I am strongly considering applying to WUSTL early decision but have received mixed information on how realistic it would be. I really like the University and it offers everything I could possibly need in a college. I registered to visit in a few days but did not arrange an interview. I would be applying for Computer Science and would be pre-law.
Basic:
*White male from Texas
*Computer Science Major
*GPA: 3.7/4.2 (UW/W)
*Rank: 8/440
*ACT: 31 (E 33 M 30 R 28 S 32) - Retaking September and October
EC’S:
*Cross Country - Varsity 4 years - State Championship
*Track - Varsity 2 years
*Texas Boys State
*Black belt in Tae Kwondo
*JROTC - 1 year
*Academic Decathlon - 2 years
*Distinguished Achievement Program
*Texas Scholar Program
*Volunteered in the Houston flood relief for a month ~300 hours
Awards:
*National Honor Society
*AP Scholar
Work:
*Worked at golf course - 8 weeks and 30 hours a week
Recommendations:
*Got counselor and 1 teacher, still working on last (Stressed)
Essays:
*Won Patriots Penn Essay competition ($250 prize) so should be decent - not sure what to write about yet
I am in a gap year right now, volunteered and worked so far. Probably going to try to improve ACT. Once I finish apps I am going to backpack Europe (not using in application, doing it for experience). Responses appreciated
@goingnutsmom I don’t need it, but my parents told me I should apply for aid to all of the schools anyways. If I do not do you think I have a significant advantage? Honestly I doubt I would get much anyways…
From everything I’ve read, ED provides a big boost to admissions. So if you apply ED be sure that it is your first choice and that you could afford it. You would not be able to compare financial aid packages and your parents as well as high school counselor would have to sign off on it. That’s a big commitment.
Why is WUSTL your first choice for CS? I didn’t think that it was known for CS.
@goingnutsmom WUSTL has everything I want in a school. Their own Law and Med school, awesome campus, and lots of dual degree programs. I am not 100% on CS, but I am really good with computers (made my own programs and spend LOTS of time on them) and have a natural apt for them. I love WUSTL and it is a perfect match for me, but the average ACT is 33, while I have a 31. So I am really concerned that I may just be wasting my ED on it…
@goingnutsmom If it is black and white obvious that I will be rejected then I feel I should apply somewhere else Early Decision because of the boost in chances
Where are you getting that the 25th percentile is ACT 32?
I don’t think it’s a certainty that you would be rejected. Applying ED and being full pay (your parents have to be 100% on board with this though) would boost your chances.
@goingnutsmom Yes, I actually visited and interviewed (IT WAS A PERFECT INTERVIEW, gave me email and coach’s email) I loved the school! It was amazing and PERFECT for me! And yes, I will apply ED, but I think I will apply for aid. I talked to an admission’s counselor and she said that if you apply for aid and don’t get any that it still helps just as much as not applying for aid.
@goingnutsmom That’s the right ACT… The average is 33. That is my main worry, but they made it clear while I was there that the transcript is the number 1 thing, so my rank should help a lot. And yes, they are need aware. But since it is 60k I will apply anyways for aid. What i don’t get is it says on the handout they gave me that recent recipients of the full tuition engineering scholarships were near the top of their class and had test scores in the 97 percentile or better, hence my 31. If I am clearly on par with students that received a FULL SCHOLARSHIP, why does it seem i have such low chances to just gain admission? Strange…
@goingnutsmom If you take a look at the common data sets for the top 20 colleges - about 30-40% get FA. It is pretty consistent across the board. Yes, WashU is need aware. Obviously, they all must be even though they say they meet 100% need - since they consistently give 30-40% FA year after year. They are a business so they know how to run a tight ship.
@cappex Congrats on your interview! Good luck too! WashU has over 29k applications for roughly 1700 spots. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get in and yes they will turn away students with high and/or perfect stats. Its simply because they cannot accept everyone. All you can do is try and show interest (which you have).
@newjersey17 Thank you! And since it would be so much I think I will apply for FA because if you do not qualify then you still get the boost (Admissions counselor told me).
The problem with a school saying that they give FA to % of their students is that they include loans in the package and as we all know, that’s not really helpful. Very few schools have no loans FA. The CDS will then give stats on the average FA package but that isn’t really useful either because that could misrepresent what students receive without loans.
I do like to look at the CDS regarding average debt for students. That gives you some indication of how that school is handling FA for those students in need. No student should be walking away with crushing debt to start out their young adult stage of life.
