Ever since summer after sophomore year I have been developing iOS apps for iPhone
Will this count as an extracurricular
I also had a internship with my friends dad where his company makes medical records
Also will both of those help me in getting accepted in computer science major since I already have prior experience in the major
I have a 3.37 uw gpa and was wondering if some schools would overlook the low gpa because of the prior experience
I’m looking at schools like Stanford , University of Texas at Austin , university of Maryland
Yes, they do count as ECs. As for Stanford, I can confirm that you don’t apply to a particular major, but you apply to the scool itself. I’m not sure about the other two schools.
As for whether the schools will look past your uw gpa, most likely not. Gpa, course rigor, and test scores are usually used to get you past the first batch of applicants, and then your ECs will be looked at more carefully to determine whether you go any further.
All three of those schools are reaches for you. I suggest you have a thorough list of safety and match schools to apply to as well.
Your GPA is pretty low, but your extracurriculars are interesting for your major and you could discuss that in your essays
@AnEpicIndian
my sat is 2160
sat subject tests
math2: 800
physics: 760
ap classes taken:
ap calculus ab
ap physics c
ap computer science
ap government
advanced topics in computer science(taken after ap computer science)
2 recommendations from teachers who know me very well so I’m confident that they were great.
Yes, those are EC’s. Your GPA is low so I’m not sure how much the EC’s can offset it. Try to get it up to a 3.5
Those are ECs and yes they count. But good ECs won’t make up for grades that are significantly below the average of their admitted student population.
Google the Common Data Set for each schools and check section C for admitted student stats to see how yours compare. For example, less than 2% of the admitted students at Stanford had a GPA below 3.5 this year and I assume that those 2% had some serious hook. (By the way, Stanford calculates GPA without including your GPA from 9th grade - don’t know if that helps or hurts you.) At UMD, the average WGPA for admitted students was 4.15 last year (and rising)…
Stanford, UT, and CalTech are out of reach for undergrad. Do well in college and you may be able to aim for them for grad school. Your GPA would be too low for UMD’s Engineering and I don’t know how it’d be viewed for CS. I think you can apply undecided and take the pre-reqs during your first semester, then apply to get into CS.
What state do you live in?
Your EC’s are cool and will definitely help at a set of colleges that typically admit B+ to A- students - although you have a near 3.4 you’d be able to aim for colleges that admit at 3.5/3.6. But not colleges where most students are near 3.9-4 and virtually all are above 3.75.
Look into Southwestern University, Santa Clara, SJSU, CPP, Marist for matches; St Edward’s is located in Austin if that’s a city you’re interested in and it’d be a safety if the NPC indicates it’s affordable, there’s UTD Honors too. If your weighted GPA reaches 3.5, apply by December 1st to UAlabama Tuscaloosa, you’d qualify for Honors College, College of Engineering (where CS is), a full tuition scholarship, and a $2,500 stipend.
i live in New Jersey
right now my safety’s are Rutgers(New Brunswick), Penn State(Main Campus) and TCNJ
so would prior experience in your prospected major give you an edge over the other applicants applying to the same major?
@MYOS1634 Is there even a 2% chance for Stanford if my essay and recommendations are perfect?
I don’t think so. Last year, out of ALL students who were admitted at Stanford, only about 20 had a GPA in the 3.25-3.5, and you can bet those had a very very good reason to be admitted, either as Olympics-level athletes or kids who were homeless but scored 5s on all their APs, not to mention kids from someone who can drop a million or two.
Yes, prior experience would give you an edge, but for universities where you are within range even if you’re on the low end for stats.
You’d have slightly better odds at RPI and RIT, for example.
Thanks ill def look into RPI AND RIT
So do you think i have a good chance at
University of maryland
Rutgers(new Brunswick)(in state)
Penn state main campus
Purdue university
FYI: It’s at least 5X that and wouldn’t it be fun to be suspected as someone whose parents bought their way in? Of course, you might have the undying gratitude of the scholarship students whose tuition your folks helped support.
Do you have a good explanation why your GPA is so low? I see a big disconnected between your GPA and your test scores.
I think you will be fine applying to Maryland, PSU, Rutgers, and Purdue. You might even qualify for their honors programs/honors colleges. This could open a wide variety of opportunities for you. Definitely put in the effort to apply to the Schreyer Honors College at PSU. One of their computer science graduates was the head of computer security at Comcast and recently made a deal with one of the sharks from Shark Tank. I am entering the Rutgers Honors College this fall and many of the other people here have incredibly impressive applications i.e. have taken 10 AP classes or were accepted to Cornell and UCLA. State Universities offer a lot more opportunity and their students achieve much higher academically than you think (I even got the best financial deal from Rutgers compared to any private university I applied to). If your high school application is not what Stanford is looking for, then go to a state school and excel there. Then apply to places such as Stanford for your graduate degree. Sorry for the rambling, just couldn’t help myself.
I wouldn’t be so sure about PSU main campus…they care about GPA the most.