Thanks, i think i’ll use this list instead
@momsearcheng has made some very good points and has knowledge of some of the fields you’re interested in. But does she really know you and what will make you happiest at college? YOU, not your parents, not posters on the internet, not various relatives, no matter how well-meaning any of them are, need to decide on your college list. Certainly, take the list that momsearcheng suggested as places to delve into further and as suggestions to help cull your own list. But YOU need to figure out what you want from college and which ones you think would be the best fits. Yes, get advice from others. But YOU need to be the decision-maker here.
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I am glad I could help, however, @AustenNut is correct. Do not just take my list. Go to websites of all the colleges you are interested in. Visit some and see do you like it or not. Fit is very important. Do not go by prestige!!! (And I hate to say this, but “block” a bit an influence of classmates, cousins etc. Respect your parents, but understand that they have some limited knowledge.) Please, do not repeat the mistake of many young students who applied to every Ivy and top schools, then in the end have a choice of only local schools…
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I want to say, good luck, you are a fine candidate.
Your match colleges may offer unique majors or merit scholarships that are prestigious in their own way- especially, maybe well regarded by employers or grad schools.
It is ok to pick schools that are good enough. Your time is limited now to get apps out, so don’t overthink it.
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This is true of many colleges but by no means all. In many schools, all applicants are automatically considered for merit regardless of when they apply and there is no special application (last year my D23 got merit at several schools after applying RD and not submitting any extra materials beyond supplemental essays for the regular application). In others, you do have to apply early and submit more essays. So it’s worth checking as you narrow down your list.
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@strangest, consider dropping from the list Northwestern, and replacing it with UIUC. You will have a much better chance for admission.
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Not necessarily. Depends on what major. CS at UIUC is harder to get into than it is at Northwestern.
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You are correct for CS. That is why it is wise to consider some different majors for different colleges.
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I respectfully disagree. Students should pick colleges based on their major/area of interest, and not the other way around. Otherwise it’s a recipe for four years of misery.
You can always find a school that fits your interests.
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yeah, mostly online tours.in person: visited rutgers & drexel & pton, harvard, mit. and i don’t have much idea what school envirinment i want. open to any, basically,
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I kind of agree and do not agree on that. Given that OP is not interested in pure Math or pure CS it is a bit more complicated. In some schools bioinformatics can be under BME. In others, there is no such field and he may consider CS. Furthermore, in some he may consider data analytics. I am not OP, but that the approach I would use… I would not limit search only to schools with clear bioinformatics or genomics. Also OP stated that he is still undecided…
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I’d move RIT to likely. More likely admit than UMASS Amherst for compsci if out of state. Marist is perhaps a safety and a bit of an outlier on your list. As is Simmons. I’d just remove them completely.
Also, you need to figure out your major. Genomics is a great major, but programs vary wildly.
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If OP is undecided s/he should look for schools that provide flexibility in changing major and/or don’t require declaring a major in freshman year. Bioinformatics, data science, and computer science are all distinctly different fields and getting locked into one may lead OP to an unhappy experience if they later realize it’s not what they want.
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Can we discuss this for a minute? I feel like OP needs to be careful in presenting his awards/ECs.
Reading the original post felt like there is a lot of padding going on. (“Won a 5k” “1 month of table tennis” )
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I totally agree, OP needs to clean up his EC and an award lists. ECs and awards should be straight and clear for readers. I think this board or his school counselor can help with making them “presentable.”
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Based on your combination of academic interests, you may want to emphasize colleges with an available data science major. This interdisciplinary field would allow you to apply tools and insights from mathematics and computer science to a biological sciences subfield, such as genomics.
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yeah i just included a bunch of random stuff and didn’t know if i should remove those useful ones or just keep them to try and show some personality maybe
No, sorry. 1 month of ping pong and 2 months of badminton don’t show personality - they show lack of focus and commitment. And I don’t know if “workout schedule of cardio, abs, weightlifting” is really an EC.
As others said, be thoughtful about what you include. You don’t need to fill all 10 spots in the common app.
Do it if you’ll enjoy it, but a coding project won’t make a difference in your apps. The competition will have to be at a national/international level to be meaningful. And you’ll need to win at some significant level, not just participate.
Are these truly competitive entry programs, or pay-to-play programs offered by big name elite colleges? If the latter, it won’t help
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Overall, I feel like you’re trying too hard to impress.
You have good stats and accomplishments, and there are many excellent colleges where you’ll find a home.
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I agree.
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