College Recommendations?

College Search & Lists
1

So I just got rejected from Cornell, which was a let-down because I really liked the school. Now, I’m debating on adding another school, at max 2 schools, to my list of colleges, after talking to parents and people in college. Does anybody have any recommendations?

I’m seeking a school that is strong in CS but welcomes diversity/has the freedom to explore (you can see how the schools on my current list fit this)-- if possible, I apply for an Applied Science degree in CS or a Bachelor of Arts degree, or if the school only offers CS through the College of Engineering, I want the freedom to explore other subjects. I’m not looking for a very technical school, like Georgia Tech or Purdue.

My other main academic interest is English, so I would prefer a school with at least a decent English program (I would like to double major or at least get a minor). My extracurriculars are a mix of both humanities and STEM; my grades are better in humanities classes but are decent (B+s/A-s) in STEM classes and do have an upward trend. I have high SAT1 and SAT2 scores, and go to a very competitive school on the West Cost.

Also, does anyone know how easy it is to switch majors from English to CS or get an additional degree at UPenn/Brown? I’ve talked to multiple people at UPenn/lurked on other CC threads (oops) and it seems like switching from The College to SEAS at UPenn is actually doable and pursing an additional major is a lot of work, but not unheard of! I really want to develop both my academic passions substantially. I’m unsure about Brown though. Would appreciate the information!

Here is my current list of schools:

Reach: University of Pennsylvania, Pomona College, Brown University

Target/Reach?: University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, University of Southern California

Target: Wellesley College, Barnard College

Safety/Target?: University of Washington- Seattle Campus

Safety: Santa Clara University

I appreciate any replies in advance! Thank you very much.

2

Maybe look into these?

Duke, Dartmouth, JHU

Boston U, Boston College

UNC, UVA

Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Weslyan, Vassar

And assuming that you applied to UCs, I don’t think any more safeties are necessary.
Good luck!

3

Hearing bad news on an application is tough- kudos for reassessing your situation so quickly!

I looked at some of your past threads and responses and didn’t see your stats, but I think considering Wash and Mich less than reaches as OOS is too generous. So you have 3 matches- USC, Wellesley and Barnard- which is pretty good if you are happy with your safeties.

Adding any of the suggested schools from @anxiousturtle99 just increases the number of reaches.

One idea is to apply to Pitzer, Scripps and/or Claremont McKenna if you want to be with the 5Cs. Similarly you could apply to some of the other Sisters.

4

Sorry about Cornell

Are you still interested in Patent Law?

what is your home state??

You have UWash as a safety. If you’re OOS for UWash, will your parents pay the full OOS cost?

For a school to be a safety, you have to know that you have all costs covered.

You probably qualify for at least a $28k merit award from SCU. Will your family pay the rest?

5

Thanks for the replies! Financial costs will not be a problem for me no matter what college.
I’m a bit hesitant to post stats as of now, as some decisions are still pending, but as I said, nice SAT scores (750s-800 for SAT2s and 2300+ for SAT1) and an okay GPA. ECs are also not a problem, I think.

As of now, I’m interested in being a project manager or some form of corporate work; I’m unsure about patent law now as I reconsidered and concluded that perhaps I dont want to go to law school.

My home state is CA! I am Asian and come from a very competitive public high school.

6

Thanks for the information on WashU and UMich!
Also wanted to say: I talked to myself parents and other college people and they recommended me to just try the information systems major at Carnegie Mellon, as it isn’t as competitive as CS (though still competitive) and is aligned with my project manager interest. I think I’ll work on that after I finished my other essays!

7

Does anybody have any thoughts on Northwestern? Somebody mentioned to me today to maybe consider the CS program in their college of arts, but I’m worried that it is a reach for me.

8

These colleges have few curricular restrictions and would support your interest in both CS and English literature:

Amherst
Hamilton
Smith
Vassar
URochester
Grinnell

http://www.hercampus.com/life/9-most-flexible-colleges-country

You can roughly compare the selectivity of several of the above schools to your current choices here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10

For an assessment of CS programs at liberal arts colleges, you can view here:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19416515#Comment_19416515

9

Just want to clarify: UMass Amherst or Amherst College?

10

Though the associated link (#7) lists both, Amherst College was the intended recommendation.

11

UVA has a BA in CS

12

While being from the West Coast will help you at Barnard and Wellesley, I really don’t think they can be considered matches. Particularly at LACs, admissions can be very holistic, and having higher-than-average scores doesn’t always make a school a match. Highly competitive schools like Wellesley and Barnard will be reaches for most, regardless of stats. USC is also crazy competitive (as is Northwestern - don’t bother adding it unless you would consider dropping one of your current high reaches for it). I hope this doesn’t sound too harsh, but unless you’d be 100% happy with Santa Clara and UW if things don’t work out, I think you should add some slightly less competitive schools to your list.

I second Smith very strongly. It would be a more realistic women’s college match, and probably a good fit for you. Great school overall and really strong in Computer Science and English, and big on freedom to explore.

I also second U Rochester. Also consider William & Mary, Brandeis, and Case Western.

13

Thank you everyone for the informative replies! I’ll look into Smith as that seems to be the most popular choice, but I also want to try CMU infosystems. CMU will be low priority though; based on my admission results from SCU and UMich I’ll decide what tier of schools to add. Will look into URochester!

I’m actually happy that Wellesley and Bernard do hollistic review! My GPA isn’t stellar but I am passionate about my ECs.

14

You should look at Northwestern. It is a great school and with the quarter system it would be easy to combine CS and English.

15

@londondad I mentioned NW above, people said it’s another reach and recommended me to consider more target schools.

16

I agree it’s a reach but it does match what you are looking for.

Good matches would be Boston U and Northeastern.

17

Santa Clara is a terrific safety. You should receive a nice merit offer, and you can’t get any better location to do CS!

It sounds like you want a LAC with a strong CS program, preferably in New England? With your stats and additional interest in English and Writing, it would be a shame not to consider Williams. Perfect fit for what you are describing.

Good luck!

18

A LAC is fine, but a larger private school with an undergraduate focus is fine too (I really liked UPenn and Cornell).

Quick question for all: should I apply with English or CS? Is female in tech still a minority? My mom showed me an article today which said that me applying for CS in the College of Arts and Sciences for Cornell might have given me less of an advantage than applying for CS in the College of Engineering due to the female minority thing.

But I really really want a well-rounded, but still technical education! I looked into information systems some more at CMU: it seems perfect and fits my interests a lot! I’m considering to add Smith too (I just want 2 more schools to add, as I already applied to UCs too which are cheaper and just as good for CS as some out-of-state options). By Williams, do you mean Williams College? Isn’t it the top LAC in the nation?

19

I would highly second Northeastern as a good match school, which actually has combined CS degrees with English, Journalism, Communication Studies, Philosophy, and Sociology, among many others.

Something to note: Admission to UW direct admit CS is highly competitive, and will not be a safety as said. Maybe a target, but even leaning towards a reach. If you don’t get directly admitted to CS, you have to go through a separate admissions process when there.

That said, if your matches are all true matches, I suspect you will hit at least one. Still, adding one more safety would be the safe bet.

I’d also second URochester with their clusters, which is a great way to get that balance.

Good luck!

20

Thanks @PengsPhils !
If it helps, my UC Schools are UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCB, and UCI. I’ll look into Northeastern, URochester, and Smith, and choose one from there. Thank you everyone for your help!