Application Recommendations?

Applying to College
1

Hello, I’m currently a high school junior nearing the end of my second semester, and I am looking for an idea of how strong my current application would be for schools I’m considering applying to below. Any advice that you could suggest to

Application:

Basic Stats:
SAT I: 1550 (New 2016 SAT, could still retake)
SAT II: Math 2 (800), Physics (800)
GPA(UW/W): 3.82/4.29( a few B’s in the humanities, all As in advanced math and science)
Rank: top 5-10 percent.
APs: World History (4), U.S. History (5), Calculus BC (5), Computer Science A (5), Physics 1 (5)
IBs: Not provided at my school.
Planned Senior Course Load: A.P. Macroeconomics/A.P. Government, Multi-variable Calculus (taking at a nearby university), H Spanish 4, A.P. Biology, Data Structures, A.P. English Literature, A.P. Statistics
Major Awards: None, as far as I can tell.
Minor Awards: Meritorious ranking in High School Mathematical Modeling Contest, 7th in Regional Programming Contest, Sentinel Award Every Year (High School Recognition awards)

Extracurricular Activities:
-Eagle Scout (also Senior Patrol Leader in troop; highest leadership ranking possible, 9-12)
-Mu Alpha Theta (11-12, elected President for 12)
-Science Bowl Team Club(10-12)
-Physics Olympiad Team Club(11-12)
-Computer Science Club (11-12, Vice President for both years)
-Developed 3 Games
-Created organization to help promote computer programming education in my city for less affluent kids.

  • Participated in numerous competitions( I won’t list every single one for brevity, but about 12 different math and science competitions in total, including several regional programming and math competitions and two mathematical modeling, as well as AMC 10/12 and Log 1. I have done these competitions annually since 10th grade).
    -Learned a number of programming languages (examples: Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, C++/C, HTML/CSS, Haskell)
    -Studied a variety of comp-sci related courses (primarily on coursers): (Machine Learning, Mathematical Thinking, Model Designing, Algorithms)
    -Active member of a global online community(Brilliant.org) that promotes higher level math and science education (think of a heavily STEM oriented Khan Academy)

*Note that 12th means I plan to participate in that activity in 12th, not that I already have done it.

Additional Info: Have been programming for 5-6 years (started around 12ish), started studying advanced math in 6th grade, got into Rubik’s cubes in 4th. (Not really sure how to use this additional info, but I feel it has its place somewhere).

Job/Work Experience: Working as a cashier at a local grocery store on the weekends.
Volunteer/Community service: ~100 hours, mostly for a local food bank.
Summer Activities: Course study, work.
Recommendation Letters (so far): 11th Grade A.P. Calculus B/C (10/10), 11th Grade A.P. U.S. History (8/10), 11th Grade A.P. Comp Sci teacher (9/10), 11th Grade A.P. Physics Teacher (8/10) (I will probably not use all of these); My Scoutmaster for the past 5 years (10/10) (if applicable), Counselor (5/10)(way too general).

Other Info:
Applying for Financial Aid? Yes.
Intended Major: Computer Science
State: California
School Type: Public, large (~2500 students)
Ethnicity/Race: European White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not exactly sure, but my family makes about 90k a year.
Hooks: Loose Legacy at Carnegie Mellon (Grandfather).

Schools I’m considering (and my estimated admission evaluation): Stanford (Heavy reach), Princeton (Heavy reach), MIT(Heavy reach), Carnegie Mellon(for Comp Sci, reach), Caltech(Heavy reach), Duke(slight reach/match), UC Berkeley(slight reach/match), Georgia Tech(match), Cornell(slight reach/match), UC San Diego(slight safety), UC Irvine(slight safety).

Current Thoughts:

Strengths: Focused ECs (not overly general and mostly focused around Math, Science, and Comp Science, all having a Comp Sci Theme), Decent Recommendations, a few leadership roles.

Weaknesses: Stats seem somewhat low for some places (Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Caltech) No major awards. Out of everything, major awards and UW GPA are the most concerning. In addition, while I think I illustrate passion in applied mathematics (mathematical modeling) and comp sci, I don’t think I have some grand award to show for it.

Overall, given that I still have several months before I end up submitting most of my applications, what suggestions do you have in how I can improve my app? Constructive feedback welcomed (Don’t say “oh you’re doomed it’s over” or “you’re such a great applicant”).

2

Congratulations on your hard work and success in high school!

Your college list seems balanced, particularly with the UCs included. As you can see on CC, the top schools are extremely competitive, and with so many qualified students applying the outcomes can be unpredictable. You are qualified for all the schools on your list and could do well as a student at them. The reality, however, is that many more qualified students apply than can attend. A few years ago I visited a tip-top ranked LAC with my oldest. Rep said 70% of applicants were fully qualified and admissions was confident they would succeed at the school. Its acceptance rate was 14% at the time (lower now). So 1 in 5 qualified students were accepted.

Look at the CC Admissions thread on acceptance rates for your school. Most have low single digit acceptance rates in RD. I particularly note Duke, which accepts a much higher rate in ED, so RD rate is much lower than overall acceptance rate. I think it is a reach for everyone in RD. I would also note that students have to apply directly to CS at CMU, and that program is notoriously difficult to gain admission into. A family member was rejected to that program and graduated last year from another school with a six-figure salary at a financial firm. Georgia Tech has become very popular and is much tougher OOS than just 4-5 years ago. You can apply EA there.

So you’ve done great. These non-CA schools are just really, really tough. Unhooked students probably face an an RD acceptance rate something like half the RD rate. You’d be in mix and can be proud of that. No guarantees for anyone though.

Of course the UC schools are great. I would suggest, though, if you would like a fairly likely alternative outside of them, that you look at schools ranked in the 20-60 range for one that might be a good match. These schools, and many ranked lower, are really terrific. You would find amazing students and amazing faculty and staff. That’s the great news. There are many, many, many strong schools outside the biggest names. You might also be a strong candidate for merit aid at some of them.

Bottom line: maybe find yourself a few more non-UCs that would be matches/safety where you might get aid and would be affordable. Case Western gives generous merit aid. You would probably get substantial aid at Pittsburgh. Colgate? Davidson for a smaller school? (Don’t know about aid at these.) Of course, you might prefer the UCs to these, but a couple might be worth a shot. Good luck!

3

Your quantifiable factors are great. The most impactful thing you can do at this point to improve your application is to continue researching your target schools and begin drafting thoughts about why you “fit” each school.

These very selective schools reject lots of highly qualified applicants because the admission committee doesn’t believe the applicant will thrive and be happy at their school. You can network with alums, visit campus, meet with the CS department, talk to students, spend the night in the dorm…use that as input to your essays to describe why you see yourself succeeding at that school.

Good luck!