International East Asian Male Applying for CS (lmao) attending a feeder international school (at least 20+ to T20s in the past 3 years), don’t need aid
GPA: horrible, drastic upward curve
9th: 3.1 UW
School doesn’t allow APs
10th: 3.1UW
AP World History (4) (allows 1 ap)
11th: 3.95UW (lol ■■ Chinese)
AP Calculus BC (5) (Highest math track School offers)
AP Lang (5)
AP Microecon (5)
AP Macroecon (5)
AP Physics 1 (5)
AP CSA (5)
Multivar Calc/ Linear Algebra (have an A so far on Multivar first sem)
AP Lit (A so far)
AP Chem (A so far)
AP Bio (A- so far)
AP Physics C Mech (A so far)
AP Physics C E&M (2nd sem)
APUSH (A- so far)
SAT 1: 1570 (770r&w, 800math) 21 essay (took it 3 times)
SAT 2: 800 Math2 800 Physics 800 Chemistry
Awards & EC:
AMC 12 (126) AIME (9)
ISEF Semifinalist
FRC Club member
Programming club member
USACO Silver (might get gold next year?)
Participation in ACSL All Star Finals
Taught a kid computer science last year for free; helped him get a 5 on the APCSA test.
Took a computer Science and a math course at Stanford pre-collegiate, got A’s
Might attend Google Computer Science Summer Institute next summer
I attribute my horrible gpa in 9th and 10th primarily to my horrible work habits and anxiety issues back then. Should I explain this on my application?
Also, I know that I probably don’t have that much of a chance, being an international with a low GPA applying to a very competitive major. However, is my goal still reasonable enough that I should at least try? Thanks.
My best guess is that your chances to get admitted to a top 20 school for computer science are quite bleak.
My understanding is that universities in Canada will only care about your last two years of high school. Therefore one wild idea is to try to get similarly excellent grades in grade 12, take a gap year, and then apply to schools there (Waterloo and Toronto are obvious top schools, but there are probably at least 20 universities in Canada if not more with very good CS programs). The downside is that I do not know whether this will work.
It’s surprising to me that you wouldn’t have applied to Oxbridge where your GPA would be irrelevant and those 5s in APs would count for a lot more. Unfortunately the Oct 15 deadline has passed, but you can still apply to other UK schools where you would have a very strong chance of admission.
You’ve got a lot of good stuff to work with. Top 20s are certainly going to be reaches, as they are for everyone. For CS there are a lot of wonderful colleges outside of the T20 that can easily get you where you want to go. Check out Rose-Hulman and Cal Poly as possibilities, both very selective, hands-on, and have great records for intern and job placement. Neither are sure bets, but offer better chances than T20s.
If you have been diagnosed with anxiety issues, then ask your counselor to mention that in his/her letter of reccomendation. If you never had a formal diagnosis, then the counselor could simply state that your work ethic and maturity level has improved considerably. Don’t explain it on your own - it comes off as making excuses.
“I’d be worried that colleges might be inclined to reject applicants with known psychiatric disorders.”
One big issue is whether or not the anxiety has been dealt with successfully. If it is being actively and successfully treated I do not see any harm in mentioning it (regardless of the form of the successful treatment). If it has not been treated, then this might be a red flag.
Most importantly, WHERE ELSE are you applying?
Your odds are quite low at T20, unless your GPA is typical there for your feeder school. Does it offer Naviance?
Therefore, you need matches (colleges where an average GPA is 3.5-3.6 and where the Honors College is good) and safeties.
Examples of matches for CS: WPI, Northeastern, UMinnesota, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Cal Poly SLO, UCSC, Indiana U.
Examples of safeties: University of Iowa, Cal Poly Pomona, RIT, Stevens, MUST.
Saying maturity has “improved” can be a between-the-lines hint there was a maturity issue or still could be. May be better to say ‘has become a mature, focused student.’
And the issue with anxiety is that college can be stressful. You’d want everything to “show” you take on challenges. Some of this will be in your app and some can come from teacher LoRs. Also that you’re resilient.
The ECs could be more rounded and, (other than the awards,) show some stretch and breadth. Remember they want to build a community. The competition for a T10 is crazy fierce, especially for internationals. And the process is holistic
Other than that, the advice to look at more options is good. .
While I know that my GPA is low for these colleges, wouldn’t it be different from a normal 3.5-3.6 in that I improved drastically during my junior year (in that I have a story to back it up, improving work habits, successfully fighting against anxiety, etc.)? Also, couldn’t I improve my GPA further by getting a 4.0 first semester senior year and RDing? My understanding is that my GPA is the only thing holding me back from having an okay chance at these colleges.
Also, while my international school doesn’t do weighted GPA, wouldn’t colleges recalculate it and see that I’ve taken a lot of AP’s and got A’s on them?
No, tippy tops don’t recalculate. They look at the transcript.
You have some substantial misunderstandings of what they expect and how tough the competition is. Imagine kids with 4 years of 4.0, including most rigorous courses, breadth and depth in ECs, and not writing an explanation of how immaturity and anxiety sunk them.
Your gpa is not the only thing holding you back. You need to know more to present best in your app and supps.
We want you to understand just how important it is to match what they look for and have other choices for colleges.
No one has an “ok chance” to a tippy top. It starts under 10% and goes down for internationals. Use the time now to try to get a better sense of choices.