OP did say 3.73 uw GPA around post #8, and in the top 10% in a competitive school. Regardless, I don’t disagree with you and did say UIUC Math +CS was ‘maybe a low reach, could be target’. It doesn’t look like OP has listed their full list of HS courses, as I see only one English.
OP: Are these your only senior year classes? Will you have taken 4 years of Eng, Soc Studies (along with the 4 years of math and science that you did list), as well as 3 Spanish courses in HS? Have you taken a year of fine arts?
Blockquote OP: Are these your only senior year classes? Will you have taken 4 years of Eng, Soc Studies (along with the 4 years of math and science that you did list), as well as 3 Spanish courses in HS? Have you taken a year of fine arts?
I’m doing CGA in Senior year. forgot to capture that. Also finished 3 years of Spanish which is a requirement for UCs. If needed I plan to do it in the college where I will get admitted.
I also don’t know how to edit my original post. I don’t see any options. My parents have given me the luxury to apply as much as I want. but a realistic feedback on my chances at reach and target will help.
CGA= computer Graphics Arts (Fine Arts). Not interested in pursuing Spanish 4. It doesn’t add any value to me. Finished upto spanish 3 which is a UC requirement. Anything beyond that will have to be handled later or bridged in the college that I might attend. Have no plans to invest time on language anymore.
It seems like you are being cagey on your courses.
Is this your senior year schedule?
Non AP English
AP Calc BC
AP Stats
AP Micro (one semester?)
AP Macro (one semester?)
CGA (full year?)
No science, no foreign lang.
In terms of college admissions, you don’t know that. And perhaps you will let the chips fall where they may, which is ok. Just know that many of the more selective schools want to see language thru the 4th level, and that’s what many (most at some schools) admitted students have.
If I were your college counselor, I would encourage you to take a science and Spanish 4 your senior year. You do not want colleges to see a drop off in rigor or core courses in senior year, especially since your uwGPA (3.73) is on the relatively low end for the reachiest schools on your list. I will let @gumbymom weigh in your UC chances.
I cannot comment on the OOS chances, but I would personally put UCSD and UC Irvine as reaches. These schools have an overall admit rate around 25% and they will not see your SAT score or teacher recommendations.
I am not completely sure from your description what major you are planning to apply to at these schools, but computer science would be a tougher admit. If applying for computer science, UC Davis would also be a reach.
Here is a link to historical UC admit rate and GPA range by discipline that might be helpful. The GPAs shown here are UC weighted capped.
This is another good resource especially for CA HS that send a lot of kids to UCs. You can look up your own HS for historical admit rate and GPA ranges (weighted capped).
CPSLO admit rate and admit likelihood will depend entirely on what major you apply for. Computer science would definitely be a reach.
If you can define which majors you are planning to apply to each campus, I may have some statistical data to help gauge your chances.
Overall you are a wonderful applicant. UCSD has a Math-CS major but the rest of the UC’s and CSU’s do not. If you want to do a double major, then you will need to apply to CS as your primary major. Changing into CS later can be difficult to impossible depending upon campus. Only 3 UC campuses have a CS admit rate above 20% which are Merced, Riverside and Santa Cruz. If you want Data science then not all UC’s or CSU’s offer DS as a major.
Some UC’s admit by major depending upon the College and some do not consider your major choice in their admissions decisions. All CSU’s admit by major.
I’m pleased to see both CMU and Emory on your list, as both of these, like the UC’s, omit 9th grade from their recalculated GPA for admissions purposes. Both also give a decent “bump” for binding Early Decision applications, if by any chance you like either* of them enough to potentially foreclose on your UC options. (* or both, since Emory also has ED2)
Another possible option where admissions are more predictable and freshman grades aren’t considered would be Canadian universities, if that’s of any interest. UBC, for example, would be a lot closer to home than the east coast schools, and has excellent programs for your areas of interest.
I would expect you to end up with good in-state options, as long as you do a good job on the UC application. (And SJSU data science would be a slam-dunk I think; CS perhaps less of a guarantee but still pretty likely especially if you’re in Santa Clara County and get the “bump” for being local.) Good luck!
I had captured in my original post. Most interested in Math + CS since that closely aligns with my current research. I’m more gravitated towards computational science followed by Data science or CS (which ever the school offers)
Q: What is the difference between the Math-Computer Science degree and a Computer Science and Engineering degree?
A:Mathematics-Computer Science (MA30) is a major that has a strong foundation in mathematics and computational logic; it is not a technical major in computer science or engineering. There is not a lot of emphasis on programming and engineering solutions, but rather looking at algorithms of computation and how mathematical logic is used in computer science. It is foremost a mathematics degree with a limited specialization in computer science; students will study computer science with a mathematics perspective. The curriculum is concerned with topics like computability, combinatorics, discrete math, probability, and logic.
Career-wise this major will give students more background in computer science than any other math major in the mathematics department; however, it is not designed as a alternative to the computer science majors in Jacobs School of Engineering. It will prepare students with the technical and logical skills inherent in the field of mathematics with an applied background in computer science for those interested in using mathematics in that discipline.
Q: I applied to UCSD as a CS major but was accepted as undeclared. Is Math-CS a good second choice major for me?
A: There is no single answer to this question. It will vary depending on your interests in the field of computer science. The Math-CS major would be a good choice for you if you are interested first and foremost in the mathematics of computer science (algorithms, combinatorics, probability, logic, discrete mathematics, numerical analysis). If you are more interested in software programming, data science, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, computing and the arts, or computational physics there may be better options for you offered by other departments.
If the school does not have a Math+CS degree option, then you can only apply to 1 of the 2 majors although some campuses do consider an alternate major. Just stating if you want to do a double major with Math+CS, you need to apply to the CS major and then you can add the Math major after matriculation. Much more difficult the other way around.
