How bad will these Bs affect my admission chances? Sorry if this post is “bad”, Im new.
Heres a basic rundown:
3.84 UW 4.51 W 1560 SAT (psat semifinalist)
AP classes are weighted out of 5, honors 4.5, regular 4
Applying as pure CS major
Had a B in Calculus BC (Junior Year 2nd Semester)
B in honors physics equivalent to AP Physics 1 (Junior year 2nd semester)
B in Aerospace engineering weighted as 5.0 (Junior Year 1st semester)
B in honors chemistry
Other Bs were in English junior year
How I tried compensating:
Fermilab internship with rec letter from mentor
AIME qual 2x
Participated in ARML
1st regionals 9th at state math team ictm
USACO silver
ACSL finalist
Rec letter from my math and comp sci teacher
I am trying very hard on my essays to make them unique
I was originally applying to very hard CS schools in the midwest like uiuc, purdue, wisconsin madison, georgia tech and shotgun all UCs, etc (you get it) and ED 1 UPenn or Cornell and ED2 CMU
However i doubt my chances due to my Bs…
do you guys have a recommendation on what to do? College list changes? Major changes? Especially on what school I should ED to.
I have a friend at NYU and I really want to go to that city too.
‘B’s by themselves don’t tell the whole story. How does your course rigor compare to the rest of your school? Are you in the top 10% of your class? Top 25%?
You have a lot of reaches on your list, which is ok if you have a solid safety that you’re truly happy with and a couple of target/match schools. But I don’t see any.
You should ED to the school you like best - not based on rankings. For example, CMU is considered the top CS school, but it’s very much a fit school. I wouldn’t recommend ED’ing there unless you’ve visited and really researched the school and its student body. Same with Cornell - great school, but some kids don’t like the “middle of nowhere” location. You need to visit, read up, and determine for yourself.
No, if you like CS apply to CS. At many schools it’s hard to change into CS if you’re in a different major. Pick schools based on your interest, not the other way around.
You need more reasons than that to pick a school. But if you like NYC, check out Stevens Institute of Technology. Very good school right across the river from NYC (in Hoboken, NJ). That should be a match school for you. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Other match schools to research: RPI and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Thank you for these responses, I go to a school near Chicago that is probably top 15 comeptitively in the state. I would say I am top 10% but thats probably the maximum. Yes I have taken APs and I have gotten all 5s (including BC Calc) except a 4 in Euro.
New york is kinda a pipe dream, but thanks for the recommendations
I think you will be fine. The 5 in BC calc will help put your grade in context and you are continuing with Physics C and Calc 3 as a senior which shows commitment to rigor.
Still add some sure admissions to you list of schools.
I would also do a deeper dive on your ED choices. Penn and Cornell are very very different. I wouldn’t expect someone to have them both as potential ED 1 options.
What do you mean by different? That is true that my ED options are a little intense. I guess I expected to get admitted early action and regular decision, my ED choices are more like a gamble.
Do you have any recommendations on how should I change my ED?
As noted by another poster above, I would very much say Cornell and CMU are fit schools. Students either love them or hate them. Cornell’s location also makes it an outlier compared to Philly and Pittsburgh.
IMO, I would not apply to a school ED (which is binding) unless you’ve been to campus and really done a deep dive of the campus culture and the CS curriculum (and at Cornell you can apply to CS either through the College of Engineering or Arts and Sciences). Look at the 4 year plan of study to see which is a better fit for you.
IMO, using rank to determine an ED school is a recipe for disaster.
Please don’t do that. Rank can be part of a broad set of criteria but never primary and definitely not for ED.
For ED, you need to figure out where you would feel the happiest, learn the most, can afford easily, and is your first choice. Consider academics, social life, activities, and everything else.
Definitely visit your ED possibilities. Don’t ED without a full visit.
What’s your budget? This is important. And then have you had your family run any net price calculators - I put two below for you - to estimate what your cost will be (if you don’t want to pay full). Remember, that’s per year - x 4.
Why is NY a pipe dream? There are schools in the city, adjacent to the city.
And if NY is a dream, why a school in small town (but charming) Ithaca.
I know - rank.
There are schools in lots of big cities if it’s big city life you want. Going to a school based on rank and being miserable because you don’t like the environment is foolish - so don’t ED anywhere you’ve not been. You have to be there - four years, day after day after day.
You are right for that, I will probably do more research, I’ved considered both UPenn and Columbia, though I won’t expect to get in. Best case scenario I get into UIUC cs, though they are just as hard.
Budget is important, but my parents have saved quite a lot and I could afford it. Obviously it’d be best to save money. I realized that its probably not good to go to a university based on US news rank only. I guess I will do more research once I write my supplementals.
What would be a good “match/target” school? Since purdue, madison, etc. are high targets/reach, I’m not really sure what else. I’ve applied ASU rolling admission, and automatically got in, which I think is a decent safety.
I gave you 3 suggestions in my prior post. I’m sure others will have too.
Good to know you have an admit in hand already. But have you visited ASU? Read up thoroughly on it? Will you be truly happy going there?
I think you’ll likely get into some of your target schools, but make sure you are happy with your safety. Also, don’t forget to apply EA to UIUC, Purdue and UMD to maximize your chances.
You should do your research before you write your supplementals.
You can reference things you’ve learned about the school in your supplementals, which will show the admissions officers that you’ve done some research on the school and are actually interested in the school and not just a ranking, and
In doing your research, you may find that you don’t want to attend a particular school, in which case the entire application (and its supplementals) don’t need to be done at all.
If you’re seeking additional suggestions (or refinements on your current list), knowing more about what you want from your college experience would be helpful.
How large of a school do you want?
What size classes do you prefer?
How do you feel about the importance of intercollegiate sports?
How do you feel about Greek life (fraternities/sororities)?
What kind of climate do you want?
Are there particular states/regions you prefer (or prefer to avoid)?
How do you feel about rural/suburban/urban schools?
Are there any particular interests that you would like to pursue in college (whether on or off campus)?
I think too many students try to identify a match/safety based on selectivity alone.
The fact is there are many excellent students for whom any school that admits fewer than 20% of applicants is a reach. For those same students, any school that admits over 65% of students is a “safety.” But there just are not a lot of college programs that admit between 25% and 60% of applicants, period, if that is the criterion you are using to find a “match.” (Colorado School of Mines might be one, assuming it matches other criteria discussed below.)
I think a true match for you is a school you can afford with a strong computer science program and location/size/vibe that appeals to you. That’s why people are asking questions about budget, type of school, etc.
For instance, University of Illinois Chicago might be the best bet from a cost-savings perspective. Another option often on “best value” lists is Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana if you like small schools. Or Indiana University Bloomington if you like large.
You might look at WPI as a likely and I’ll second RIT and RPI as other good likely/safe choices. Also, before EDing anywhere, visit the school. There is no sense binding yourself to a school where you won’t be happy, regardless of how prestigious it is on paper.
You can’t say budget is important but my parents have saved.
Penn is $89K a year - x 4 + inflaction so $400K or close to it over 4 years.
U of Alabama would be $16-18K over four years for you with auto merit, so over a $300K savings. And less if you become a national merit finalist. What could / would your parents do with the money. UTD seems another popular school for finalists.
Tulsa would be free - if you mean NMSF.
Other schools in between cost wise.
it’s easy to hear a # but not so easy to pay - so you should look at all aspects with your family. Do they have it in a college savings plan or saved elsewhere? Are there other siblings? Grad school in the future? Or would that money be better spent in a Roth IRA for you?
You need a firm budget # so people can point you to the right schools.
A budget of say $40K but we can spend $90K if the name is right - really isn’t a good strategy.
What can you afford matters but what do they want to afford (often less) also matters.
What you don’t want are loans (at least significant) and to strain your family financially.
One of the great things about your profile is - you’ve earned the opportunity for lower costs - if you so choose to go that direction…if that makes sense.
So you have to help out a little more with a firm desired figure.
For urban flagships with strong CS, consider U-Minn Twin Cities and U of Utah. Check out the UofU Honors College website - great programming and great housing; and if you take their path to residency after the first year, it can be very affordable - even more so with possible merit.
Northeastern could be worth a look. Great urban campus in Boston, very thoughtfully-designed CS curriculum that front-loads the skills you’ll need for your first co-op, and great co-op placements (often quite well-paying) for CS students. Not cheap, but merit is possible.
Was going to suggest Stevens for a strong CS school with easy access to NYC, but DadOfJerseyGirl beat me to it.
Pitt could be worth an app too. (The sooner the better - it’s rolling.) It’s right next to CMU, with cross-registration opportunities. Another nice urban location, and a very good School of Computing & Information.
Definitely don’t ED Cornell and/or Penn if full-pay isn’t something your family can do without difficulty. They’re excellent schools, but so are others you’re looking at that would cost so much less… and you haven’t even visited to assess whether they’d be your true top choices.
Good luck! The minor grade-blemishes might hurt your chances at the very most rejective programs, but you’re obviously a very talented and accomplished student who will end up with excellent options. In your position, I’d keep my options open and not apply ED.
Have your parents given you a budget? Do you know your EFC or have run the NPC on various universities ?
Congratulations on getting into ASU - did you apply to Barrett (if not, do so ASAP).
UNM or UU Chicago would be another safety.
For matches, U Minnesota, UWisconsin and WPI? IU CS is a likely, as is Pitt.
Uiuc CS unfortunately is a reach for everyone.
Perhaps read the Fiske guide and/or try to suss out whatever factors matter to you:
would you rather participate in sports&support your friends, or watch future pro athletes in games that are on TV? Do you anticipate substance abuse to be an important part of entertainment, and if so would you think beer, hard alcohol, or weed - or would you rather attend a college where most people don’t expect alcohol? Will you have spending money to go off campus and have campus in town or will you depend on what the college has planned for free/low cost (many residential colleges have excellent programming but some students enjoy $50 meals&Broadway tickets). Are you most confortable surrounded by STEM students or do you want students with many profiles? How important is ethnic or cultural or socio-economic diversity to you? How important is it for the cafeteria to cater to specific diets (hallal, kosher, vegan…) and food quality in general?
Etc.
Wrt NYU, it’s not a pipe dream - between NYU Tandon, Columbia, and Stevens, it’s certainly an option. However it typically means less campus life and might be best enjoyed if one has plenty of money. Personally I’d pick a college where it’s easy to access a NYC internship so that I can actually enjoy the city without hw+ the $$ I’m earning. But tens of thousands of kids love studying in NYC.
As for thr Bs, they’re not year grades and the AP 5/continued rigor will offset them. So don’t worry about them.
