@CollegePanda12 : If I were you, I would just target 8 schools at most:
Stanford (as my top choice due to abundant resources including faculty, facilities, opportunities, etc. but its holistic admission process is, in my opinion, the most unpredictable one on the list),
MIT,
Caltech or Princeton,
CMU,
UC Berkeley (note: Both Math and CS are in College of L&S; EECS is in CoE which is hyper-competitive for its admission),
Georgia Tech,
UCLA
UW-Seattle.
Columbia? Probably not for CS . But I. Karatzas of Math/Stat is my only favorite prof there.
Note that your profile will definitely put you in a position competing with those of similar awesome, hardcore backgrounds. Essays may be the key piece of all, as in your case, to set you apart from others.
Does the list you gave me include targets, or are those just reaches? After some research, I think probably 8/8 of the colleges you listed would be reaches. Am I wrong? I’m also considering UIUC and some others.
Also, do I show enough STEM focus in my profile, considering I’m going into STEM? I obviously don’t have an incredibly varied profile like starting 4 STEM-related clubs, but I did go pretty deep into the ones I had, like teaching java classes through my program and self-learning.
I was also hoping @MWolf could leave his feedback as well.
Yep, you're Asian Male...that's exactly what I implied to in Post#22.
By comparison, #7 and #8 could be targets, in my humble opinion, and the rest are reaches (either high or low). You may check other reference posts for adding 1-2 more safeties.
You knew it - w/o any IMO, ICO, etc experience and medals, you're sort of indifferent from many others. However, l do pay attention to your non-profit org and development. Interesting.
As to UCB (OOS) and UCLA(OOS), and maybe UW-Settle and Georgia Tech(OOS), you may have a better chance getting accepted by majoring Math/Physics instead of CS. Once you get in, you may be able to make a "major" change by academic performance in CS/Math classes after your sophomore year.
UCB's Chemistry/CE (CoC) is a one of a kind, why don't you consider it since you're pretty confident on your chem performance? Or minor in CS?
@SJ2727 : Obviously I’m a risk-seeking type of person. And I think OP should not be afraid to aim high in the quest for his dream schools. Again, he should add a couple of safety schools. With so many constructive suggestions he’s received from this thread and others, I’m sure he’s smart enough to pick the best strategy to optimize his overall outcome.
7 reaches and 2 safeties? How about some real matches?
As for risk seeking, there are a couple of threads around about very high scorers with no admits. Anyone who knows much about risk in the real world knows that you hedge/mitigate the risks, whether you are a skydiver with a reserve parachute or a hedge fund trader.
“Anyone who knows much about risk in the real world knows that you hedge/mitigate the risks,”
These are high schoolers or college students who have not been out in the real world and know about hedging. Your advice is fine but your tone is harsh and very judgemental. You know a lot, no doubt, and most kids should hear your advice. But I suspect they may not see the message in your inspiring posts because of the tone.
“And I think OP should not be afraid to aim high in the quest for his dream schools.”
If the OP has EA acceptance to UW-CS, then you can aim high in RD or ED, otherwise, you do need a more balanced list.
You may want to consider adding Univ. of Utah as either your safety or match. By checking the faculty background and the program info, “the program’s culminating experience is a capstone, taking the form of a thesis or research project. For students seeking to enter gaming and animation, the program also offers an emphasis in Entertainment Arts & Engineering.” It surely looks like a good program to me!