Chance a weak GPA/Class Rank senior for CS schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics: White male, $150k household income, NC, small charter school with little resources

Intended Major: CS

Stats:

  • 3.86 UW/4.21 W GPA
  • 13/31 class rank
  • 34 ACT (35 Superscored: 36E, 35/36R, 34M, 32S)
  • no SAT/SAT Subject Tests

Classes and Grades: (B’s are marked, everything else is an A, 3 B’s in total)

9th: Biology (B) English I Honors (B) Math 2, Gym, American History I, Band

10th: Math 3 (B), English II, World History Honors, Programming I Honors, Chemistry Honors, Art, Chinese

11th: APUSH, AP Computer Science Principles, APES, Precalculus Honors, Chinese II, Chinese III Honors, Civics Honors, English III Honors

12th: AP Physics I, AP Calculus AB (school lacks BC), AP CSA, AP Lit, Stats (dual enrollment at local university) Introductory Business Course (dual enrollment)

My school doesn’t have a lot of APs, only 6. The only one it has I didn’t take was AP Psych. The rest I took online via my state’s online schooling platform.

ECs:

  • Started a programming club junior year
  • Created and published a mobile app
  • Tutoring in math and CS online via my state’s aforementioned online school platform, earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award Gold for this
  • Volunteering at a local food bank
  • Took part in NSLI-Y last summer (study abroad scholarship for Chinese, virtual, sadly)
  • Babysitting my baby sister (idk, some people said this might matter so I added it)
  • Job sophomore year

Extra Information: I was abused throughout middle school and unable to see my current parent (whom I now live with) until after freshman year had already started. This is why I have poor grades and I included this on my application. I can get into detail regarding this if need be.

Also, my school sends basically no one to elite schools. No Duke, no Ivies, one (maybe more) CMU a couple years ago, albeit not for CS.

Schools: UIUC, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Harvey Mudd, USC, UNC and NC State (only worried about merit aid for in-states, not admission)

Thanks for your thoughts. I honestly think my class rank, UW GPA, and no-name school will do me in, but we’ll see.

2

Very important: what will your parent contribute to your college costs? How does it compare to the cost of attendance or the net price calculator result for each college?

Also, assuming that you want nothing to do with your abusive parent, note that if you need financial aid, some colleges require financial information from both parents. You would have to ask for a waiver and hope each college gives it.

Any college where you need either a competitive merit scholarship or a non-custodial parent waiver to afford it should be put into the “reach” category.

3

Keep trying, your marks are good you seem like an excellent student just keep going and try that’s the best you can do.

4

UNC CH is very good for computer science.

13/31 seems low for “UIUC, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Harvey Mudd”.

I do not think that I would take on debt for CS for most of these schools if I could attend UNC-CH without taking on debt.

5

Did you apply UNCC?

6

13/31 seems low for “UIUC, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Harvey Mudd”

Is that to say I have no chance at those schools? Be honest.

Also, just checked the common data set, UIUC doesn’t consider class rank apparently.

7

Did you apply UNCC?

I did not. I visited the school and disliked it severely. Too close to my hometown.

8

“UIUC doesn’t consider class rank apparently”

UIUC is very competitive for CS. It is also very highly ranked for CS. You are out of state. Both acceptance and affordability look like reaches to me.

“Too close to my hometown.”

If you attend a university that is a 5 minute drive from home, and live on campus, then it will almost be like living in a different world. You will wake up in a dorm room surrounded by university students. You will keep your own hours and do your own wash. If you need help at some point (eg, get sick or have a bad breakup) then help will be nearby.

I do not know whether UNC-CH is a safety for you. Your guidance counselor should have a better idea. If it is a safety than I would not be too concerned since it is very good. However, I would be inclined to add one more safer school to your list.

9

UNCC is close to the town I grew up in where I lived with my father, not where I currently live. I have absolutely no interest in returning to that place. I generally consider UNC to be a safety, given my test scores and the school’s generous in state acceptance rate.

Both acceptance and affordability look like reaches to me.

That doesn’t answer my question- do you think I have no chance or that I’m a competitive applicant with a decent shot at getting in?

10

The schools you listed are very, very competitive for CS. They are a reach for every applicant. In honesty, I think the lack of rigor is going to hurt you as well as your rank.

I’d add some targets and safeties you would be happy about to have a more well rounded list.

11

lack of rigor

I took the most rigorous course load I could. I didn’t take two honors course because they didn’t fit with my schedule. Are colleges still going to see a lack of rigor even when considering my school’s lack of resources?

12

Colleges do take into account what is offered at your school but it’s still tough when you are competing with students who have taken MVC, physics C, etc… State flagships typically are more apt to waive those things for their instate applicants if they weren’t offered. A tougher sell at CMU, Mudd, etc…

The other red flag to me is no third year of Foreign Language. Many of the competitive schools require 3 years and prefer 4.

13

The other red flag to me is no third year of Foreign Language.

I took an online Mandarin 3 class this past summer via NSLI-Y, which I received credit for. It appears on my transcript (and my original post) as a class I took Junior year. My school only has 2 years of Chinese, and I took both.

Is it bad that I took my third year the summer after Junior year, the same year I took Mandarin II? Is that what you meant by “no third year of a foreign language”? Will it not help that, despite having no resources at my school, I sought out a competitive EC to learn more Chinese?

14

Students with perfect scores, the most rigorous courses and perfect GPA’s are unlikely to get into Ivy’s. You are unlikely to get FA, how are you paying for tuition? Kids who attend better high schools get into better colleges. My kids go to a decent public high school here in NJ and a kid getting into an Ivy is rare. My dad grew up here, went to Princeton and Columbia, but went to boarding school.

15

I missed the Chinese III. That’s good!

1 Like
16

I get not liking UNCC; did you apply to any academic/financial safeties (maybe ECU, App, UNCW, WCU, etc)? I personally like to hedge my bets. If you’re currently in a rural county (not Wake, Meck, Union, Guilford, etc) it could help your chances of admission for UNC and State by a slight margin. What is your budget? With a family income of $150k, I think the only aid from NC schools would be the $5.5k student loan. There is very little merit at NCSU or UNC, except competitive scholarships. UNC generally looks for top 10% for in state, but it’s hard to gauge with a charter and/or rural county; your GC would have the best answer. Good luck!

17

Kids who attend better high schools get into better colleges.

So I’m screwed since I go to a worse high school? :frowning:

18

I consider NCSU and UNC to be academic safeties, albeit not financial ones. I do not have any interest in any of those schools you mentioned and I don’t think they pay off (literally) long-term in comparison to NCSU and UNC.

19

Without really good hooks, yes.

20

b/c ur extracurrics r kinda meh and no one from ur school goes to the top schools ur chances might be slim. but if ur common app is rlly good and u explain ur circumstances well then u might have a good chance.