a formal autism support program? Would a co-op based program, where you get to alternate classroom learning and real-world work experience, be appealing to you, or would you prefer a more purely academic experience?

Do you want to do marching band in college?

If you like UCSD, you might check out UT-Dallas, which I think of as culturally and academically similar but which has some generous merit scholarships. (Although their best scholarship packages are for National Merit - did you take the PSAT? Your ACT scores suggest you might have had a shot at a high enough PSAT score for NMSF.) https://honors.utdallas.edu/

Appalachian State might be worth a look. Full-pay OOS COA is around 39K/year but there are scholarships that you could be competitive for. There’s a computation track in the math major. There’s a terrific marching band. And there’s an autism-themed living-learning community.

As others have noted, the UC’s are a non-starter cost-wise. The separate application for the UC system is onerous and with no path to affordability, it’s a waste of time.

You have a fairly long list of private universities that meet full need; however, it sounds as if you may not be able to afford what the financial aid formulae say you can afford. Have you run Net Price Calculators for the specific schools on your list? (Your net cost will vary - the FAFSA SAI is just a starting point, and each college has its own algorithm for how much aid you’d get.) Yes, you can appeal, but getting more aid than the NPC projects cannot be counted upon, and you’d have to appeal every year, with some risk that your school wouldn’t be as generous in subsequent years. Going someplace with guaranteed, renewable merit aid may be a better bet for you. Also, landing outside the top 10%, class rank wise, makes the single-digit-acceptance-rate super-elite schools less likely. If you look at the Common Data Set that most of these schools publish, you’ll see that only a tiny percentage of entering students at some of these schools ranked below the top decile, and it’s likely that many of those were “hooked” in some way, e.g. recruited athletes. It’s absolutely fine to shoot your shot at some uber-competitive schools, particularly at ones where the NPC results look good, but you’d really have to beat the odds to get in.

You might check out the Honors College at the University of Utah. UofU offers a path to residency after the first year, as well as merit scholarships, so it could be affordable, and it has a very strong math department. Excellent music opportunities too.

IMHO, the most likely outcome here is that you attend an in-state public university, as that’s the most straightforward path to affordability, there are excellent options. (Is there a reason you don’t have Clemson on your list?) But OOS publics with generous merit may also work (this would not include UIUC or the UC’s), and it’s not impossible that a full-need-met private U might give you enough aid - again, run the NPC’s and see how it looks.

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As for financial concerns, just wondering- are you an only child (or the last to go to college? ) With mom wanting to retire, are there any other family members who will also be financial considerations for your mom?

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Wisful thinking, and your GPA is great -

Instead of describing the challenges of being neurodivergent (in your case having autism), focus on your unique strengths that come with autism. and maybe the specific strategies you use to succeed.

Demonstrate that you understand yourself. This shows maturity and the ability to adapt and thrive IMO.

Although probably not quite for top 20 schools - your academic, test, and activity accomplishments are impressive and I think you will help your next school build community; and they will appreciate that.

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As a general rule, posts in a chance me forum should be directed to the student. We all have our opinions, but the chance me forum is not the place to engage in debate with another user offering their opinion.

Several posts deleted.

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