Chance me / match me: GA resident, 4.0/1600, for CS & math or CS & Linguistics

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Demographics
USA - Georgia
Public IB school
White, male
Some stuff I’m not gonna include in my application cuz my parents don’t know

Intended Major(s)
CS and math or CS and linguistics

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.8 (AP and IB courses count as 5.25 if I get an A+, 5.0 if I get an A. All others count as 4.25 for A+, 4.0 for A)
  • Class Rank: 1 or 2 out of 400ish (it’s a really painful process to request class rank so I’m not sure of the exact position rn)
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1600 SAT

Coursework

AP CS P - 5
AP CS A - 5
IB lang lit HL
AP stats - 5
AP calc BC - awaiting score
IB math HL
IB chem SL
IB Physics HL
APUSH - 4
AP world history - 4 (this course wasn’t counted as an AP weighted course on my transcript, but I took the exam)
AP environmental science - awaiting score
IB World History HL
IB Spanish SL
AP Macroeconomics - awaiting score

Next year additions (I’ll also be taking the year 2 classes of my IBs):
GSU dual enrollment discrete math
GSU bridge to higher math (I’m unsure about this one)
Ga Tech dual enrollment multivariable calculus
Ga tech linear algebra
2 semesters of GSU or ga tech dual enrollment CS
2 semesters of GSU dual enrollment psychology
2 semesters of GSU dual enrollment economics
GSU dual enrollment linguistics
GSU dual enrollment world religions
I am debating on whether I should take AP US Gov and Politics

Awards + Extracurriculars

All district band 2 years in a row (flute)
Youth orchestra 2 years (flute)
Play at a local college band
Weekly flute lessons (2 years) - idk if this counts but why not include it?

Regular volunteering at community garden 2 years (~3+ hrs a week)
Pres of math club
Lead instructor of coding club
Co-captain of quizbowl team - went to nationals last year
Vice pres and instructor for SAT tutoring club
NHS member
Co-pres and founder of a environmental sustainability club at school

Co-pres of a second sustainability club for the wider district. I also started a local sustainability activism group, and we spoke at a conference and will likely speak at another this upcoming school year.

I tutor a younger kid in computer programming, and I’m working on building a small business with a few other tutors

I’m really into learning languages and I’m very good at Esperanto, Chinese, and Spanish. I have also seriously studied Toki Pona, Russian, and Latin although my speaking skills for those languages are pretty much gone.

I’ve also made some conlangs for fun (idk if this matters)

Summer 1 month intensive Chinese program at Ole Miss
Summer 2 month complete immersion Chinese level 2 program at IU (for sure the hardest thing I’ve ever done)

I’m also working on getting a CS / computational linguistics research opportunity. I’ve reached out to a number of professors and it seems extremely likely at this point that I’ll have something by the beginning of the school year

Licensed extra class amateur radio operator

AP scholar award (whatever that’s worth)

Essays/LORs/Other
My chem and Physics teachers have said they are willing to write LORs for me. I’m also working on getting one from a professor at the immersion language program.

I haven’t even started thinking about essays oops :expressionless: Overall I think I’m a fairly strong writer, but I don’t really know what I’m going to talk about.

Schools
ga tech, MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Yale, university of Michigan

Ga Tech has an auto admit policy for people ranked high enough in their class I think

Please also suggest others. I don’t think it’s unlikely that I don’t get into any of the ones I listed, and I need a few backups that still have good CS and math programs.

Thanks so much!!!

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Didn’t know about Ga Tech auto admit but if someone tells you not true add UGA.

The only question here is - are there budget constraints? Sometimes it’s not what your parents can afford but maybe they’re not willing to spend, etc.

You might add a UMD as a safety - good in math and CS - and perhaps Cornell as strong.

But first need to understand the finances.

Best of luck.

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Based on your combination of interests, you may want to consider data science as a potential major, with perhaps linguistics as an “applied domain.”

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But apply to UMD early action if you choose to apply there. They accept the vast majority of their incoming class EA.

You have a strong admission set of stats, but except for GATech (as an instate student) it is my opinion that the rest of your schools are reaches. You certainly have what it takes to be acceoted, but so do the other 80-90% plus students who apply and don’t get accepted.

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UIUC could be safety for you if you apply CS + Linguistics. Straights CS would be a reach even for someone stellar like you.

Also why Yale? Why not Princeton, given your interest in Math?

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How bout University of Massachusetts if you are interested in CS and Linguistics?

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https://admission.gatech.edu/first-year/gtscholars

Auto admit to GT is only for the val or sal. Unless you’ll know for certain your rank early, I’d strongly consider adding a true safety to your list. There have already been some good recommendations made by other posters.

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I was just going to suggest Cornell & UMD-CP before I read tsbna’s response. For Cornell, apply via Arts & Sciences and not via Engineering. Apply EA to UMD.

My son’s list was very similar several years ago except that he excluded Berkeley after a visit. He applied as a CS major at schools where a major had to be declared, but once enrolled, took an equal number of classes in CS, Comp Linguistics and Math, finally setting on Math.

@Generic10101 - Have you participated in NACLO? (North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, I think…)

Take a look at the Common App to try to figure out how you will report your activities. I have not looked at it in years, but there used to be a ten entry limit on activities and another five for awards.

Can you ask an Eng or SS teacher for a LOR instead of Chem & Physics?

I don’t know how deep the Linguistics department is at some colleges, so you may want to drill down on course offerings and # of grads to see if a specific program will meet your needs. The classes may be co-registered in Math or CS, at least for Computational Linguistics.

If funding is an issue, you might want to look at USC and Vanderbilt and apply early for their full-tuition scholarships.

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lol. I don’ think I’ve seen anything like your resume. My kids are 3.9+ uwGPAs and 1490 SATs and I feel like they’re mediocre students compared to you. Of course one of them can throw 85 from the left side as a rising junior… But sheesh. You are amazing. Best of luck in where ever you decide to go and whatever you do.

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Assuming money is not an issue for him. Does he really need a safety like UMD or Univ Mass? For a kid like this, isn’t Carnegie Mellon or GA Tech a “safety”.

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Carnegie Mellon has one of THE most competitive computer science programs in the country. This kid surely has what it takes to get accepted, but so do most other applicants. It’s a reach.

GA Tech seems like a good bet especially as an instate student. But again, CS is really a competitive admit. And again…this student has what it takes to be admitted.

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This is the type of student that’s likely to get 1 or even several tough CS admits, but with all these schools its hard to think of any school individually as a guarantee. CMU is not a back up for anyone.

I’ve seen kids with similar profiles + math comp experience still rejected. Reddit is full of such examples. Here’s one where the student was “saved by Berkeley EECS”.

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/u8fvme/asian_male_gets_saved_by_berkeley_eecs_still_cant/

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Yes! I did compete in NACLO! I found out about it last minute so I didn’t make it to the next round, but I gathered a group of interested students to go compete together. I don’t know if I should include something like this on a college application though, given I didn’t advance.

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Impressive! Definitely check out UIUC. They have degree options in CS, CS and Mathematics, and CS + Linguistics. Very highly regarded programs.

The down side is the the OOS tuition if your budget doesn’t allow for it.

And Cornell should be on your list as well.

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CMU isn’t a safety for anyone.

@Generic10101, I would reconsider UC Berkeley. It’s a reach, but also over crowded. You already have other reaches on your list.

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Thanks everybody!!! This has been super helpful. I’m definitely going to add Cornell, UMD, and UGA to my list (I need a place I KNOW I can get into, hence UGA). I didn’t even have UMD on my radar before, so thanks for bringing it to my attention.

My biggest struggle is how to represent my application. I feel like if I were to just show everything (as I’ve done here), it makes me seem like I just have a ton of disconnected interests, or that those interests aren’t deep (untrue). I also don’t think I’ll have room to show all of my activities even if I wanted.

Do yall have any sense of this? Should I focus on my linguistics interest (helping me stand out against a sea of CS and math applicants)? Should I talk a lot about my environmental activism? What do yall think is the most compelling facet of this application?

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Maybe Ga Tech if auto admit but does not hurt you to have a just in case.

Most kids are rejecting more schools than they attend. One more wouldn’t kill.

Cmu safety. No

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Considering the OP’s academic interests in combination, Yale would make an excellent academic match for him.

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In the past, yes. Berkeley EECS and CS will not be overcrowded in the future given strict and drastic changes to the enrollment policies. If OP applies to LSCS they should be able to double in linguistics +- cognitive science.

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I guess I am over indexing on CS/Math rather than linguistics. Yale CS isn’t particularly great whereas Princeton Math is top of the pack.

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