You have great test scores, class rigor, APs, though your unweighted is a little low in comparison to similar students. Probably the only mark on your resume. So be prepared to explain where the lower marks were (freshman year? Humanities vs stem? Challenged yourself with a tough AP schedule? You had mono? Covid? Whatever).
Some advice
ECs like starting a non profit or doing your own AI are fantastic and you’ll need to emphasize those to differentiate yourself from similar high-stat students. As someone said, you can apply anywhere but at single digits acceptance rates it’s a roll of the dice if you get in so you need to stand out to admissions officers. The top schools appreciate these kind of step-out achievements.
from a CS perspective, what may make more of a difference is doing your own projects. And I don’t mean Leet code, those that’s fine to learn. Pick a problem and solve it. Then another. Write an algorithm. Find a dataset and do something different with it that hasn’t been done on Kaggle. Put your work on Github and Make sure you are making regular commits to showcase your work and CS skills. That is how CS work operates day to day.
the folks above and on other posts are correct. You need to consider more carefully where you want yo spend 4+ years of your life. You should also build Lists bottom up starting with what you can afford then moving to reaches. You may well get into a CMU or an Ivy - you should apply - but there are well respected, top CS schools that are neither like Illinois, Maryland, Toronto, GaTech, etc.
you say you don’t care but I think setting may matter more than distance. Did you grow up in a small town, suburb city? Big HS, smaller? Some food for thought …
Do you want to be in a city ? CMU, GaTech, Toronto, UPenn, etc
Suburb OK? Maryland, UW, Princeton, etc
Small Town/Rural/Not near a large city. - Cornell, UMass, UIUC
Is there any reason your parents are opposed to east coast schools? If they are firm on that, there is no sense in looking at any Ivy (all east coast) or any other target east coast schools (UMD, UMass etc). You already have some good suggestions for schools that are located in the west (or middle of the country). For the UCs your gpa may be a challenge for getting into CS (and they don’t look at test scores), unless your lower grades came Freshman year (which they don’t count). You may want to calculate your UC capped/weighted gpa to see what it looks like - there is a lot of info out there on admission rate by UC gpa (i.e. 10% admitted with gpa of 4-4.4) including acceptance rates by school and major.
If your parents are comfortable with you being in Pittsburgh, it’s actually easier to fly to the big east coast cities (NY, Boston, Philly, DC) which would open up a whole host of other schools to consider.
Since you mentioned TX, I’d add Rice to the list of schools to research.
IMO, it’s going to be hard to beat UW instates for CS. They have a great program!
I am going to presume you are in state for Washington and are referring the to UW. If that is the case, your HS counselor should be a great resource for you and how your stats look for direct entry in to the UW for comp sci. Also, the price is excellent for instate students plus internships and career opptys abound if you want to stay in Washington after graduation. Others have provided you good options on the west coast to get started with research on programs and costs.
Thank you for your deep explanation! I will definitely take this advice to heart. I didnt know that it may be a good idea to differentiate myself with other high-stat students. From talking to some other people, this is what they said:
Starting up an Etsy Business
Drawing or doing something art related
Making a blog (which I am currently working on making a car related blog site)
I have moved from place to place very frequently, so at this point I am very accustomed to it (I have lived in big and small cities alike, and even in small towns). However, I will take this point into deeper consideration, since so many people are talking about it!
You also have a good point. But, my parents and I have only ever eaten Indian food (I am Indian), and many of my upperclassmen in college have always said that food is a big problem, especially if you go further east.
I am really egging on getting into UW, however it would be nice to get into a college like UCLA or UTA (however, I feel like my gpa is my only down point). Thank you for letting me know about this!
Are you looking specifically for Indian food? Or more broadly, vegetarian food?
Dining hall food is never great in general, but there are definitely schools with much better food than others. Like UMass Amherst and Cornell. Next level down, I’ve heard of UMD, UVA and Duke.
There is a large Indian American population here in NJ and our local schools like Rutgers and NJIT regularly have Indian food on the menu. East coast schools don’t necessarily have worse food than schools in other parts of the country.
I don’t believe you’ll find Indian food on a daily basis in any dining hall. If this is a deal breaker you might want to find a school that does not require you to stay on campus, or has dorms with kitchenettes and cook your own meals.
If you are concentrating on food and CS I would second UMass Amherst and add Virginia Tech- although both are an hour or two ride from the closest big airport.
The first thing you should consider is the major you want and what the school has to offer. That is the main thing you are buying. I would make sure the school is strong in the type of CS you are interested in but also consider other majors in case you decide to change. Then cost is the next biggest consideration. You are looking for the best value for your investment. And cost is more than just tuition- it is travel, room and board, food etc. You also need to consider the environment- will you be happy there? Do they offer the clubs, sports, or social life that you desire? With your GPA and test scores- there will be a lot of schools that fit these criteria.