Chance me for UT Austin Computer Science

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

I was wondering on what y’alls opinion was on getting accepted into UT Austin. Specifically, I want to major in computer science and I was wondering how feasible it is for me getting accepted into it. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Here’s what I have so far:

Rising Senior
In - State Resident
Unweighted College GPA : 4.0 / 4.0
Weighted GPA : 5.28 / 6.0
ACT: 33 ( 35 E, 32 M, 35 R, 29 S) (Planning to retake in September and I’m shooting for a 36 so that I could end up with a 35)
SAT: 1330 from beginning of junior year, but I took the June SAT and I’m pretty confident it’s in the 1480-1520 range depending on the curve. (Retaking in August for a better score as well)
Rank: 11 / 442 ( about top 2.5%) in a competitive high school

Extracurriculars:

Currently have 65 hours of volunteering service, planning to cross 100 by the end of summer

Chess Club member in freshman year

Placed 2nd at regional competition for Business Professionals of America and advanced to state level, where we placed 6th in the state and was awarded national alternate (sophomore year)

Placed 4th at regional competition for BPA in junior year, and was awarded state alternate

Inducted into National Honor Society

Accepted into the highly selective Independent Study and Mentorship Program in school where I am planning to pursue Artificial Intelligence with a mentor

Vice President of a community tutoring club (45 hours so far)

Secretary of Model UN in junior year, and Vice President in senior year

Vice President of Chemistry Club in junior year ( Tutored students in chemistry as well as went to elementary schools to give lab demonstrations)

Selected to be part of the UIL Science team in Junior Year out ( 6 members total)

Member of Computer Science Club in Junior Year

Participating in UIL Math and Computer Science in fall of senior year

Developed a Java game with a team of 3 at the end of PAP Computer Science

Planning on developing iOS apps over summer / working on personal projects

Planning on competing in UTD coding competition beginning of senior year

Awards / Certifications:

Academic All Star Award (9th grade)
Academic All Star Award + BPA State Finalist Award (10th grade)
Received award from American Chemical Society for endorsing chemistry in STEM fairs for elementary schools (11th grade)
Completed Cisco’s Networking Academy Course in Computer Maintenance class and qualified to receive CompTIA certification from Cisco

Course Load:
(I did my best to take the highest level courses I could, with the exceptions of a few on-level courses in order to meet graduation requirements)

9th Grade: AP Human Geography, and all core classes were PAP or GT (honors)
10th Grade: AP Physics 1, AP Psychology, AP World History (core classes were PAP / GT)
11th Grade: AP Seminar, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Lang, AP Chemistry, AP US History ( math was PAP Pre-calculus)
12th Grade: AP Physics C, AP Environmental Science, Independent Study and Mentorship, AP Calc BC, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, Advanced Computer Science, AP Literature, and Early Release

This is what I have done in high school so far, and I fully intend on starting college essays this summer in order to refine it and make it as good as possible. Given the information above, do you think I have a good chance at getting accepted into the UT Austin Computer Science program? Thanks for reading this and giving feedback!

2

I think you have a good chance. Since you are in the top 6%, you have a shot at 75% of the seats. The one area I could see you needing improvement in is the SAT/ACT scores. The ACT score is good but the lowest score is math. Try to pull that up to 34 or above. For the SAT, I would not send unless you get above 1500 and again, try for the highest math score. Make sure you write good essays. You are definitely a contender but do consider UT as a reach. Make sure you apply to TAMU and/or UTD for your safety.

3

Appreciate your feedback man! Yea I really clicked with the ACT test structure, it’s just that on the actual day of the test I just blanked out on the math section and spent 10 minutes staring at the wall lol. But for sure, I’m retaking the ACT in September when registration for that month opens up, and I’m targeting for a near perfect score. As for the SAT, I am predicting a 780-800 on the math section, it’s just the CR section that I’m worried about. Regardless, I signed up for the August SAT so that I can do much better. Apart from test scores, do you think there is anything else that must be greatly improved before I start my application?

4

The rest of your resume is great. You do have CS extracurriculars as well as business, which I think is good. Do spend time on writing good essays, I think they count more than most people think. I do know for acceptance to CS, they are looking for high math scores. They will accept a lower overall score if the math score is there. Also, know that UT CS is a reach for everybody. Sometimes, when the kids who get accepted write their stats, there does not seem to be a logical reason why one person was chosen and the other one was not, so apply to numerous schools. At UTD, with your present ACT score, you would probably receive a scholarship that might pay for tuition, so look around.