<p>I feel like I’m not good enough to be accepted to a top college. On these forums everyone is talking about how they got like a 2300 on their SATs, they have like a 4.0 GPA, and they won some national academic competition. And some get rejected by Ivy League Schools and even non-Ivy League Schools! This leaves no hope for me. </p>
<p>My stats are definitely yawn worthy for this forum. On my first SAT test I got a 1820 (planning on taking it again), 3.9 GPA, 4 APs, URM, female and have like 3 ECs (NHS, Varsity Volleyball and Basketball Captain)</p>
<p>I want to be a computer scientist and the top schools are uber competitive. I don’t want to go to an Ivy League school lol. I’m going to be a senior. Schools like Cal Tech and Carnegie Mellon (even though I’m talking with the coach) I think are out of my reach.</p>
<p>I usually have high self esteem in areas except for academics My question is should I even apply to top schools (non-Ivy) , because I think it would be a waste of time. Also, can anyone suggest any good computer science/computer engineering schools that you think I could have a chance to be accepted to?</p>
<p>First and foremost, the students on CC are the EXCEPTION, not the norm!! Don’t let these forums fool you, most students do not have stats even close to yours. Your SAT score is significantly above average, your GPA is awesome, you have taken a rigorous course load (APs) and you have few ECs with depth rather than a laundry list. So far, good job!</p>
<p>Which brings me to my next point. Don’t think of applying to top schools as a waste. Today, they all use a holistic approach, meaning they look at so much more than just your numerical stats. Write awesome essays, get good letters of recommendation, and show interest in the schools you’re currently looking at. In the end, you will apply to and get into SEVERAL schools, so do not worry. Please stop selling yourself short and apply to some top schools as well as some lower, “safeties.” </p>
<p>As a female URM interested in computer science, you will have excellent chance in most of the top schools, including cmu and caltech. Go for it!</p>
<p>Thanks for setting me straight that kids from CC are exceptions! Before reading these forums I was pretty confident about getting into good college but then my dreams were squashed after signing up here Also, it didn’t occur to me that being a female would help in computer science. It’s a boys club and they need more girls :D</p>
<p>Also. I’m afraid that if I get into a top college I’ll fail out! I’m a hard worker but I’m just scared everything will go over my head and I’ll be the dumbest in the class.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether or not you’ll be able to succeed in a top school, as no one can really know, but the only thing separating you from the superhuman applicants is your SAT score… Have you tried the ACT? My friend (and the 2012 salutitorian, she goes to Emory now) made an 1800 on her SAT but a 32 on her ACT!</p>
<p>No I have not tried the ACT because we don’t really talk about it or use it in the northeast lol I’ll have to attempt to find a place to take the ACT</p>
<p>No more saying you’re dumb! You will do fine as long as you stop saying that. Seriously how hard are you going to try if you keep telling yourself that you’re not as good or not as worthy as everyone else? Not hard at all!</p>
<p>And yes, being a female is pretty much its own URM when it comes to computer science or engineering, really!</p>
<p>You do not NEED sat ii’s, but some colleges recommend them. If they truly make you cry tears of sadness (I would hope no one cries tears of happiness because of SATs…) then don’t do it. Don’t make yourself miserable just to impress a college. There are plenty of schools that don’t even recommend SAT IIs.</p>
<p>URM female will definitely help you at top engineering schools. Also, you seem like a good match for Cal Poly SLO, which has a great CS program.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people from Cal Poly SLO, and it has a VERY good reputation in the engineering profession! Definitely consider it.</p>
<p>I will be blunt: even for an URM, your SAT score is low for CalTech. Maybe being an URM and a female in CS combines to help you a bit, but…Try to raise it. However, for other schools, your SAT score isn’t that far off. Everything else seems stellar though.</p>
<p>Hey don’t worry a bit!! I got the EXACT same SAT score as you and I have a 3.8 GPA or 3.9. I played football for 3 years and invested a lot of time into that, like you invested a ton of time with your sports. </p>
<p>It never matters how smart you are, but how hard you work. If you don’t understand a concept in a college class ask your classmates for help or go into office hours and ask the professor. They will be glad to help. A person can have an IQ of 150 and be lazy as hell and the kid with a 110 IQ who works extremely hard will beat out that kid with 150. </p>
<p>Like everyone said Cal Poly SLO is a good engineering school, and fairly cheap (if you live in California). If you live in California look at the UCs. </p>
<p>I’m going to try my SATs again and hopefully I get a better score so I can be more competitive. Also, I live in the northeast so I don’t even know if I’ll end up going across the country.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as you! I’m a pretty good student. Good GPA, pretty good SATs, and ECs. But nothing like some of the kids here on CC! It does of of course make me a little worried, but I’ve learned that there’s a lot of superhyped up kids here, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I shouldn’t let it deter me from applying to the schools I like.</p>
<p>Agreed! We should make a “I felt inadequate on CC” support group. Just joking! But we shouldn’t be afraid of applying to schools because the worst thing they can say is no.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t believe half the people who post their stats here, anyway! But regardless, like I said, these kids are the exception. And i think an I feel inadequate on cc support group would be quite funny :)</p>
<p>I would suggest that you take at least two SAT IIs. You don’t yet know which schools you are applying to and some may require SAT IIs. You don’t want to have to drop schools from your list because you didn’t meet a basic requirement for applying. In addition, many schools will require you to take foreign language courses if you don’t get a certain score on your SATII language test - so for that reason alone, it might be worth taking the test. You don’t want to end up using up valuable course slots taking classes you aren’t really interested in. And as a CS person, math is an especially good subject to take an SATII in.</p>
<p>What is your home state? Some state schools, although not all that selective compared to the schools commonly talked about in these forums, have very good reputations in CS (e.g. University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Rutgers, and Stony Brook).</p>
<p>You may want to consider the ACT, or at least trying a practice ACT to see if you can do better on it than on the SAT. Colleges often consider the ACT and SAT interchangeable, but some students do much better on one than the other.</p>
<p>Also, talk to your parents about what they are able and willing to contribute. Then check the net price calculators and merit scholarship pages on each college’s web site to determine if they are affordable.</p>
<p>Other schools to look at: Virginia Tech, NCSU, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.</p>
<p>This is crazy talk. There are so many on this board trying to grab a show-off college brass ring instead of finding the best place for them to grow and learn. </p>
<p>I have been taken aback at the number of students I’ve talked to who aim for a “top” school but when pressed cannot explain the precise reasons why they want to go to that school (besides inane generalities), nor can they answer basic questions about that school’s academic policies or student life.</p>
<p>Rise above. Start doing serious introspection and research and find the place that’s right for you.</p>
<p>But seriously, CC does not represent the real world. My W GPA was much lower than yours, and my SAT was only about 150 pts higher, and I still got into some pretty nice schools (with merit money!) I’m glad I only found this forum after I got into college, because otherwise I would have been a nervous wreck during the admissions process. Btw, your GPA and SATs are well above the national average. You’re going to be fine.</p>
My question is should I even apply to top schools (non-Ivy) , because I think it would be a waste of time. Also, can anyone suggest any good computer science/computer engineering schools that you think I could have a chance to be accepted to?</p>
Also, it didn’t occur to me that being a female would help in computer science. It’s a boys club and they need more girls :D</p>
Everyone’s saying I should but are they really necessary? SAT’s make me cry tears of sadness haha</p>