Chance a CS Major for Ivies and Top Schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
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1

Demographics: Asian Male from semi-feeder in very competitive state, no hooks

Intended Major(s): Computer Science, looking for minor or double major in Econ or Business wherever possible

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1540, might retake again just to see if I can get better (realistically could probably get 1570+)

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.83 UW, best case could go up to 3.9 by applications. No weighted or rank.

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

Pretty much the most rigorous possible, 6-7 APs by the time I graduate.

Awards:

Winner of a Semi-Prestigious Award for a Research Project I did by a very well known technology company

FBLA Nationals Qualifier

Winner of Congressional App Challenge and Received Commendation from my congressman

Award at a Premier College Hackathon that I attended alongside university students

Won a few awards at a bunch of other hackathons as well

Additional Awards I may get: Research publications, some science competitions of varying prestige, Coolidge Senator (not too hopeful tbh), other scholarships and competitions. Let me know in the comments for any recommendations

Extracurriculars:

Research intern at an HYPSM starting the winter of my junior. Working on an independent project under a team of a couple professors and postdocs with potential to publish a paper

Going to do an independent research internship at my state school this summer under a professor. Again, spoke to PI and he definitely thinks there is opportunity to publish papers

Founded a website with over 25,000 views producing educational content related to my field of interest. Recruited writers internationally and manage the whole thing. Expecting around 60-70K views by the time I apply, hopefully more

President of Computer Science Club at my school, started an event with 5 figures of fiscal sponsorship

200 Hours of Service at a local science museum

Editor of my school’s newspaper

Did a small research project through a program at a nearby university, resulting in the publishing of my results online (not a paper though)

Did an independent research project that won the award from the technology company I mentioned above

Could be co-head of FBLA next year or maybe some other potential club leadership

I could either write Varsity Baseball (which I only did freshman year), Independent CS Study, or just leave this final EC spot blank on my common app. Thoughts?

Essays/LORs/Other:

Essays and LORs should be pretty good, I participate in class and have pretty good relationships with teachers. Starting to think about essays and will get some guidance from people I know.

Schools

ED Either Cornell or Penn M&T, Princeton, CMU SCS, Harvard, Stanford, GA Tech, UMich, Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA, Maryland, UIUC, also open to school recommendations.

2

You’ve got as good a chance as anyone. Make sure you apply to your state’s flagship or a safety plus a couple of targets. Out of state public schools are just as expensive as private schools. Make sure your the schools on your list are affordable.

I’d consider adding Harvey Mudd, CalTech, UWashington, RPI, WPI, Olin College.

3

You don’t need to retake SAT’s. An addition 30 or 40 points is not going to make any difference.

4

Cost constraints?

Which college(s) are you applying to as safeties? None of those you listed would be safeties.

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I hate to sound discouraging, but your chances for Penn M&T, Princeton, CMU SCS, Harvard, Stanford are very slim, given your intended major and demographics. Chance for Cornell ED, especially to its A&S college, is better. You’re competitive for the other schools on your list.

6

I am full pay and I have some safeties lined up in state, although I am still looking at it.

7

Thanks for the honest feedback. Other than strong essays, do you think there is anything I can do at this point to improve my chances at those schools?

8

One of the few things you can do is to participate in USACO. It starts its next round of competitions in December, however, so it won’t help your ED application even if you advance. It may help your RD applications for a few schools on your list that care about it.

9

Your chances are as good as anyone’s. I don’t think anyone on CC can really “chance you.” Just make sure you apply to a range of schools. Some of the Ivies aren’t even the best for CS, and some state universities have excellent CS programs, so look for a good fit.

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10

Should I put an EC I only did for one year (varsity sport) as my last spot or leave it blank?

11

It’s fine to put a sport you did one year, especially if it would otherwise be blank. And it’s fine to try things out during high school, which might mean doing a few things for one year rather than four :slight_smile:

12

Thank you everyone for the help. Would it be worth it to apply ED to M&T if it is my top choice, or should I apply ED to Cornell or Columbia? Probably not going to REA to HYPSM

13

I’m afraid I can’t agree with the “good a chance as anyone” with a 3.8x GPA at the top 6-7 schools listed. CMU SCS, for example, has an average enrolled GPA of 3.95 (along with a 1570+ SAT) and other elite CS schools won’t be far off.

My D has a 4.0uw, will have 11 APs, 1580 SAT, and three alumni (2 parents, grandmother) at CMU, and the advantage of a higher female acceptance rate, and I’d still guess a 25-35% chance. MIT, Stanford are closer to 15%.

I have Michigan, GT, UIUC, Cornell as more likely, but still challenging given their acceptance rates.

Just taking a shot in the dark, I would see 4-5 acceptances, if forced to make a prediction, of the 13 you listed. Admissions are so unpredictable that you might end up in an elite program, or none. Be sure to have at least two actual safeties.

14

It looks great! You’re a competitive applicant!

15

There are some schools I’d drop, but I’d add RIT, WPI, and some others, if you want CS.

16

3.83 UW looks impressive. But I’ve heard of some schools where there are 20-30 students with perfect 4.0. Where exactly does a 3.83 place you in terms of rank? Even if your school doesn’t provide it, the colleges can estimate it. And they will.

If your rank is in the top 1-2% then you have a solid chance. Where do you estimate your class rank to be?

17

My school only has ~100 students per grade, so not in the 1-2%. I’d say I’m hovering around the 20% mark, which although seem low, nearly 20% of our students go to T20s. Only the top 20% of the class is announced at senior graduation, and I’ve seen unhooked kids outside the top 20% get into Wharton, Brown, UChicago, and many more.

18

Top 20% for HYPSM would be difficult, honestly. Especially since you are an ORM from an over-represented state, and seeking an over-represented major.

I have seen some impressive stats coming from feeder high schools. My own son went to a HS like that. But please do understand that there are other factors why students outside the top 20% end up at these top colleges. Donor, legacy, frac-brat, athlete are the main reasons.

Your best chance is to pick a college at the bottom half of the T20 which also has binding ED. The holistic schools with SCEA or EA will be tough, honestly. You should also have a solid plan for ED2. Of the ones you listed above, ED1 to Cornell seems to yield the highest chance of success. You should also look into UChicago, Vanderbilt. Penn M&T, Princeton, Harvard, CMU and Stanford will probably be out of reach.

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There is always a bit of luck in getting into these schools too. Sure, they are looking for specific things to build a class, but no one outside knows what those are. They all have WAY more fully qualified applicants than they have FTF spots for.