Can I get into Stanford with a GPA of 3.6?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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(Note, this was a discussion I made previously, but with the wrong information. I have adjusted it and that’s why it’s reposted.)

Hi, I have just finished my junior year at high school. I’ve been reading up on this website numerous times for research mainly on different colleges, but there are a few questions I have trouble answering. Do you guys think it would be possible for a person like me with a GPA of 3.5 (unweighted) currently to go to good Computer Science schools such as Stanford, Berkeley, or University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign? Right now, I’m aiming more towards schools in Illinois, since I live there, but it would be great to attempt to get into great schools like Stanford. I know that it does seem ambitious, and that asking strangers online won’t increase my chances at all, but I’m curious. I want to know and understand how much I can possibly achieve, and if there’s even a slight chance of me getting into Stanford or any other great CS school. Here is information about myself:

Freshman Year: GPA 3.3 UW, 3.5 W (Gym is required in Illinois to take)

Classes: Spanish 2, Algebra 1, Honors Biology, Honors English, World Geography, Gym, Lunch, Orchestra

Sophomore Year: GPA 3.5 UW, 3.75 W

Classes: Spanish 3, Algebra 2/trig, Geometry, Honors Chemistry, Honors English 2, Gym, Orchestra

Junior Year: GPA: GPA 4.0 UW, 4.64 W

Classes: AP Computer Science, AP English 3, Honors Precalculus, Honors Physics, American History, Orchestra, Gym,

Senior: GPA To be determined

Classes: AP Physics, AP Calc BC, AP English 4, AP Macro/AP Micro, Psychology/AP Psychology(2nd semester), Orchestra, Gym

ACT Score: 34 (I am still trying to get a 36, but idk if it’s entirely worth it)

As for ECs, I have run in cross country from middle school to now and will continue to do so through senior year and maybe even in college. However, I am slow as I am still recovering from a 2 year leg injury, but it is really fun to run. Also, I make programs. It’s my favorite thing to do, and I love to do it. That’s why I wanna do a Computer Science major, in hopes of being a programmer. I don’t know if I wanna program for gaming purposes (although I’d really enjoy that!) or for the IT industry. Either way, I really wanna learn more about Computer Science. I really do have a passion in it. I also have interned at an independent Chemical Engineer plant in New Jersey called Ideon LLC, and have learned a lot about mostly polymers and such. I also have played the violin, and despite not being in the best orchestra my school offers, I have been first chair every year at least once. I have volunteered for library summer reading programs and helped out ever since 6th grade as well. I have also done BPA, and made it to State competition. I am going to try and make varsity Tennis this year, and I do half marathon training as well. I also LOVE badminton: played it since I was 5, and I hear that Stanford’s got a pretty nice team for that sport. I would love to be on there team, but idk how that would work out. If I were to try and get into Stanford for badminton, would that mean that I won’t be able to major in Computer Science? All I know is that if I were to make it somehow into Stanford, I would immediately sign up for their badminton team in hopes of playing that sport. I love badminton, I even started up a club for it at my school since there is no team for guys. There’s only a team for girls, which is not cool (lol), so I started up a club for guys badminton. That could help my application.

Now, that aside, I don’t really think my chances are that high for Stanford. However, I do plan on writing a good essay, describing my passion for Computer Science and programming in general, and how it’s helped me realize what I love to do. I’m still researching, but I don’t know all there is to submitting a good application for an ivy league school like Stanford. For the time being, I will occasionally surf on this website and see other people ask the same question that I am asking about their chances. Again, I know that asking this question on this website won’t increase my chances automatically, but it will help me understand better what it takes to get into a top education school like Stanford. That is my dream college, but everyone tells me it’s a joke and that I have 0% chance to get in. Well, I at least wanna try and see if it’s possible. If I don’t get in, then I do have other options like Berkeley or Urbana Champaign.

I know that Berkeley also seems out of reach, but I don’t see why it doesn’t hurt to try and apply there. UC is close to where I live, but it’s not a superb computer science school. At the same time though, It’s a prestigious school, and can offer many of the same educational opportunities as Urbana or Berkeley has. If I could make it in either UC, Urbana Champaign, Berkeley, or even Stanford that would be great. I know that UIC is a safety school for me, and I may go there if I don’t get into any of these other schools.

So what do you think? Give your honest thoughts, and things that can help me further improve my application for college. Thank you for reading

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Unfortunately, your gpa will be a major stumbling block for you to get into the schools you mentioned. With 42,000 applicants, Stanford has its pick of applicants with impeccable grades, test scores, and EC’s. They won’t view starting a badminton team as compensation for subpar grades. You want to attend a very top CS school but you speak more about your “passion” for CS then you actually demonstrate it. Top CS applicants will have a laundry list of accomplishments in HS to “show” rather than “tell” about their love of CS. If you have the money and the time. you can apply to top schools RD, but I wouldn’t expect much. You must, however, develop a more reasonable list of safety, match and reach schools. i wouldn’t waste your early app on a school like Stanford if I were you. Good luck with everything!

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@programmerdude depends on how much chakra you have - if you are a Jinchuriki it might help your chances. B-)

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So you live near UIUC or Berkeley? It cannot be both. Anyway, all 3 school are reaches for you. You can pretty much forget about Stanford. UIUC CS is also very competitive.

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You are fumbling on your acronyms. UC=University of Chicago? University of Illinois at Chicago? or what?

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Haha yea by UC I mean University of Chicago. Sorry for the confusion

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Hah thanks! Yea, I WILL become one soon, it’s too soon for that tho. Nice profile pic, it’s overused in terms of memes but it always makes me laugh!

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Hm I see. Thanks! Yea, I really tried to avoid just dumping all of the miscellaneous EC’s that I did, but I ended up typing that anyways. I see what you mean, if I have had any previous programming history it would then be best to bring that up more in my application. The only true experience I’ve had with it outside of class is with making a game for iOS, which is still in development. I didn’t wanna address it since it isn’t complete, but that’s probably my only major programming adventure outside of school.

Yea lol my overall status definitely does not qualify for Stanford at all. However, I like to think that I have a chance regardless of the disadvantage that I’m at. You see, the way I think about it is a little different. If I attempt to try and meet all the qualifications that I can for applying to Stanford, I would technically have an amazing application for schools that are less than that of an ivy league, correct? So, if I wanted to “try and make it” into Stanford, but in reality go for Urbana Champaign, I’d be well on my way with the SAT taken and EC’s that I originally “prepared” for Stanford. It’s more of a trick, where I’m not really going for Stanford despite meeting all their criteria, in order to be beyond prepared for other colleges that aren’t ivy league. Idk if it will work, but it makes sense. If I follow this philosophy, I’ll have a better application, and therefore have a higher chance of getting accepted. I’m not REALLY sure about applying to Stanford to be honest, but I’ll have an application similar to that of an application that you’d send to an Ivy league school, due to the EC’s and all the other stuff I’ve done.

Oh, and I live in Illinois. Sorry if there was confusion, as there was with another person.

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Yea true thanks! Stanford is indeed out of reach, I admit. Doesn’t hurt to dream I guess, but yea I’ve been looking at the types of people who go there and man I would definitely not fit there at all! No way I could attend there, I’m looking more at Urbana since I live close by there. I live in Illinois, sorry for not saying so clearly in the beginning. Yea, Berkeley is also out there, I don’t have such a high GPA, and I do wish my ACT were a 36. 34 honestly is what I wanted, so I’m fine with it, but 35 or 36 would be better.

At the time of making this, I said to myself, “Ah Stanford, the best school for Comp Sci”! But, I honestly didn’t do enough research to understand what you really need to qualify for that type of Ivy league school. Any ivy league in general is not for me; there’s not a chance I could go there. I really wanna go to Urbana Champaign, especially since it’s in Illinois.

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UIUC CS is just as competitive. Have you considered Purdue? It is not far away from Urbana and has great engineering and CS programs. It is also a match for you.
By the way, Stanford is not an Ivy.

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Your GPA is really below the bottom mark for all of those schools, and there is no “pop” to your ECs (solid, but pretty standard). Go ahead and apply to a couple of these schools, but start focusing your attention more on matches and safeties, as the odds are very high that you will be attending one of those.

The good news is that the tech industry isn’t too hung up on where you went to college. It is more about what skills you have. You should stop obsessing over schools where it is highly unlikely you will be admitted and put your energy into finding the best fit where you can get I and can afford to attend,

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Is this a serious question?

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Other considerations would be CMU (although they are also very competitive, but maybe a tad more liberal than Stanford) and the University of Washington-Seattle.

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From what you have described of your qualifications, Stanford is out of or reach. D applied early to Stanford last year from Illinois with a 36 ACT, total of 9 AP classes with 4 completed three 5’s and one 4, top 5% class rank, Subject tests of 790, 740 and 730. Solid, mostly school level ECs. She was rejected outright not deferred and definitely not waitlisted. Perhaps her essays were weak and she was definitely not the ideal demographic

UIUC has a very strong computer science program but the kids I know who got into UIUC engineering or computer science are very strong. You have a very good ACT score but your GPA is low relative to students applying to top computer science programs. Nice upward trend and appropriate level of rigor

Maybe you should consider Rose-Hulman in Indiana

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CMU for CS is also out of reach. Consider Michigan Tech or Case Western.

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It’s all about GPA. Good ACT but lots of kids from our local high school has ACT 36. Maybe 10 of them per year, when I last looked anyway.

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@Wje9164be Yeah, my D had the same experience that with 4.0 GPA, top ~1% in class, 35 in ACT, 800s in SAT2, all 5s in AP, and nominated outstanding piano soloist in Michigan also got rejected outright from SCEA at Stanford. But her classmate with quadruple legacy (both parents and 2 grandparents) with much much weaker GPA and test score got accepted.

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Stanford is out of reach. You should not even try…just a waste of time and application fee. While I think you have a greater shot at getting denied to Berkeley, you DO have a shot there. 50% line there is a combination of 3.77 GPA and 33 ACT. Well, you beat the ACT score there. If you can raise that 3.6 a little bit in your first semester as a senior, you have a sliver of a chance of being accepted there. Same is true at Illinois, though an even better chance there. Illinois 50% combination line is 3.64 PGA with 31 ACT, so as long as you don’t drop that GPA, you might actually be accepted there.

Would not shock me if you were denied to all three, but you should attempt Berkeley and Illinois. Good luck.

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For Berkeley, do check out your UC GPA. I am not optimistic though unless all your bad grades are from freshmen year and you do have 8 AP with good grades.