Match Me (my son): S25 Texas resident with 3.91/1230 for CS up to $75K [top 3% rank]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics
US citizen located in north Texas (but open to go anywhere in the US or overseas)
High School senior class of 25
White Male

Intended Major(s)
Major: Software Engineer
Minor/Double Major: Operations Research or Quantum Mechanics

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
3.91 Unweighted HS GPA
4.3 Weighted HS GPA *(don’t know the weighting system)
15/594 Class Rank:
1230 SAT Scores (620 math, 610 reading)

Coursework
in the early college program (will graduate HS with an Associates degree in software development)
AP classes (3 - AP Geo, 2 - AP US history, 4 - AP English)

Awards
A Teacher’s Favorite award (but I can’t remember the name of the award)
Several for academic achievements

Extracurriculars
Eagle Scout + Scout Troop senior leader
Student Council leadership: Secretary and Vice President
NHS
work: wedding venue manual labor
Volunteer work through school
German exchange program (hosting and going to Germany)
DnD Club

**Other Details: Nerdy DnD type student not interested in the main sports. Loves hiking, though, and would love to be in a location where outdoor hikes are nearby.

Cost Constraints / Budget
up to $75,000/year

Schools interested in schools anywhere in the US or Europe
Does NOT want University of Texas in Austin (way too big and hates that particular city)

Looking for additional suggestions anywhere in the US or overseas

  • Safety: University of Texas Dallas
  • Other schools, but don’t know where we fall on the match/reach spectrum
    University of Washington
    Washington State University
    University of Colorado-Boulder
    Stanford University
    University of Michigan
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Purdue University
    Southern Methodist University
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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I hope he is retaking the SAT.

Here are my opinions…

@AustenNut how far off am I?

I agree that University of Texas Dallas is a safety for him…

University of Washington reach
Washington State University probable
University of Colorado-Boulder possible
Stanford University very high reach
University of Michigan very high reach
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign possible, but not guaranteed
Purdue University I will defer to @momofboiler1 but I think this is maybe a target
Southern Methodist University possible
[Massachusetts Institute of Technology] very high reach (Massachusetts Institute of Technology - College Confidential Forums)

Some of these colleges cost WAYYYY more than $75,000 a year. Do you qualify for need based aid? Have you run the Net Price Calculators to see if the colleges come in at your price point?

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Congratulations to your son on his high school performance! Becoming an Eagle Scout is impressive, and I like his ECs. He’s obviously well-liked at school as well.

Below are my guesses as to what your son’s chances might be at the schools on your current list.

Extremely Likely (80-99+%)

  • U. of Colorado – Boulder…but unsure if he’d be accepted for his major
  • U. of Texas – Dallas
  • Washington State

Likely (60-79%)

Toss-Up (40-59%)

  • Southern Methodist

Lower Probability (20-39%)

Low Probability less than 20%)

  • Purdue - I believe has gone back to test required
  • Stanford - still test optional
  • U. of Michigan
  • UIUC

Very Low Probability (less than 5%)

  • MIT: Test required again and their admissions office has indicated that students generally need at least a 700 on the math section to be considered.

  • U. of Washington: I think the out-of-state acceptance rate to CS is around 3%…I’m guessing that software engineering is similarly challenging

Stanford is a low probability school for even the best students, and Michigan is a low probability school for almost any out-of-state student. And Purdue and UIUC are extremely competitive for entry into their engineering and CS programs…far moreso than might be anticipated by the schools’ overall admission rates.

Two schools that come to mind that your son might want to consider are Michigan Tech and Clarkson, both of which are strong in the STEM fields and which have lots of hiking opportunities nearby, and he’d almost certainly get a good chunk of merit aid at Clarkson. I think both schools would be extremely likely admits. Colorado School of Mines would be another option to consider, which I’d probably classify as a toss-up or lower probability option. If he wants something a bit bigger than these mid-sized schools, Rochester Institute of Technology seems as though he’d find a lot of peers there, too, and there might be sufficient merit aid there to bring it within budget. I’d classify it as a toss-up or likely.

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Generally agree with the assessment above but I think SMU is likely, at least in between toss-up and likely. They are very generous with admissions of local students.

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Yes, Purdue is test required. CS is very competitive and should be in the reach category. I’d also recommend retaking the SAT.

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Missouri Institute of Science and Technology in Rolla might be worth looking at as a target/safety. As stated on its website, it is test-considered; the typical range of SAT reading score was 570 to 660 and 603 to 710 for math, from those who were admitted and enrolled.

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The University of Utah is a good safety and cheap if you stay for residency after the first year. The hiking (and outdoor life more generally) can’t be beaten.

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Starting from the top down, not to be unkind, but MIT is a waste of an application. Stanford likely is too. If a miracle occurred and he got in, you still couldn’t afford these schools with a 75K budget, but the likelihood that affordability becomes an issue is near-zero.

U of Utah has a lot of the same attributes that you like about Boulder, plus they have a really nice Honors College with its own housing. Tons of outdoorsy kids here who spend their weekends taking advantage of the superlative outdoor recreation. Utah offers a path to residency after the first year, which could drop the total cost to far below CU Boulder even at their max OOS merit. CS is very strong here, double-majors are well-supported, and there are solid programs in your secondary interests. (ETA: Twoin18 beat me to this one while I was still rambling below :slight_smile: )

You have Washington State U on your list; I’d look at Oregon State too. Terrific hiking, not a rah-rah sports school, great STEM programs. Good Honors College too, which has its own Living Learning Community.

Would he be interested in one of the International Engineering Programs that confer dual degrees in a STEM field and in German, and include both study and internship in Germany? He’d likely place ahead on German, which could allow him more elective time for his secondary interests.

  • At U of Arkansas, German is the only language offered in the International Engineering Program. Eligible STEM majors include Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Industrial Engineering (which would combine CS with Operations Research). And, to quote their page about outdoor activities, “The Ozark Mountains that surround our university are an absolute treasure trove of natural beauty and new adventures. With over 484 miles of trails and over 100,000 acres of wilderness in Northwest Arkansas alone, there is always something to explore.” Auto-merit here for adjacent-states students with his stats would discount the OOS differential by 90%, for a total COA under 34K/year. The Honors College has its own housing and awards additional merit scholarships. (For auto-admit to Honors, he’d need to raise his SAT to a 1310+ or score a 28 composite on the ACT; with his GPA, he could also apply via the secondary process which requires an academic resume and an essay.)
  • UConn’s International Engineering Program offers multiple languages including German, and multiple STEM majors including CS, CSE, Data Science, Engineering Physics, Management for Engineering & Manufacturing, Multi-dicsiplinary Engineering, and more. The program has its own LLC. The Adventure Center has lots of info about outdoor recreation, including maps of hiking trails on and near campus.
  • URI has International CS, International Engineering, and International Business, all with German as an option. The surrounding area is more coastal than mountainous, though. Again, there’s an LLC for International Engineering/CS.
  • U of Tulsa’s International Science/Engineering program has a German track as well, and offers CS, ECE, physics, and engineering physics among other majors. Tulsa isn’t necessarily a hiking paradise, but there are hiking trails in the area and there are sponsored trips to more distant venues.

UMass Amerst could be another school to look at. Great CS (and quite competitive; acceptance would not be assured) and great outdoor recreation in Western MA too. Also very strong Industrial Engineering & Operations Research in the business school.

When I think Nerdy + Outdoorsy, I think Colorado School of Mines (which AustenNut already mentioned) even more so than Boulder. He might really find his people here.

He might consider giving the ACT a try. Some students find they have more of a knack for one test than the other.

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Have you run the NPCs? MIT will, as others have said, costs way more than $75k/year unless you qualify for need based aid. The same is true of Stanford except that Stanford also has sports based scholarships, which I am assuming is not going to happen in your case.

1230 SAT is pretty good. However, it is very low for MIT or Stanford, and particularly 620 on the math SAT is very low for MIT. MIT is full of students who can walk in off the street with no preparation at all and get 800 or at least high 700’s on the math part of the SAT (I think the median is 790). Most if not all of them still find MIT to be challenging.

Leaving these two schools aside, you have a good mix of schools. I am not sure whether they will all fit your budget.

My master’s degree is in Operations Research. I have described OR as “it is great fun and they pay you to do it” (once you graduate and get a job). IMHO a mix of mathematics and computer science is a good preparation for OR.

UT Austin is a very good university in general and for math and CS. However, you do have other good options in Texas. I would almost be tempted to apply on the basis that “top 3%” might make you auto-admit and you might be turned down by everywhere else that is similarly ranked.

The University of Wisconsin is also very good for math and CS. And I agree with the suggestion above that U. Mass Amherst might be worth a look. However, both of these schools might be a reach or low reach. My guess is that U.Washington and UIUC and Michigan are probably also reaches.

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What SAT score would be good for Purdue CS?

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He has acceptances here on your list- but what about UT Austin is too big…the city or the college. If it’s the city, I get it. If it’s the college, some others here, while not as dense, will also be too big.

When you say he can go anywhere, etc. - so what do you seek…as you have smaller and huge on here.

As you look for additional selections - Rose Hulman could be nice for a small, rural school.

Also, you say up to $75K. Do you want to spend $75K or you’d rather spend $30 or $40K? Are you full pay -meaning won’t qualify for need aid? If so, you can take off Stanford, Michigan, and MIT - unless you’ve run the net price calculators and they meet your needs.

Many a public would be great - a UMASS might work. A UMD is likely a reach due to the SAT. There’s really so so so many - from in state schools to the Arizona schools to other neighboring regional schools such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, LSU…or smaller more focused like Louisiana Tech or Tennessee Tech or UAH…some which will crush your budget.

Are you expecting a four year experience or shorter since you have the associates ? Some schools may not grant you credit.

So it’d help me to know -

What does he like in a school - saying anywhere is tough. Does he want large, mid size, small? Weather preferences, etc. Does he want to be at a large school in a small town or mid size urban school - or rural school, etc.

Does he expect to use most or all his credits?

Do you have a desired spend, etc? If UTD is $36K, are you going to Colorado at more than $20K more or SMU at a higher price, etc.? Trying to see your budget tolerance.

I personally think on this list, Washington State and UTD are the only sure things.

SMU can happen. The rest I don’t see happening although Buolder could be an alternative major admittance.

But rather than name 100 schools, it’d help to have more info than - anywhere in the US or Europe - especially with your UT Austin too large comment - and a variety of school types on this list.

Thanks

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1500+ for the SAT for CS (or engineering) at Purdue based on last year’s averages. The screen shot posted by sfo is directly from Purdue’s website.

(The link should take you to the 2023 data)

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@DadTwoGirls…I’m going to disagree with your advice pushing UT. I mean it never hurts to apply (if they have the bandwidth for the essays) but OP says they are not interested in UT, and more than that I think CS admit is unlikely. Auto admit does not guarantee major and CS, along with McCombs, is the toughest admit. The lower test score makes it unlikely IMO.

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When I see a high GPA and relatively low test score, I think grade inflation. What math will he have senior year?

As for the list, it seems quite disparate. I do think he’ll be in at UT Dallas, SMU and Wash State. If that’s all he had, would he be ok with that? Wash State will be quite difficult to get to from Northern Texas, so look into that if you haven’t already. I would apply test optional to SMU.

I agree MIT and Stanford are likely out of reach. U Wash is also a huge reach for CS (2%
OOS CS acceptance rate average over the last 3 years). Likewise UIUC had an overall 6.7% CS acceptance rate last cycle, and I expect the OOS is lower than that. The rest of the schools are more reasonable reaches, but are reaches, including Boulder for CS. He would likely apply test optional to any of these schools that are test optional, but double check the 25%ile scores.

For additional suggestions, I second Missouri S&T and all Aquapt’s suggestions. Adding U Vermont, CalPoly SLO, U Arizona, Colorado State Fort Collins.

It might be good for your S to go thru these additional suggestions and say yes or no, to help better target suggestions. Any school with CS in the US and Europe with outdoors access is quite broad :wink:

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What kind of person is your kid? By that I mean, how does he react to challenges? Persistent challenges? It appears as though he’s used to being one of the top kids in his class. Does he prefer that? What if he was one of the least-prepared students and everyone seemed to be getting the material and everything was a struggle?

Is he the kind of person to get worn down and dispirited (as might be the majority of people)? Or is he the kind of person who is going to drive himself to extreme lengths to master the material and try and keep up with the class? If the latter, would he find driving himself to extreme lengths to be a fun challenge or would it be distressing to his mental health?

All people are different, and nobody on this board, apart from you, knows your son’s makeup. But as might be becoming clear, many of the schools that I classified as low (or very low) probability for your son will have students with SAT scores at least 2-300 points higher than your son’s and who will have gotten mostly 5s on their APs, with maybe some 4s thrown in. Many of the kids will have already taken Calculus, and a number of them may have already taken multivariable calculus as well. So if your son were to get into one of these institutions, his peers would be composed of a lot of students like I just described.

The question is, how would your son react to being in such a peer group? With a peer group that is generally extremely advanced, the coursework is likely to move at a faster pace than at a school where most students aren’t coming in with that level of preparation. Extremely selective/rejective colleges indicate that they also look at how a kid compares to their school group and what options were available. If your kid has been on the highest rigor path at his high school, and more advanced options weren’t available, that’s not a knock against him. But it does mean that even if he were to be accepted to one of these low probability schools, he should expect to have a lot of catching up to reach where most of his peers will already be.

If he (and his parents) think that this kind of experience is something that is appealing and that he will be able to remain healthy in, then I would apply test optional to those schools, if the school still allows it. If the school does not allow test optional applicants anymore, then most of those low probability schools would be in the very to extremely low probability range.

All of that said, a 1230 SAT is at the 84th percentile, which is a very good score (better than 84% of test takers!) and nothing to be ashamed about and would be an asset to be submitted at most colleges in the U.S. (source). But many of the students accepted to the schools in the low probability range are at the 99th percentile, so that just provides some additional context of what kind of group he would be competing against.

Students who go to schools that are likely or extremely likely admits for your son will go on to wonderful and successful careers, so please do not feel as though his future is doomed if he does not go to one of the highly selective/rejective programs on your original list.

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IF you are looking at CU Boulder, you should add Colorado State. You’ll pay less, the programs are similar, easier to get to in-state internships, the Honors program is great, easier and more affordable off-campus housing, and it’s a bit “nerdier” than UC Boulder.

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University of Arizona as a likely/safety that meets your budget and will work for a nerdy DnD hiker. My daughter and son in law fit that profile and are happy grad students there. There’s a ton of great hiking in southern Arizona within 30 min to an hour of campus. He would need a car.

Utah is great also.

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Thank you for the great response and for the items we need to consider regarding what type of student he is. I also appreciate your encouragement about going to a school other than the highly selective ones. It’s easy to get narrow focused when those are the schools that keep popping up in online lists. That’s why I appreciate this site. It’s giving us so many more options to consider (without getting overwhelmed).

He will take the SAT again. Normally, he’s a great test taker. So, we will see how he does on the second try. Agree that 1230 isn’t shabby, though. But, always good to see if it could go higher.

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Great suggestion. We will look into it!