I am a junior in high school and I want to find the best unis I can apply to next year. My GPA is a 3.8, however I did 17 APs, and have a decent SAT and a perfect ACT score. I have 3 awards, and 7 extracurricular activities, some related and some unrelated.
I want to study CS, and I would like to be primarily in the west coast (washington state to like texas) and am fine with some eastern ones (like cornell maybe). I am fine with any environment!
Please let me know what may be the best colleges to apply for, assuming no financial restriction.
We don’t even know what you want to study, or what kind of environment you are comfortable in. Nowhere near enough information to make useful recommendations.
To specify - I want to study CS, and I would like to be primarily in the west coast (washington state to like texas) and am fine with some eastern ones (like cornell maybe). I am fine with any environment!
You’ve already done 17 APs? How many were self study.
You can get a great CS education anywhere - but you should figure out what you like in a school rather than just throwing out names. Size, weather, urban or rural, Greek life, sports and more.
“Best” varies depending on who you ask. A commonly used ranking is this one that aggregates four rankings (note to other posters: not looking to get into a rankings debate - just pointing OP to a commonly used resource)
You can filter by areas of interest to see schools that have the strongest research in those areas. But this shouldn’t be your only way of constructing your list. There are many differences among these schools (not just in what sub specialty they’re good at, and their approach to CS, but also in terms of location, size, sports, etc). So you’ll need to dive deeper to figure out which ones appeal to you.
Are you using “assuming” in the sense “I’ve talked to my parents and they’ve assured me money is no barrier”, or “I don’t know what budget works and I’ll deal with it later”? There’s an important distinction between these two, so let us know.
By Ivy Tax, i mean that my parents are willing to pay 60 - 80k per year. However, they would like it if I stay close to home. Also, do you have any specific schools? Like, MIT, Caltech, Harvard and such colleges are out of the question. But what about colleges like UT Austin, or UCSD?
If you have no demonstrated need, $60-80k will be under many schools. Just an fyi. Out West in that range, you have a lot of fine schools - ftom WA to the Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, CA publics and some privates.
With your stats you can be as low as $20k to $90k and growing with potentially the lowest cost in the South. But you also have WUE as a Washington resident.
Without knowing more about your GPA ( is 3.8 weighted or unweighted), what level of math etc , it’s hard to know chances but for even the most accomplished many schools are reaches but not impossible.
The California UC’s are test blind to your SAT/ACT score will not be used for admissions or scholarship consideration only for course placement.
The UC’s calculate their GPA based on the A-G course grades taken the summer after 9th through the summer prior to 12th. There are 3 UC GPA’s that are considered: Unweighted, Capped weighted and Fully weighted. Here is the UC GPA calculator and note as a non-CA resident, only AP/IB courses taken 10-11th grades will be given the extra Honors point bump.
In addition to all of the strong CS schools in the western US, you might want to look at UBC, which would be both closer to home and less expensive than the California schools. Canadian schools have fewer distributions requirements than US schools, which you might like if you’re very focused on your area of interest… or not - you haven’t really described your interests or your learning style, beyond choice of major. In addition to the straight-CS major(s), there’s a Computational Intelligence & Design track within the Cognitive Systems major that might appeal if AI is your area of greatest interest. https://www.cs.ubc.ca/students/undergrad/prospective/switching/computer-science-specializations
I will add this to the main thread, but its the following -
Stats -
GPA 3.81 Un-Weighted
SAT 1510
ACT 36
Extracurricular -
Inspirit AI Scholar Program
I do some work in the UW Lab
Have a Non-Profit with 100 monthly participants
Made my own website and AI models
Work At a Math Place
Write a blog about my car-related hobbies (because I love cars and modifying them)
Awards -
DECA ICDC
USACO Gold
AIME Qualifier
Classes (16, all 5s (except ones I am taking right now) only 2 4s)-
AP Physics C Mech 4
AP Physics C EM 4 (self study)
AP CSP 5 (self study)
AP Chem 5
AP Calc AB 5
AP Calc BC 5
AP Lang 5
AP Stats 5
AP CSA 5
AP Micro 5
AP Macro 5
AP World (took class, not test)
AP Spanish (taking right now)
AP Bio (taking right now)
AP Gov (taking right now)
AP Lit (taking right now)
Honors -
English 9 Hon
English 10 Hon
World Hist Hon
I suspect you can reasonably apply most anywhere but that doesn’t mean you’ll get in anywhere. You’ll be penalized at UW and UC because your test score won’t be seen - use the 36. UW could see if they consider you marginal but for most it’s not.
USC and others are at $90k or $90k and growing - so your $60-80k is off - and it will grow. So you need a serious budget discussion with your parents.
You can apply anywhere but schools like UMD, Purdue, UMASS, Minnesota, Ohio State or RPI/WPI for smaller are more reality.
Our West, Utah, ASU, Arizona, Oregon, Washington State, and more would be solid gets.
You really need to have the budget discussion. If they’re willing to spend $80k and you need that commitment - ea h year for four - what if the name is Pitt instead of Princeton or Delaware instead of Dartmouth or Colorado instead of Carnegie Melon ?
Budget is first and foremost and your Ivy tax response shows, to me, a lack of seriousness.
Just had a discussion. My parents said that they are willing to pay a sizable amount of tution (upwards of only 80k tho) and if there is any extra that needs to be paid, we decided that I could either work or take a college loan. By this, I mean per year 80k.
Regarding what you were saying about places, my parents are okay with colleges like CMU, but going to like Princeton or Dartmouth is just too far from home.
Ok CMU is in Pittsburgh. Carnegie Melon so no different than Ivy distance wise - of course better for CS than Ivy in most peoples minds.
So I think schools like Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Wash state, the two Oregons are great. Col School of Mines for smaller. Then maybe a USC as a flyer or you can look up Stanford, the Claremont Colleges like Harvey Mudd., you’ll need aid or a job, and maybe UC Merced, and there are some great Jesuit schools if not an issue from U a Seattle, Gonzaga, Portland, Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, U San Diego.
Of course if the East Coast is too far then is CA ?
UW Bothell is another that comes up regularly as does WWU. And UBC was mentioned.
Figure out your geographic comfort and go from there. How far is too far ? Colorado too far ? Chicago ? Texas ? You mentioned it but what’s the difference of traveling to Texas as the East coast.