Hi Guys, I am posting this thread to see what my chances are at the University of Washington’s computer science program
I will post my stats down below:
MAJOR:
Computer Science
LOCATION
Public School located in Washington, US
AP CLASSES:
AP Human Geography (4)
AP World History (5)
AP Statistics (5)
AP Chemistry (5)
AP Language (4)
AP US History (4)
AP Calculus AB (5)
AP Computer Science Principles (5)
AP Computer Science A (5)
AP Psychology (5)
AP Literature (4)
AP Government (5)
AP Calculus BC (5)
AP Biology (5)
AP Environmental Science (5)
HONORS CLASSES:
Honors Literature 9
Honors Literature 10
Honors Physics
SUBJECT TESTS:
Math 2 - 800
Physics C - 760
Chemistry - 780
SAT - 1580
Weighted GPA: 4.52
Unweighed GPA: 3.975
EXTRACURRICULARS:
(4 years) Tennis Varsity
(1 year) Tennis team captain
(4 years) Kiwanis Camp Casey
(2 years) President of Programming club
(3 years) National Honors Society
(1 year) Internship at ISD Systems Biology Institute
(1 year) Internship at tech company
(2 years) Created open-source programming projects
Principal Honors Roll
National AP Scholar
USACO Silver
Essay skills are decent.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment down below 
P.S. Do you guys think I should try to add more extracurriculars? (i.e. more leadership positions)
Especially since you are In State I think you have a great chance. My D was a CS direct admit this year with a similar GPA and test scores. I think UW likes to see leadership and an interest in problem solving which you have in your sports and AP classes.
Thanks for the reply! Is leadership a really significant part of the application process? (Specifically for CS)
@Jonah12K It’s hard to tell what it is about applicants that make them desirable to colleges. We attended a session presented by UW in which they stressed course rigor, test scores and GPA. In my D’s case she didn’t have a lengthy list of extracurricular activities, but the ones she had were impactful and likely helpful. She was a team captain and award winning athlete, volunteered as a youth mentor for her school district for 3 years and was an officer in a STEM club. She went for depth over breadth.
You can check out my thread I made about my stats. I was accepted, so it might be useful data but I think you are very impressive with what you got right now!
@PNWfam1 thanks for the reply. Do you think you could look at my list of EC’s and tell me any suggestions you have on how to improve it? i.e. show off more leadership, passion, etc. Truthfully, I am dumbfounded on how I can expand my list.
I actually asked the same question there: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2134659-would-creating-a-club-show-leadership.html#latest
If you would read that, it would be awesome 
@bleurozes thanks for the reply. Similar to PNWfam1, do you think you could give suggestions on my EC’s? Thanks so much!
Hi,
I have replied to your previous question about ECs. You are a strong candidate, but I would say focus on writing a compelling essay that distinguishes you from other candidates. Assuming that your transcript is on the same caliber as your SAT score, you have an excellent chance, but apply to more schools w/ the desired major. Broaden your horizons. I don’t like when people dream for one school, but find out that they got rejected despite a compelling application.This doesn’t mean you don’t qualify, but simply because schools are looking for different kinds of people, and we as applicants, have no idea what their intentions are. The truth is that you would be accepted into many top-tier 1 universities if you strategically create a list of targets, and have a strong application (compelling essays/ecs/rec etc.) That said, I am saying you should definitely hope and apply, (you have a great chance of getting in), but remember you’ll have excellent options if you don’t.
I agree with @Puzzeled101 I think you are good with ECs and the essay is going to be the distinguishing factor.
Thanks @Puzzeled101 and @bleurozes for the replies 
Can anyone check out my post about BU vs UW? I need some outsider input
@PNWfam1 @Puzzeled101 @bleurozes
Do you guys think you could guess at my chances for UC Berkeley? Anything I should try to add for that school?
If your entire application is compelling, I would say acceptance.
Otherwise, you will be wait-listed. But, you never know. It depends on next years applicant pool, especially since the competition is getting brutal everywhere. I can’t stress the importance of strong essays to differentiate yourself, especially now that you cross the threshold for just stats. Remember that stats alone never get one into a particular school. It is usually an extracurricular or something written in an essay/rec. that resonates with an ad-com or counselor that gives the edge for acceptance. The people reading the applications are PEOPLE, and if you make them FEEL something, then you bet your getting that nod. But, note that there are many perfect applicant who get rejected, so fingers crossed.
@Jonah12K - I cannot comment on your chance to UC Berkeley but just wanted to mention that if you’d like to apply to California UCs, you must fulfill one-year of arts requirement. This is the requirement that trips up a lot of OOS applicants. AP Class Art History can satisfy that one-year art requirement; but please verify and double check all UC requirements carefully.
@Tabitha18 oh haha yes I believe I have the 1 credit from my orchestra class in freshman year; I just listed all my AP’s only.
@Puzzeled101 do you think that writing about my past name that brought on bouts of depression, sadness, suicidal thoughts, etc would be a good essay topic on how I overcame my difficulties? Or would that be a bit too… u know?
Sorry, I have one more question.
Is UCB’s computer science program harder to get into than UW’s program? and if so, is there anything I should work on even more? (besides essays)
thanks!
If you are asking for my honest personal opinion, I would avoid writing about anything too sensitive. The essay is to establish an authentic voice, to talk about what makes you, and to demonstrate your perspective on the world. They are trying to learn about your identity, so make sure it accomplishes this goal. It can be about anything from the most generic topics to the most unique topics, but the topic doesn’t really matter as long as it fits the attributes of the most successful essays - i.e. it tells directly a lot of you- something that can’t be found otherwise by gleaning the other aspects of your application.
For the second question, according to my understanding UW programs is harder to get into. But, I would clarify that. I am assuming your a junior, so I would focus on building my relationships with my teachers (especially in the STEM subjects) as they will be the ones to advocate for you by writing letters of recommendation. Also, expand your extracurriculars. Try to look for prestigious summer programs for computer science. That would look great on your resume.
@Jonah12K there are students with high stats and heavily involved in STEM were not accepted to CS DA. We are very grateful for my son’s DA acceptance to CS at UW and he’s OOS. For his personal essay, he mainly talked about music since he’s a musician. I guess it did help to distinguish himself from other applicants. He has high stats but his GPA isn’t 4.0. He was also accepted to the School of Music as a Violin Performance major.