Perfect Colleges For Me?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Hi! My name is David.
This will be my 1st College Confidential Post!</p>

<p>So, let me start off by introducing myself.</p>

<p>I am a Jr. in Tennessee.
I came to America about 5 years ago.
Even before I came to America, I was fascinated by computers and always dreamed of working on Computer-Related jobs.
My “dream” major is currently Computer Science</p>

<p>I recently took ACT and 29 Composite
(Better than expected, 1 pt below my goal)
(26 Eng. 31 Math 26 Reading 32 Sci.)
I expect to raise my Math score on later tests.</p>

<p>I tried to challenge myself in high school by taking all honors class that I could take.
My current GPA is 3.8
Classes I took were
*Freshman
- English 1 Honors (B)
- Biology 1 Honors (B)
- Intro to IT (B)
- Geometry Honors (B)
- Choir (2 Semesters) (A’s)
- Spanish 1 (A)
- World Geography (A)
*Sophomore
- Algebra 2 Honors (A)
- Chemistry 1 Honors (A)
- English 2 Honors (A)
- Computer Architecture/A+ Honors (A)
- Web Design 1 Honors (A)
- Choir (2 Semesters) (A’s)
- Spanish 2 (A)
*Junior
- Pre-Calculus Honors (A)
- Physics 1 Honors (A)
- Web Design 2 Honors (A)
- American History Honors (A)
*Plan to take
- Computer Science AP
- Choir
- Wellness (P.E.)
- English 3 (I thought the English Honors classes were too stiff for me for past 2 years)</p>

<p>I haven’t done much of Extracurricular Activities due to my family’s situation
- SkillsUSA (10th)
- Beta Club (10th)</p>

<p>My family’s financial situation is not great, so I want to go to college where I can get some financial support from others and get a good education at the same time.</p>

<p>So, these are my questions.</p>

<p>What are the perfect colleges for me?
and
What do I need to improve?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance</p>

<ul>
<li>David</li>
</ul>

<p>P.S. My list so far is

  • U of Washington
  • Ga. Tech
  • U of Illinois
  • U of Wisconsin
  • Purdue
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Va. Tech</p>
2

<p>If Computer Science is your biggest interest, it does not get any better than Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. </p>

<p>Difficult to get into for CS, but worth a shot if you are really passionate about the subject.</p>

3

<p>There are also a bunch of liberal arts colleges with the nation’s most generous financial aid programs that have outstanding computer science programs like Amherst, Harvey Mudd, Haverford, Swarthmore, Williams.</p>

4

<p>Case Western might be worth a look and they are good with aid.</p>

5

<p>^^ Bump ^^</p>

6

<p>RPI and WPI.</p>

7

<p>Definitely look into RPI and Case Western, both give outstanding merit aid.</p>

8

<p>^^ Bump 2 ^^</p>

9

<p>You sound like a Swattie to me. Check out Swarthmore.</p>

10

<p>^^ Bump 3 ^^</p>

11

<p>^^ Bump 4 ^^</p>

12

<p>It would be a reach, but you might want to consider Olin. It primarily focuses on engineering but has a very good computing curriculum, and it offers full tuition to all students for four years. Applicants are required to have taken calculus.</p>

<p>WPI and U Rochester would also be good options. Strong computer science programs with decent $$$ available. Bucknell and Rose-Hulman are also very good, although I don’t know how much aid they give out.</p>

13

<p>^^ Bump 5 ^^</p>

14

<p>Drexel gives aid, and also has good relations with industry and on the job training. I agree that RPI, WPI, and U of Rochester (also RIT) are good choices for you. Apply to U of Tennessee of course. How about Vanderbilt? They give aid. I am not sure that applying to public universities in other states makes much sense for you. They probably do not give a lot of aid to people from outside the state. I agree that Case Western is a good idea. Look at Tulane- they give good aid. Rice may work. Rhodes College may work. Ohio has a good program for out of state students. That may be worth looking at.</p>

15

<p>Are you a citizen, or will you apply as an international living here? (Affects availability of FA.) </p>

<p>Some schools may require you to take the TOEFL exam, depending on how long you have received the majority of your instruction in English.</p>

<p>The country from which your family emigrated may make a difference also.</p>

16

<p>@Consolation</p>

<p>I am a permanent resident, and lived in U.S. for 5 years. (Moved from Korea)
Still not a great English speaker, as you can see on my English/Reading ACT score :(</p>

17

<p>look into these schools for computer engineering:</p>

<p>University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, San Jose State University</p>

<p>and if you think your grades are really good then take a shot at either Harvey Mudd College, Cooper Union, MIT, Stanford, UC-Berkeley or Carnegie Mellon</p>

18

<p>^^ Bump 6 ^^</p>

19

<p>Sample TOEFL requirement from Carnegie Mellon:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Your ACT score would seem to put you at or below 600. Other schools base their TOEFL requirement on the length of time that your primary language of instruction has been English.</p>

<p>It’s also not completely clear whether they would regard you as an international, if you hold citizenship in Korea but not here. (Is your family here, or did they send you over alone?)</p>

<p>Something to check into at any school that interests you, in any case.</p>

20

<p>@Consolation</p>

<p>Yes, I do hold the citizenship in Korea.
I don’t know much about private colleges, but in public in TN, I think I will be classified as In-State. My sister pays in-state as well.</p>

<p>and for TOEFL, is every college like that? Do I have to take TOFEL for every colleges I apply?</p>