What schools on my current list would you say is safety, target, and realistic reach for me? Assuming I could pay everything.
I am not @merc81, nor am I a CS expert. These are just the thoughts of a random poster on the internet. But this is my sense of what your chances for admission are to these schools for their CS programs. The schools with an asterisk (*) are those that I’m more iffy about with respect to their CS competitiveness. NC State I think has secondary admission requirements to the major after being on campus for a certain amount of time. I’ve heard that the CS program at U. Mass is increasingly competitive.
Additionally, the Lower Probability category is lower probability, not impossibility. It is, however, where most of your schools are. I personally would recommend having a more balanced list of schools that you plan to apply to. And unless your budget really is unlimited, it doesn’t really help to think that way. There are many good CS programs that you can attend without going into debt. Those are the schools you should focus on.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
- U. of Kentucky (don’t know enough about the Lewis College to chance for that portion)
Likely (60-79%)
- Rochester Institute of Technology
Toss-Up (40-59%)
- Binghamton
- NC State*
- U. of Massachusetts *
Low Probability (20-39%)
- Purdue *
Lower Probability (less than 20%)
- NYU
- Duke
- Georgia Tech
- Northeastern
- UNC – Chapel Hill
- UIUC
- U. of Michigan
- Probably all of the UCs you listed
As always, @AustenNut provides an excellent summary and advice. I will reiterate what other posters are encouraging… run the NPC and remove any schools with no chance of being affordable (e.g. the UCs and some other publics). Add some more likely/toss up schools (maybe Miami-OH which has auto merit). As far as the reaches go… as long as the supplemental requirements are not too taxing… shoot for the stars. For example, GaTech will not meet your budget as an OOS student UNLESS you are awarded a Stamps or Gold scholarship. It is worth a shot as it is holistic process with emphasis on ECs/service. But understand it is a longshot.
I believe you are a senior? Some of your EA applications will require submission before you get the results of your next SAT. Where allowed, I suggest applying TO with your current SAT score. Your GPA and ECs are EXCELLENT and the current score does not add to your application.
Good luck. Please update us with your revised list and get more feedback from the CS experts.
Georgia Tech’s OOS acceptance rate was 13% last year. COA will be around $50k/year. I don’t think they’re generous with FA. A few scholarships by they’re hyper competitive. They seem to take a holistic approach to admissions but I think your current SAT would be below their cutoff.
Study for the SAT or take a shot with the ACT. Bump your score and a few schools might provide some scholarships. Good luck.
You are correct about GTech, plus they require submitting SAT/ACT so TO is not an option. Moreover to be considered for one of the highly competitive scholarships you must apply by the OOS EA deadline of Nov 1. The OP will not have an updated test score by then but can provide updated scores should they improve. I agree the test score will need a significant increase to be realistically competitive for admission and scholarships at GTech.
I should have been more thoughtful, or at least clearly explained the landscape, in choosing my example. I over simplified.
TLDR; OOS publics are not typically generous with financial aid for non-residents. A few, such as UMich and UVA do meet need as they define it, so OP should run the NPCs just like for the private schools. If the OP has a balanced list with safeties/likelies (admission, fit and affordability), there is no reason not to try for some competitive scholarships.
ETA: One reason I suggested Miami-OH is that they offer merit based on GPA (no SAT required). The OP will need to research whether it is a good fit for CS or otherwise.
Miami-OH scholarship grid by GPA
Article - Miami places 2nd after MIT in technical talent (note: I have no personal knowledge of the quality of the CS department.)
OP, CS and Data Science can be housed in different schools. Some schools house DS in the CS program. Some house it in the business school or engineering. Be aware so you apply correctly.
Personally, I’m not a fan of a pure DS degree. It’s too new and not defined. A graduate from one schools could be well versed in business but not CS or math and vice versa. Some of the best data scientist’s I’ve worked with were physics majors.
I like Georgia Tech’s program. It’s housed in the Industrial Engineering program. Graduates have a firm math background with numerous CS classes. Add a few business classes and they’re pretty well-rounded.
Based off the schools on your current list, you may want to take a look at:
- U. of Central Florida
- U. of Houston
- Iowa State
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- U. of Nebraska - LincolnUNC - Charlotte
- San Diego State (CA)
- San Jose State (CA)
- Stony Brook (NY)
- U. of Texas - Arlington
- U. of Utah
- Washington State
The California publics (San Diego & San Jose) are test blind and won’t see your test scores. There is a formula that you will need to use to calculate the number of classes you’ve had of a certain type, combined with grades, and some other factors. San Jose State in particular is extremely tough to get in, but if you’re wanting California, these are two great options that cost significantly less than the UCs.
The Texas schools (UTA and U. of Houston) are probably going to be super affordable. They may even offer you in-state tuition, and they strong programs in an area of the country where a lot of tech companies are moving to.
I’d investigate these schools and run the NPCs. I think you have a good shot for admission at most of these schools, and I think most of these will either hit your budget or have the possibility of hitting it.
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