Chance Me (CS, CS+Econ applicant for '22 cycle)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics: White, Jewish, low-income bracket
US Citizen

  • I’m from Kansas; KU is my state school:
  • Other special factors KU and WashU legacy:

Intended Major(s)
CS, possibly CS+Econ or CS+Business
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.82
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.25 (AP’s and Honors are weighted out of 5)
  • Class Rank: N/A (school doesn’t do rank)
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 31 (28 Math, 31 Science, 30 English, 33 Reading)[ACT]

Coursework
11 AP Classes and 5 Honors
4’s - APUSH, AP EURO, AP CSA
3 - AP Lang
Yet to take: AP Spanish, AP Lit, AP Calc AB (self-study), AP Gov, APES, AP Macro, AP CSP

Awards

  • Presidential Medal of Community Service - Gold tier
  • AP Scholar
  • NHS
  • Won HackThe6ix, a large international hackathon
  • CSHS

Extracurriculars

FIRST Robotics Competiton:
Won some awards, I’m also the team co-captain and head of programming

Business Professionals of America:
President of school chapter, placed 1st at state and high at nationals

Cross Country:
Varsity

Track:
JV, I’m assuming that I’ll hit varsity status

MUN:
VP, led a team to the NYC conference in 2020

Summer Camp Counselor:
Worked at a summer camp during the summer, 40 hours a week

BBYO:
Convention steerer, I work with a team to help prepare and plan conventions for thousands. Also went on a scholarship funded trip to Israel where I worked with VC backed CS startups

Review for Relief:
Founding board member of an organization named Review for Relief, we made ACT, SAT, AP review guides and sold them to raise money for COVID relief. We’ve raised over $11,000 to date.

Job:
I’m the head developer of a sneaker bot with hundreds of clients, I own a significant portion of the company and work with high-level API’s on a daily basis. Also was a developer of an IOS Supreme bot, grossed over 800k, and was the best selling paid app in the “shopping” category on the App Store.

Essays/LORs/Other
My robotics coach - 9/10 - she knows me well
My APUSH, Macro, and BPA advisor - 8/10 I think she can speak to my work ethic
College Algebra teacher - 7/10 - Nice guy, but doesn’t know me as well as the others

Cost Constraints / Budget
My EFC is 0, so pretty low

Schools
KU (EA)
UW Madison (EA)
IU Bloomington (EA)
Tulane (EA)
Vanderbilt (RD)
Wustl (Legacy + EDII)
Northwestern (RD)
Also, if you think I would have a chance at other selective schools, please let me know down below. My list is not really complete.
Thanks!

2

So the big issue here is finances.

KU you will get in. IU you will get in but you won’t be able to afford it unless you have a lot of college savings built up.

That’s it.

If you’re looking for schools with a great Jewish life and you have two, look at Elon, College of Charleston, Arizona if you don’t want to be home. But KU has a sizable Jewish life as you know.

On the list you presented, the last four - you need to apply test optional.

If you want a great school and the religious aspect is less important - and it shouldn’t be but Rose Hulman or even UAH. Florida State is a possibility and you’d report your 31 to all 3.

Let’s go back to a zero EFC - and at many of these you will have to file the CSS which will look at assets, etc. So an IU isn’t going to work out. They do have a $15K scholarship if you do Jewish studies - but you’re not. Madison - can’t work out. Why - these schools don’t meet need - and you won’t be able to afford it.

See the list attached of schools that meet need.

But realize - some schools are need aware - meaning if you need too much, they can or will reject you for that.

On this list of meets needs - you might try Lehigh (need to go TO), Connecticut College (TO), Franklin & Marshall (TO), Macalester (TO), Skidmore (TO), Trinity (TO), Union (TO) and Rochester (TO).

Good luck to you - and KU is a wonderful school and I know has a solid honors program.

Here’s Every College That Offers 100% Financial Aid (prepscholar.com)

3

Congratulations on your achievements.

Is KU affordable? Neither IU nor Wisc will be affordable.

Have you run NPCs at the private schools on your list? What are the COA estimates there? The NPCs will likely not be accurate if your parents are divorced, own a business or real estate beyond a personal home…are any of those the case for you?

4

Is your EFC actually 0? It’s hard to believe that you have legacy status from two good schools and yet your parents’ income is so low as to have a 0 EFC. If they have income, savings, or assets but still can’t contribute to paying for college, that is different from having a 0 EFC and offers you get from schools will reflect that.

Also, you may need to factor in your own earnings from your jobs/businesses. Schools may view that money as something you can pitch in to help pay the bill.

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To @JAF09 point - is your EFC $0 from the FAFSA and was it filled out correctly?

Or is that what your family is willing to spend - because what someone wants to afford and can afford are two different things.

But if it’s truly $0, then you’d need to find a local state school to where you live and live at home.

Or find one of the 100% meets needs - which may still entail loasn and work study - but the schools you listed (the 4 privates) - while meet need are highly unlikely for you.

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6

If you made $800k from the app, how is your EFC still $0?

7

It actually is 0, but I have 504 money; it’s a complex situation

8

What’s 504 money?

9

I wasn’t the owner, I was a developer and I was compensated for that. Not nearly 800k

10

sorry I meant 529

11

My parents are divorced, my dad has a much higher income than my primary parent (my mom)

12

For schools that require CSS Profile (all of the private colleges on your list except Vandy), they will look at your bio dad’s income and assets (in addition to you and your mom’s) when calculating how much your family can pay.

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