Update from my post last year: EA Results + RD ChanceMe (big shotgun)

Chance Me / Match Me
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I made a ChanceMe post last year, and some folks asked for a results update. That thread got locked due to inactivity, so here are my early results! Can also chance me for RDs if you wish.

Original Post: Chance Junior for Top Astrophysics and/or CS Programs

I revamped my college list since that post. My new list is:

Safety

  • Pitt
  • UofA
  • Virginia Tech

Target

  • UIUC
  • UMich
  • UVA
  • UNC

Reach

  • All of HYPSM
  • Cornell
  • Penn
  • Dartmouth
  • Caltech
  • UChicago
  • Northwestern
  • Stanford
  • UCLA, UC Berkeley
  • Duke
  • Georgia Tech
  • Oxford (UK)

On my original post, I received criticism for one EC being a lecture in a third-world country. To those who caught that, thank you all for your advice. Though it was indeed benign, I removed this EC from my application entirely, as I felt it required too much context to explain and present properly in a way that would not likely rub an AO the wrong way.

I don’t have any other major application updates besides the successful inaugural event of the conference I founded, as well as a nice summer where I worked hard on essays (instead of internship stuff…), co-authored a paper accepted as foundational material for the United Nations, started to do remote astrophotography, and attended a summer program that ended up doing a lot of heavy lifting in my essays and overall profile.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that my grades did not turn out as well as I’d hoped (ended with a full-year A- and a semester B+ last year as well as a semester A- this year, though all in difficult AP/post-AP weighted classes).

Results:

Oxford: Rejected. I applied last-minute, cobbled together a personal statement from previous essays, and didn’t study for the physics admissions test. Very much expected.
Princeton REA: Deferred. (sadness)
UofA: Accepted, $134k scholarship over 4 years.
Pitt: Accepted.
Virginia Tech: Accepted.
UMich: Accepted.
UIUC: Accepted (CS+X).
UNC: Accepted (Accelerated Research Program).
UVA: Accepted.
Georgia Tech: Accepted (Aerospace)! I have zero aerospace ECs, so this was really unexpected.

Just thought I’d update. Did I overperform, underperform, or do as expected (which maybe speaks to essays/LORs)? Chance me for RDs if you wish! Help me decide between the school’s I’ve been accepted to if you wish! I don’t anticipate anything but am cautiously optimistic.

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Congratulations ! :clap: That’s really impressive.
(Especially UMICHIGAN and Georgia Tech ! :raised_hands:)
Any honors college on top of all the good news?
Are all of these affordable?
Can you indicate, for each, the results for (tuition+fees+room+ board) - (grants, scholarships)= …
So that we can evaluate value for money at this point?
Do you have favorites?

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You did outstanding - and I’m not surprised you got a major without related activities - they are not needed.

One thing is needed - affordability.

These are all great schools but only if you can afford to attend.

Acceptance wise - great job.

Since your chance me says no cost constraints but lower is better - you’ll have some choices to make.

Frankly many of these acceptances will be better than a lot of what remains given your academic interests.

Good luck.

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I think you did great - congrats!

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You have some great acceptances in hand so at this point any others would be a bonus! Congrats!

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Thank you! Only honors college is UofA, but will apply for those in UMich and GT. I’m full pay. Check out this post for my thoughts: UofA vs UMich vs UIUC vs Georgia Tech vs UVA - Physics, Astronomy, Aerospace, CS. Lots to think about (don’t worry about the alt account thing, I forgot which email I used for this account so I made a new one without knowing the rules)

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Based on your thoughts in the linked thread, I’d say it wouldn’t make sense to pay twice for UMICHIGAN when you have UVA and a similar vibe/quality -the only big difference is the Residential College so you should investigate whether UVA has anything similar.
GATech is an entirely different major from what you say you’re passionate about but would you be able to switch to Aerospace/astrophysics from Aero Engineering ?
UIUC sounds like the best of both worlds academically.
And UA= you’re in the Honors College. See if you can take math&physics class through it in addition to the core gen eds.

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Phenomenal results! Huge congratulations! Your family must be over the moon and so proud of you! Well done!

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UVA doesn’t have any peer program to the RC AFAIK, but the Echols Scholar Program seems nice (decisions come out next week). I think it’s at least not impossible to switch from engineering to sciences at GTech (easier than the other way around), but I’m not sure how easy it is. Thank you for the thoughts!

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You have to be careful with Honors Colleges. Not all are the same. They have different requirements and benefits. Many apply for some but not all. Many don’t take advantage and don’t visit. They are not necessarily job helping - they are for your experience.

From the major and ROI POV, Arizona wins hands down in my opiniom - if you go Astronomy/Physics. The Honors facility is pretty incredible too. Dorm with dining center at the base and a gym and counseling center adjacent.

The school is very diverse. The question is are you ok being so far from home ?

You only need one school to meet your needs. As long as you have it, you over performed. And looks like you have many options.

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The question is are you ok being so far from home ?

I am. Not sure if my parents are okay with me being so far in a school that’s not T20. Honestly UofA isn’t even a consideration for them right now, and bringing it up as a legitimate prospect will likely be met with laughter and mild derision.

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Given your interest in astronomy and physics, they would be wrong.

I get it - they seek an overall pedigree.

Ps who is going to school - you or them ?

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Excellent results thus far. Congratulations. From here on out everything is gravy.

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I’m going to school, but they’re paying for it. Gotta be practical here! And for me, it’s not like I’m dead-set on astronomy/physics and my own worry is that I might be pigeonholed into pursuing a Physics/Astrophysics PhD if I go to UofA. That could be fine, but flexibility is a consideration for both me and my parents.

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Why would the major be less flexible or not from Arizona vs others.

Originally you said no cost constraints but cheaper better if equal.

Then you’ve got the two Virginia schools. They work great too - yes over Michigan based on the cost statement. Arizona is a great school for STEM

You have options and yep the parents are paying.

Hopefully you are getting to campuses to see how you feel !!

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Why would the major be less flexible or not from Arizona vs others.

I could do CS at UofA, but I’d rather do CS at any of the other schools I’ve been accepted to. Maybe a double major could work though. UVA is more expensive but my parents would be perfectly happy with me going there.

Hopefully you are getting to campuses to see how you feel !!

Yes! Will for sure visit Georgia Tech as my parents have some concerns about its location and campus safety. Will possibly visit UIUC.

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I’d prioritize visiting UIUC because that program (assuming CS+Physics) keeps all your fields of interest open.

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People don’t tend to rave about the UIUC campus, but it’s a wonderful school in a safe location and with enough prestige that your parents might accept it. While it’s not as good as Arizona, you could do a lot worse for dark skies than UIUC and its facilities.

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It’s CS+Astronomy, but thanks for the advice!

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These are some awesome results. If you’re serious about Astrophysics (esp. theoretical) I have a very close relative who is a tenured faculty member in that field at UofA. I wonder what he’d say about these options.

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