MIS is not CS. The OP should not have any trouble getting into CS at Alabama.
3 Likes
Isnāt AB considered less rigorous than BC though?
It covers less material in a year. So, it effectively goes at a slower pace.
1 Like
Will it impact college decisions?
Could you explain why Olin and Harvey Mudd are targets?
The question is, as compared to what? An A in BC is better than an A in AB. I have to believe that an A in AB is better than a B in BC though.
FAR more importantly, take the one that you feel will give you the best math foundation. Mastery will be important, at least for a while, going forward.
It would also be my assumption that HMC and Olin are both reaches.
5 Likes
IMO they are not. These are reach schools. And if you are unsure of your major and may pivot to business, not the best fits.
8 Likes
Because @An_D seems to be considering both business and CS it seemed and this is a great mix of the two.
1 Like
If youāre ready for BC, you should take BC. But if you think the teacher will be a disaster and if you knew AB would be a stud - if thatās the situation is all Iām saying.
I donāt see it impacting admission was my point.
Just my opinion anyway.
3 Likes
Your math ACT is 35, which should be pretty good for both Olin and Harvey Mudd imo when you add in geographical diversity and your class rank. 33 superscore will be in range. They will love your class rank. Targets to me are slight reaches but where you have a reasonable shot.
Here is Olinās class profile: Class of 2026 Profile | Olin College of Engineering
And Harvey Mudd: https://www.hmc.edu/institutional-research/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/2023/01/CDS_2022-2023.pdf
You can consider going TO at both. Also, Purdue and G-Tech will be easier if you apply for business. But you know that already.
Edit #2: I just saw what I did on my last post. I meant to say first two, not last two.
2 Likes
It is not. The 25th percentile for the ACT Composite for HMC and Olin are 34 and 35 respectively.
Both accept super scores.
4 Likes
He can go TO but I do think high math score and class rank along with state of residence will all be in his favor.
In that case should I sent my test score to most places with similar percentiles?
Yes, middle 50, absolutely.
If not, consider TO or retake. For your reach schools, go TO.
2 Likes
Of course you can use that definition, but that is not the generally accepted definition of a target school when building a list.
Both Olin and Mudd have acceptance rates below 20%, making them a reach for all unhooked students. They are also both āfitā schools.
Olinās admissions process places a high value on fit with existing students as gauged by in person interactions over a weekend.
OP is a strong candidate and they could be admitted to these schools, but targets they are not.
10 Likes
Thatās fair. But he has a better shot IMO at these aspirational schools than his original list.
He could consider a step down and look at schools like Copper Union and LACs with strong CS/business programs (Lehigh comes to mind). But then he might as well go to Auburn or Alabama and get big $$$.
1 Like
I understand. But in the absence of supporting data, like Naviance or Scoir scattergrams, itās just a guess.
And for the record I would encourage OP to not apply TO anywhere, knowing what I know about their app (which admittedly isnāt everything). As always, for list categorization, applying with/without test scores, etc, I would defer to OPās college counselor, if they have a dedicated college counselor.
3 Likes
I brought these up with my DD21ās HS counselor. Public schools here in NC do not have these resources to the best of my knowledge. Might be different in other states but I would be shocked if OPās school has access. I hope that I am wrong.
Second, class rank is becoming more and more important based on what I have experienced and hearing from professional college coaches around me. His biggest strength is his class rank, second is geographical diversity. Of course he could check to see how many from his school applied to Olin or HM but I suspect not many. Which would also make Naviance and such pretty redundant IMO.
1 Like
OP can get into some big name engineering schools (or CS + biz if he still wants that), plus he has been recommended some big merit safeties, so Iām not sure he needs to expand his list at this point.
Iām pretty confident (based on kids I know in the past 2 years with similar stats and rank) that heāll get into GT, Purdue and UIUC. Possibly one of his reaches too.
Of course, affordability is uncertain at this point.
2 Likes
Well, thatās what I am, and I only see rank decreasing in importance. The majority of HSs, and therefore applicants, donāt report rankā¦about 1/3 or so of HSs report rank anymore (and a large proportion of those are in Texas).
I also donāt hear many AOs say they generally try to figure out a kids rankā¦they compare rigor to whatās available at the HS, and compare students from the same HS across a multitude of factors, not just academics. My kidsā HS (large affluent public) gives only enough info to figure out quartile rank and counselors do not complete the curriculum rigor questions. And many kids in the 4th quartile go to very good schools (say top 200-250).
I do agree that Naviance et al are less useful for small colleges with fewer data points, and also because of test optional (if the counselors donāt load that data). So, if OP doesnāt have that data itās okā¦.their list of schools is likely categorized pretty accurately as crowd sourced on CC. Affordability at some of the schools wonāt be known until OP is accepted, which is important for this poster.
7 Likes