My top target schools are GT and UMD-CP, I applied early action to both.
Demographics
US domestic
State/Location of residency: NY
Cost Constraints / Budget
None, I’m not applying for any financial aid and parents are willing to pay tuition in full
Intended Major(s)
Computer Science
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.4 (strong upwards projection, low grades in not relevant courses, like gym, health, etc)
Weighted HS GPA: 3.9
Class Rank: ~20%
SAT Scores: 1520
12 AP’s of them related to major: Physics 1,2; Calculus AB, Computer Principles, Computer Science, Statistics. I got mostly 4s, one 5
Awards
Oracle Java Certified Associate
NHS
AP scholar with distinction
Extracurriculars
*Started small business selling products, last 2 years, part of profit goes to charity, I’ve raised $500+ for charity so far. Business not related to major, just something I enjoy.
*Started local programming club for elementary school kids (outside of HS) 2 years
Attended number of programming competitions, top places 3,5
Member of robotics club, mentor for younger robotics team
Volunteer tutor for underprivileged kids online ~100hrs total in last 4 years
President of sports clubs in school and member of 1 esports club, won some achievements in esports competitions
Piano , small performances
Essays/LORs/Other
Strong writer, LORs are likely strong
Schools
EA: Georgia Tech, UMD-CP, UMass-Amherst, Virginia Tech
Regular: please recommend! Baffled where can I apply with low GPA
You seem to be targeting large state U’s. in a specific geographic area. Are you open to other locations and sizes? What are you looking for in a school?
Of the top of my head, I think you might have a better shot at UNH, UVM and or UMaine. For smaller schools, WPI or RIT. Even those are more matches rather than safeties.
You should take some time and find at least one safety that you would be happy to attend.
If you can afford out of state tuition at these schools, you can look in to schools that don’t consider non-core classes as part of your GPA. I’m pretty sure the UCs don’t do this, as I remember not being able to enter grades for my gym and health classes. They also won’t look at your SAT score.
As long as you would be happy and can afford to attend one of your auto acceptances, you are in good shape. Have you considered WPI? If you like project-based learning, it would be a great addition to the list.
My GS graduated HS last year in NY and was interested in Engineering. Too 10% of his class and 1370 SAT (700 Math). He was waitlisted at SUNY BInghamton and accepted at Maryland but not for Engineering. Things are tough out there these days.
Good news is that he was accepted at UMass Honors, decided to go there, and loves it. Turns out that they’re very good for Engineering & CS. You might want to consider UMass and UConn, which is a little harder to get into but they accept a lot of out of state applicants. I think that the recommendation for WPI is also a very good option as is Stevens Tech although it has gotten to be a hard admit in recent years. I like your inclusion of Rutgers and Virginia Tech as well, a very good school which is often overlooked. It’s location makes it a long way from home. University of Rochester is very good for CS. A visit there could get you 2 for one as you could check out RIT while you’re there, which is another possibility.
Bill_Marsh Thank you for the tips and congratulations to your DS, I hope I can make to UMass as well, I hear food is good :)! Important factor for me. During the college fair I was told that UMass recalculates GPA and it will likely be not as bad as it looks now.
I have not thought of UConn, I was under impression it has good medical school but may not be as good for engineering, I’ll dig deeper into it though. I think I’ll apply to Stevens too, it has been brought up by few relatives.
Mjkacmom, thank you for reply. UDel - I know 1 person who graduated from UDel with same major I want to pursue and they are struggling finding a job out of school. I once sat with them to solve some problems when I was preparing for coding competitions and this person was unable to solve problems I could solve in 5 min (I was HS junior). I know it may be just this individual but it left a bad taste for the school for me.
Haha! Yes, the food is as good as advertised. And it’s important to him too. That’s why he chose it. (Well, at least partly.)
UConn is very good for engineering but it’s hard to get into. Worth a shot nonetheless because they accept a lot of out of state kids. Very good opportunities in state for post graduate employment.(For example, Raytheon, Sikorsky, Hamilton Standard, Electric Boat, and many others.)
My high stats daughter chose UDel because of very good merit (honors), turned down Villanova honors. will be getting her doctorate of PT in May from Boston University. Her close friend was valedictorian of her HS class, university of Virginia, had a position in CS, has been trying desperately to get a new job for 2 years now in CS, has started a physical training business. I believe a lot has to do I think a lot depends on the individual.
Mjkacmom, wow, thank you! I guess it’s true what everyone says - the school doesn’t matter as much as the effort you put. Somehow I still keep chasing schools.
I will consider UDel as well. I really appreciate your help
I think your GPA will not allow you to get to top schools. I would be extremely surprised if you will make CS at Gatech or UMD OOS (speaking from experience).
Listen to other people suggestions.
I’m not sure of his gpa, I know it was on the lower end compared to his test scores, but my nephew had a 35 act and 1540 sat and is at Pitt for physics. Full pay.
Yes, the food is as good as advertised. And it’s important to him too. That’s why he chose it. (Well, at least partly.)