Chance me/Match me: Rising Senior in New England [4.0 GPA, 1550 SAT, Applied Math/Data Science/Econ?]

Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident)
  • State/Location of residency: New England
  • Type of high school: medium-sized public high school
  • Other special factors: N/A

Cost Constraints / Budget
Parents say there’s “no budget on education” and are very strong on it, but I’m looking to find more schools, preferably with good merit aid, that fall around or below $70,000 annual tuition for target and safety schools. I’m not looking to go to medical, law, or any of the sort after undergrad.

Intended Major(s)
Still thinking about this, so here are just some of my thoughts. I’m hoping to find a school with programs strong in these majors (and similar) since I’m very open to changing majors once I’m in college (hopefully):

  • Applied Mathematics (top choice since it opens doors to a wide range of fields and I don’t want to be trapped)
  • Data Science (I’ve heard that it might be bad to major specifically in this, though, since it’s more of a master’s program focus)
  • Economics (haven’t taken a full year class in it, but am scheduled to for next semester- the summer work makes it out to be something I’m really into with the mathematical analysis + social phenomena)
  • for CMU specifically, I’m looking to go into Information Systems, but could also apply as applied maths- mostly depends on which one I would be a stronger candidate for since I’m not opposed to either
  • I’m also interested in linguistics and would like to pursue it in college, but not as an official major or minor (probably), so flexibility in courses is a plus

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Class Rank: not given by school
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1550 SAT (760 ERW, 790 Math)

List your HS coursework
(includes classes scheduled for my senior year- not yet completed)

  • English: Honors English class x2, Dual Enrollment ECE English, AP English Lit
  • Math: Honors Algebra II, Honors Precalculus, AP Calculus BC, Multivariable Calculus (highest level), AP Statistics
  • Science: Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C
  • History and social studies: Honors World History, Honors Civics, AP US History, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics
  • Language other than English: Honors Spanish x2, AP Spanish Lang, AP Spanish Lit, official Independent Study Ancient Greek (2 years)
  • Visual or performing arts: Orchestra/Symphony Orchestra (all 4 years), Choir, Photography
  • Other academic courses: AP CS A, Data Structures + Algorithms

Awards
Chemistry Olympiad National Qualifier
Regional Math League Award x2
Rensselaer Medal
Individual Medalist in Science Olympiad x2 (team 3rd at states)
School Harvard Prize Book
Spanish Honors Society

I’m not sure if I should include any of these following awards in my application since it’s unrelated to any of my intended majors, but it could also be something standout ?:
Silver in Ancient Greek for State Poetry Competition
National Greek Exam High Honors x2
National Medusa Mythology Exam Summa Cum Laude (equivalent to gold)

Extracurriculars
Mock Trial - Secretary, VP (pretty standard)
Science Olympiad - Treasurer (pretty standard)
School Newspaper - Art Editor/Visual Projects Manager: edit articles pertaining to art/music and other topics as needed to meet deadlines; manage projects for building local awareness + attracting readers
Math Team - Competitor (pretty standard)
Crochet Club - Co-Founder, President: host markets in school and locally during the year to fundraise for charities; made and donated crocheted blankets and hats to local community
Crochet Small Business - Founder + Artist: commission work, test patterns for other crochet designers, participate in local art markets, post regularly on social media
Ambassador/Writer for Crochet Volunteering Service: growing membership for start-up of crochet non-profit volunteer service that donates crochet plushies to children and hospital patients; write creative background and stories for each plushie
Academic Tutor for elementary students (pretty standard)
Hospital Volunteer: 100+ hours; prepared patient paperwork, managed patient beds in recovery, transported patients to/from procedures, took phone calls/communicated with family
Independent Study of Japanese and Korean (not sure if I want to include, but I really enjoy language learning and, as mentioned earlier, would like to pursue linguistics in college): learned through youtube videos, online courses; compared east asian languages and researched roots and origins of different words across languages; nothing official, just a personal interest

Essays/LORs/Other
Essay: literally no clue- I think I have unique ideas, but might be poorly implementing them (7.5/10 ?)
LOR Teacher 1: (9.5/10) english teacher that really likes me and knows a lot from personal writing in class
LOR Teacher 2: (7/10) STEM teacher also club advisor; not super close, but has great stories from class projects and club experiences

Schools
I’m pretty unaware of the whole college thing (trying more now), so I’m unsure on my chances with a lot of these schools. It would be really helpful if you guys could sort them into the categories.

UMass Amherst, Stony Brook, UConn, UIUC, URochester, Tufts, CMU

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability):
  • Extremely Likely:
  • Likely:
  • Toss-up:
  • Lower Probability:
  • Low Probability: Duke, Northwestern, Brown

I would like to have a list of around 15 schools to apply to. I’m looking to mostly add more safety/target type schools, but any reach schools that fit my preference and I would have a decent-ish chance at based on my profile would also be appreciated.

I prefer schools in the northeast or northern midwest, but am open to going further down if it’s a really great school- nowhere in the south south, though. I would like a medium to large sized school- nothing smaller than around 4,000. My parents prefer it to be a private school, but public schools with good reputation (and no infamous housing issues) are good. I really enjoy the vibe of Brown and Northwestern, so that’s a good plus, but academic strength in my chosen majors (and related fields) and success in employment post-grad are the main priorities.

I tried to include as much info as possible since I’ve seen a lot of posts where stuff is missing, but I’m probably still missing something. Thanks for going through all that if you did and I appreciate the help!

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I do not concur with what you have heard, at least partly because choosing a data science major as an undergraduate would not preclude the pursuit a second major. In any case, a data science major would combine statistics, computing and an applied domain of your choice, such as economics or linguistics. Such a versatile skill set would prepare you for several potential directions, both as an undergraduate and beyond.

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PSU SODA and/or Data Science would be a safety and within budget. (+ Apply to Schreyer)

UMass Amherst: safety, apply to Commonwealth Honors
Stony Brook, UConn=> safeties
Perhaps replace SB with Binghamton since SB is more suitcase and tous be coming from out of state.

UIUC (I assume as a CS+X major), URochester, Tufts, CMU => reaches due to acceptance rate but you’re qualified :crossed_fingers:.

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Based on what you told us, you may need to be looking for privates with merit, since full pay privates will often be above your target zone (I assume you meant $70K for at least direct costs of attendance–if you really meant just tuition, you don’t need much merit for that, it is fees, housing, and dining that is pushing a lot of privates up to $90k+). That said, if you have not already, start checking the NPCs at some colleges, because people are sometimes surprised about qualifying for some need aid.

Anyway, assuming you need merit to hit your target (or close), Rochester seems like a great choice for you. Very flexible curriculum, excellent overall university, has merit.

Case Western also seems well worth checking out as another that fits your general profile and has merit.

Not a private per se, but have you looked at William & Mary? It really feels a lot more like a midsize private than most publics, has a nice flexible curriculum, and while their OOS budget is at the top of your budget (tuition alone is only $45K, but fees, housing, and dining push that to over $69K even before indirect costs), that is much better than comparable full pay privates. On top of that, OOS Monroe Scholars now also get additional tuition merit (very competitive but at least it is possible).

Another public that is a little different than most is Pitt. They have a good mix of programs for you, and OOS merit. You can also take some courses at CMU if you like (up to around 1 per term if it makes sense for you).

That said, Stony Brook is a great place for Applied Math sorts, so that would be very competitive I would think. But more options is good.

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Just wanted to echo the suggestion to look into William & Mary. My class-of-2025 twins had profiles that, between them, resembled several aspects of yours, and they both chose independently to go to W&M from out of state. I think you’d have a good shot at the Monroe, which would bring your total OOS cost down to around $66K (on top of the other benefits it confers). It’s in Virginia, but definitely has “Mid-Atlantic” vibes, rather than “Southern” vibes, and often ends up on lists alongside several of the schools you’ve highlighted.

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I’ll shamelessly plug CMU, aka “The Nerd Farm”. It is strong in MIS, Econ, Data Analytics, in addition to the fields the school is known for like CompSci, Engineering, Design, Business and Theater. The campus in a nice neighborhood with bars, restaurant, museums and shopping within walking distance. The school is very well resourced, with recent major additions to the main computer science and science buildings, a larger replacement for Scaife Hall (science), a new athletic center and new dorms. With your stats I think you have a decent shot of being admitted, but consider it a reach. The bad news is that CMU is stingy with need based aid and does not award merit aid.

I see that others have suggested Case Western. I think of it as a CMU wannabe… it is strong in many of the same fields as The Nerd Farm, but it is not as highly ranked. It is also not as well resourced, with dorms that border on abyssmal (though they did just complete one new dorm building). Like CMU, Case is in a nicer neighborhood in a rust-belt city, with shopping, restaurants, and most of the city’s cultural attractions right near campus. Case encourages, and facilitates, double majors and minors, if you were thinking of going that route. Case also provides very generous merit aid to students it wants (many CC students were offered packages equal to 50% of tuition the year my son applied). If you don’t demostrate a lot of interest they may defer a very high stat student like you and invite you to apply EDII.

UIUC is much larger than some other schools discussed in this thread (35K undergrad), and it is surrounded by cornfields in downstate IL. Outside of the university, Urbana Champaign’s economy is largely warehousing and light industrial, and there is little culture off campus. That said, it is a great school in many fields, including data science and economics.

Which brings me to my standard CC question: Have you visited any of the schools you are considering beside Brown and Northwestern? If not, do you have friends or family who have attended them to give you the inside scoop?

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Emory QSS is another very strong interdisciplinary program that could be worth looking at. Quantitative Sciences (QSS) Major

I agree with merc81 that Data Science is not a major to avoid; it could be a great way to combine your interests. In programs with flexible requirements, though, it can be up to you to make sure to pursue depth and marketable skills in a few areas of particular interest, rather than come out with a “mile wide and an inch deep” background. I was going to suggest URoch’s DS major but then saw it was already on your list; if you particularly like Brown’s vibe, Rochester does have some similarities IMO (with a dash of CMU’s “nerd farm” vibe thrown in). Maybe Hopkins would be worth a look too, as another reach that fits the pattern.

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Thanks for PSU SoDA recommendation! I looked at the program description and definitely sounds like something I’d be interested in- I’ve actually never heard of SoDA before, so this was really helpful! And thanks for ranking my other schools, definitely helping me feel better.

Also, what do you mean when you say SB is more suitcase? And would you say SB and Binghamton are pretty equivalent in terms of academics?

And for UIUC, I was actually not planning on doing CS + X, but just going for applied math instead. I’m not opposed to taking CS classes in general, but I don’t particularly want to major in it just since the market seems so oversaturated right now. Not sure though.

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I’ve heard a decent amount about Case Western, but was a little hesitant to look at it more because of location; however, if the academics are worth it, I’ll definitely consider. I have not looked into William & Mary either, but from what you say, definitely sounds worth checking out!

Thanks so much for the advice!

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Thanks so much for the suggestion! I would definitely be interested in hearing how your twins feel about W&M once they get there in the fall.

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A “suitcase” campus is in-between a"commuter" and “residential” campus.
Commuter campus: most students live at home with spouse or family and commute.
Residential campus: most students live on campus or off campus nearby, so there are a lot of activities in the evening&on weekends and typically the community is closer knit (-ish, depending!)
A suitcase campus is a campus where students live on campus or nearby but go home to their families Fri-Sun. As a result, the campus is nearly dead on weekends.

Yes, Binghamton and Stony Brook are academically equivalent. Binghamton is the strongest across the board academically and considered the flagship..

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Thanks for the CMU plug. I’m already pretty set on applying there since I have connections to people who go there and have heard a lot of good things. In terms of tuition for CMU, the downsides, I’d say, are pretty compensated for by the academics, so I’m not too worried about that. Also, not sure if you saw it in my post, but I’m planning on applying for Information Systems at CMU. It’s an internationally ranked program, so I’d assume it’s a pretty competitive, yet the acceptance rate is >25% or something like that. Any idea why that is?

What should I do to demonstrate interest for Case if I decide to apply? I’ve gotten a lot of emails from them over the past year for on-campus visits, so it seems like they value that, but would attending online sessions be sufficient? I’m not sure I could convince my parents to take me for a campus visit.

I’ve visited UConn, UIUC, and Tufts already and I have visits scheduled for CMU and Duke. I’ve also sat in for virtual tours and sessions for URochester and Stony Brook. I have family at UIUC which is one of the main reasons I’m applying despite the middle-of-nowhere-ness of it.

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Will try to remember to post here, but feel free to shoot me a DM in October or November with any particulars you’re curious about regarding their experience!

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If you happen to reside in Massachusetts, UMass
offers and is strong in several of your possible pursuits at a very good price tag, well under 70k. It’s probably a safety/likely for all you list but Data Science which is a major in One of UMass’s more competitive colleges,CICS. I’d rate it a target.

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This means “no limit” on parent contribution, or “no parent contribution”?

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For what it is worth, people in my circles consider Case’s location in Cleveland to be a plus. It is in a nice area, and Cleveland in general is an affordable city with a lot of fun things to do.

In terms of academics, Applied Math is a bit of a feature of their Math Department, so I thought you might find that interesting:

They actually have a full BS in Applied Math if you are interested, plus an associated accelerated Master’s:

But I agree if you would rather do Data Science, you should not be put off by what you heard. Case has a robust program in this area, housed by their generally well-regarded School of Engineering, including it being ABET accredited:

I note Case claims to be a relatively early mover in doing undergrad Data Science (which I am sure is true), and there is a chart here which suggests it had been growing in popularity as of Fall 2023 (the end of the chart):

That seems promising to me–students “voting with their feet” by choosing a major indicates it has a good reputation within that population.

Of course Case is not necessarily uniquely suited for your academic interests, but when you also consider that it has a robust merit program–now you are looking at a pretty strong overall fit, I would think.

In terms of demonstrated interest, I’d actually see if your parents might go for a visit, since it is pretty convenient to get to. I see you are visiting CMU–it is relatively easy to get to Cleveland from Pittsburgh so you might ask if you could combine that.

But for sure you can instead do online sessions as long as they involve registration. You might also see if they are coming to any local college fairs–same thing, make sure you fill out an interest card (which might be on a tablet or such these days). If you get this far, you might consider contacting Admissions and seeing if they can put you into contact with students in Applied Math and Data Sciences respectively, to get an idea of how those might compare. That’s a good idea for your purposes in general, in fact even if you don’t go to Case, and an excellent way to demonstrate interest as well.

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Seconding the idea location is a plus - University Circle is a vibrant, walkable neighborhood with lots of research AND fun places. Add museum, concerts, etc, plus lower cost of living, and you’ve got a perfect location imho.

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I second this recommendation, especially since the schools are so similar in offerings, size, and surrounding neighborhood.

I think the OP would likely be deferred by Case if they do not show lots of interest. The year my son applied there were several parents on CC wailing about how their extremely high stat students did not get into Case. The school is used as a “safety” by students who hope to get into higher ranked schools like CMU and GA Tech, so they practice yield management.

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Our son also got a lot of recruiting mailings from Case.

If you are already planning a trip to CMU, Case is less than 2.5 hours away. If you are driving to CMU, add a day to your trip and visit both schools. You will both demonstrate interest and see if you like the campus. We applied to Case because it fit my son’s parameters for majors, distance from home, etc., but it was initially low on his list. After visiting the campus, however, he really liked it and it moved up his list.

Yes, Case would love for you to matriculate there (and they would likely offer you a generous merit award), but they do not want to waste a slot on a student they do not think will attend.

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When they send an email, open it and click on the link(s) you find interesting. They track this and form a data profile through the clicks (and whether you actually read the page you clicked on, ie., scroll down, click on lore links..)
Email admissions and ask if you can be put in touch with current DS majors. Then in your “why us” essay, refer to these communications.

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