For next year, I was thinking linear algebra and discrete math at a community college. It’s honestly the easiest option, AP Stats is known for being just too much at my school, and people either take that or Calculus 3 (which you know I wouldn’t do well in)
I’d retake calculus in college anyway
Your goal should be to get the best possible grades, not to necessarily take very advanced courses that you could easily wait to take until you get to college.
You will create your career outcomes. What areas do you like? Here’s the problem with chasing prestige and assuming it’s got great outcomes.
Look at Ga Tech - last year 24.5% of kids who wanted a job couldn’t find one. They don’t share a knowledge rate but the school was 35% - so they don’t even know the outcomes of most. This is a top school.
Alabama has a 91% knowledge rate for CS - so they know the outcome of 9 out of 10 kids - and they show only 5.6% are looking for a job.
Yes, the salaries are lower - but don’t assume that someone shows up in a higher rank is necessarily better.
In the end, there will be kids at lower ranked schools that do better than kids at higher ranked schools….you will determine how you do.
You need to find the right school for you - the right size, environment, weather, and more.
what should I take?
“i don’t care about anything other than career outcomes and location”
this is deeply wrong-minded in my view. You won’t do well if your college isn’t a good social, cultural or pedagogical fit, and career outcomes are a function of too many individual factors to know from here. Mentoring matters.
Also: Top 20 according to whom??? That’s not an objective truth, and small fiddling with the formulas change rankings considerably.
Consider some more liberal arts colleges, especially those who meet 100% of need and accept more than 25% of applicants. Plenty of success stories coming from those campuses, and plenty of rocky roads out of the most selective schools.
Which schools did you run the NPC for? And they showed a cost below $30K? Is $30K really affordable with an SAI of 10,000-20,000?
I agree. OP, you might look at Lehigh, Rochester, Oberlin, Occidental, Trinity (CT), Union and Lafayette. These schools are reachy for your GPA, but I would apply to some in addition to Case and OSU. I also second Cincinnati. Is U Akron affordable?
IMO, you aren’t competitive for schools like NYU and USC (assuming so cal). You can still apply, but get the apps finished for the rest of your schools first.
Akron is a great safety. They have rolling admission so apply early and you should get your response in a few weeks. I’d be surprised if you don’t get a huge merit award and honors college which has its own perks. Their outcomes are much greater than their ranking.
I also agree to add Cinci to your list.
Other schools to run NPCs on - RPI and Lehigh.
I’d recommend Purdue but I don’t think it will meet your budget.
Why not Wooster? Sounds like OP is from OH.
You know, I hate these headlines/thread titles.
One can go to Harvard and be unemployed or living at home. Sadly, we just saw this with a Cal Tech grad.
One can be a high school drop out and be a huge success, employing many.
It’s never over - life is a long journey and you will make it what it is, whether or not you go to Harvard or Hofstra.
You are never guaranteed anything regardless of where you go (and that includes starting at a two year school if it’s all one can afford). And you are never cooked. You are 17 with a full life ahead of you.
This is a great suggestion! With the current downturn in the CS job market, a strong co-op school like Cincinnati is a smart option.
I can do UAkron for free, but if I get somewhere better I’d rather do that
what should I do ED? is ED CWRU a waste? CWRU is actually very affordable for me
You will get into a good college! Don’t feel like it is “over” you have excellent rigor, though, as you know more Bs than As, but good upward trajectory!
Plenty of schools can teach you CS and with your rigor and scores and grades plenty will even give you merit if you want. If you want to look outside the top 20 and into top 50 or 100.
RIT, Buffalo, Stevens, WPI all would be strong possibilities for you with strong academic departments and likely merit opps (not sure fin aid for you personally - need to run the numbers yourself..)…
(Not saying higher isn’t possible either.. those I just know a bit)
CWRU loves demonstrated interest and ED is the ultimate in that. I think if you can get your standardized scores to the level of your practice tests and your recommenders stress the upward trend, I think you’d have a shot. Just make sure that it’s truly your number 1 choice since ED is binding.
It’s definitely not, I have no chance at my number 1 choice (CMU/Stanford) and a very thin chance at my number 2 (NYU)
but i’m more of a utilitarian i’ll just do the best I can
Define better. You are looking at a magazine or ranking - which often are opinion. They are not necessarily better. They might be names that impress your friends more.
Case Western loves ED!! So it’s a reasonable reach in ED - if it’s 100% affordable and you truly want to be there. Besides the name, do you? There are lots of schools, you can run the NPC, and ED if affordable - a Rochester, Rose Hulman, RPI, WPI, Syracuse, U Denver, SMU, Lehigh, Laffayette, Union and more. Why don’t you learn about what’s out there b4 making a choice based on a name you know.
Most don’t ED. ED is dangerous - it binds you so you are then done - you can’t then say, but I’d love to hear back from Ohio State, etc.
Lots of great public schools in Ohio - Miami, Ohio U, Ohio State, Bowling Green, Toledo, Cincy, Akron, etc. You also have nearby C Michigan and WVU - also buy kids in. At $30K, you’ll have solid options.
You might consider the University of Toledo as well.
What do I do from here?
The only thing you can do - focus on your essays and the strengths of your application (your hospital internships give you experience and perspective that many applicants will not already have, the hackathons as well especially from the Midwest) and build a college list that is a good fit for you to be able to maintain the progress you’ve made with your OCD and afford. You haven’t said what you actually like about NYU or any other school but there are a lot of really great posters on the board who can suggest more schools if you share what you are actually looking for in a school in order to thrive there.
#1 choice and AFFORDABLE.
Yes, it’s actually cheaper than OSU would be
We can’t answer that. You need to apply ED only if you know you can afford to attend if accepted. And the ED school should be your favorite bar none. You haven’t even identified what’s really affordable…yet. And you are still looking for prestige names so don’t have a favorite option.