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Demographics: Mississippi, Male, no legacy to any, underrepresented area.
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Intended Major(s): CS + Business (in the Business realm, so like Econ, Finance, etc., work)
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UW GPA, Rank, and Test Scores: 3.73 UW, 3.92 W, top 33% of class (very competitive school), 33-34 ACT Super, 32 composite (currently have a 29 from February but improved over months of practice, so this is the likely estimated, so count this). UC GPA: 3.73 UW, 4.0 weighted and capped (if my Dual Credit classes count as honors for calculation, then it can be 4.1).
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Coursework: 9 APs, 6 Dual Credits, and 5 honors classes.
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Awards/Honors: I have a lot, but let me do my main ones - Top 100 students in the nation for leadership (Boys Nation), Eagle Scout, Patent Filed, 2 Research papers (good and competitive journals, not random ones), Mississippi Governorâs School, State Science Fair (and got a special Outstanding Award from a well-known company for the project), Scholarship money for Science Fair project at regionals and 1st place. Selective Internship (still continuing). 400+ hours of community service through many programs (the best one is conserving New Mexicoâs landscape and mountain ranges). This list is just a summary.
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Extracurriculars: Boy Scouts, President of 2 Clubs (one has an event/fair with more than 1k attendees from my community, and I led it for 3 years and will this year too, but after college apps), Founder and President of another, as well as an officer of 3 other clubs. Archery (top 12 at comp), Speech and Debate (Nationals in Freshman year). 3 research programs (1. AI for Cancer, 2. Computer Graphics, 3. Machine Learning).
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Essays/LORs/Other: Essays have been great according to friends from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and 2 teachers. LORs are from 1. A councilor whoâs seen me grow for 10 years. 2. amazing teachers. 3. a mentor who is an alumnus of a good school and gives one tailored to that school. 4. One NU alumnus for NU, since I also worked with him. (One Scoutmaster and one additional mentor, for whom I conducted AI research for Cancer.)
(Will use them selectively, not all for one school)
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Cost Constraints / Budget: If money is 20k or less, it works perfectly. Need-based + Merit both work. Can go up to around 40k, according to parents, but nothing more than that.
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Schools including Safety, Match, Reach (include ED/EA when applicable):
EARLY: Fav School is NU (ED; a similar profile friend got into NU from regular, and my profile is a bit better, so I hope that helps), second fav is Gatech (EA), UMD (EA; number 3), UCSD + UCI, UIUC (EA), UF (EA), UVA (EA), USC (EA; one of my favorites), Purdue (EA), UMich (EA), Virginia Tech (EA), UNC (EA), Rutgers (EA), UMass - Amherst (EA).
RD: Duke, Vandy, Rice, UT Austin, FSU, WUSTL, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Ole Miss (safety but Honors college as target), MSU (safety). Iâve already been accepted into UT Dallas for reference.
My parents like the idea of applying to many colleges. They want me to do it. I also like it and have completed most of my essays and the Common App, plus I have waivers for some of these, so donât worry.
I feel super nervous about it bc of my grades. I literally tried everything to compensate for it, like ECs, Essays, LORs, etc. I just want to get into a good school from this list, but I understand the money aspect, too.
gah lee thatâs a lot. Sorry about that.
Unfortunately, that means the UCs are outâŠBut at least that saves you the time it would have taken to put together a whole separate application, so youâll have more time to make your other applications top notch.
Have you run the NPCs on the others?
Have you run Net Price Calculators for the schools on your list? How much would the private, full-need-met reach schools cost you after need-based aid?
There is virtually zero chance that the UCâs will be affordable. They will cost double your budget. The UC application is a lot of extra work that wonât result in any viable options. Affordability will be a problem at many of the other OOS publics too, although a few do meet need for OOS students (UVA and UNC).
Consider applying to the Raikes School at UNL. Itâs a CS+Business cohort honors program that could be a great fit. Sticker price is reasonable and they give merit, so it could work $-wise.
Lehigh meets need and has a CS+Business honors program, and a strong finance major. Might be worth a look.
I understand your parents wanting you to cast a wide net, but itâs better to be judicious about where you apply, and do a really good job on those applications. Ending up with a pile of unaffordable acceptances is not a good place to be in April. Youâll be okay regardless, because youâll have good in-state choices that you can afford (plus UTD, but youâre not a National Merit Semifinalist, right? So, what is UTD going to cost?). But clearly youâre doing all this work because you want good OOS choices, so focus your energy on applications that will be fruitful.
Only UTD and NU. Both are good. NU has way less for me. like 17k. Didnât have too much time to check yet.
Around 30k. Which is fine, I didnât get Semifinals.
I think you need to remove the CA publics from your list. They wonât meet your budget.
In my opinion, you have a lot of reach schools on your list. And you have about 4 weeks to get some of these EA applications doneâŠand the ED one too. I would suggest reducing the list so you can do an excellent job. I know you say you have a lot done, but stillâŠ
What is your absolute sure thing that is affordable that you like? Mississippi? Or what?
Gotcha. I can go to Ole Miss for free, if not, then paid to go. Both parents work here, so I actually live in the same college town. I gotten to know by living here many years that I donât really like Ole Miss anymore and will only attend if I have to, and with Honors.
So do you have an affordable sure thing that you like? That is the most importantly college on your list.
As well as UIUC, Texas, Purdue, MichIgan, GT, etc. Basically all the OOS publics.
From an affordability standpoint, the list needs a lot of work.
Actually, I checked Purdue, GT, and USC just now, and they are from 25k-35k, with Purdue the highest with 35k, GT with 21k, and USC with 30k. Still need to check UIUC and Mich
Probably Dallas at that point. But if I get into one good school with less than 40k then that will be it. If not, then Dallas. If not again, then Ole Miss.
I did some NPCs, listed above this message. For Gatech, USC, NU.
Purdue doesnât give need based aid to OOS applicants and there is very little merit aid. The COA for CS majors for â25-26 school year is $48K/year. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees â 2025-2026 - Finance
âAs a state-supported university, Purdue serves both the resident tax payers of Indiana and students from across the nation and world. Nonresidents, who pay higher tuition than Indiana residents, often need to develop comprehensive financing strategies to cover the cost of a Purdue degree.
Nonresident families need to plan to pay nonresident tuition for each year at Purdue. Sometimes families believe that their student can become an Indiana resident and be charged lower tuition. According to Board of Trustees policy, students who relocate to Indiana to pursue higher education will not be granted Indiana residency. Each student and family should carefully consider both the financial costs during the undergraduate years and the potential total debt to be paid after graduation. Division of Financial Aid staff members can assist you in weighing your options.
Very few nonresident dependent students receive a financial aid package that will cover their entire cost to attend Purdue. Division of Financial Aid staff members can assist you in weighing your options. Very few non-resident, dependent students receive a financial aid package that covers their entire cost of attendance. Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans are available but require the borrower to be creditworthy. Students whose parents have adverse credit may find it challenging to finance a Purdue education. Their families may need to seek direct financial support from extended family or friends, or find someone to co-sign with them on an educational loan. If this is not possible, families should carefully consider whether Purdue is a good financial fit.â Terms, Conditions & FAQs
UIUC will be around 60k and Mich around 80k. Not sure where you got those numbers for Purdue. USC is private, unless you mean South Carolina.
South CA. Yes, Purdue says 48k, but forgot to mention that I have small scholarships lined up for each year to shave off like 10k for a lot of these, and Iâm currently trying to get more.
If both your parents work for Ole Miss, see if theyâre eligible for a benefit called âtuition exchangeâ, whereby youâd get free tuition at partner universities.
UMich offers FA to Pell-eligible OOS applicants. Other OOS publics donât so youâd depend on merit if offered - many do t since they use OOS tuition to offset costs for instate students.
Seconding Raikes at UNebraska Lincoln (good college town).
Is Dallas affordable for your family?
Yes, 30k is decent.