Will I get into a T20 College with bad grades for CS?

MWolf
Thu, 28 Mar 2019 07:01:15 +0000

@twoinanddone That is simply not true. A “perfect” profile is no more likely to be accepted than a slightly imperfect application. Once a kid has passed a certain threshold by way of GPA and SAT, they start looking at other things on the application.

That being said, some grades are more important for others when applying for CS. The B+ instead of an A in AP Lang will not affect a kid’s acceptance rates to CS. However, a B in AP Calc BC may have a negative impact. CS is math heavy and those math abilities are what predicts a student;s success in an engineering degree, especially CS.

You ECs and awards are really good, and will likely count for more, because they are all connected to CS.

Also, that 6% acceptance rate is somewhat deceptive, About 1/2 the students who apply to MIT are not really competitive. However, even with a 20% acceptance rate for the highly competitive applicants, there are four highly competitive applicants who are rejected for every one who is accepted.

There are a number of CS programs which are the same level as those you have there, depending on which state you are from, may have higher acceptance rates…