thats how I perceive those school when applying . most competitive people at my school also do that (my school sends 4-7 kids to ivies every year) . I understand that all ivies/t20’s are reaches, but uc’s (berkeley, usc, ucla, ) aren’t necessarily reaches for me . idk i might be wrong.
FYI:
UCLA CS ADMIT RATE 2018: The admit rate for CS for the fall of 2018 is 8.2%. The average CS act score is a 35 and the SAT is a 1550.
Being a Pacific Islander might make an attractive candidate at many of the private schools, but UCLA/UCB cannot use race/ethnicity in their admission decisions. You are a very competitive applicant but these schools as safeties??? As stated above, you are not being realistic. Find some actual safety schools that you are willing to attend no matter what, since you may come back next spring bemoaning the fact you were completely shut out of all the schools on your current list.
“idk i might be wrong.”
What many long time and knowledgeable posters are telling you is that you are wrong.
You need real safeties - acceptance rates well over 50% for CS, where your stats put you over the 75th percentile, where CS isn’t impacted, and at schools you can afford and would be excited to attend.
Do you need aid or merit? Most of your target schools don’t give merit and are too expensive unless you are low income so keep that in mind.
I’m with @Riversider here. What are your parents willing and able to pay? If UCs and Cal Stayes are affordable, you can build your safety list with those schools. One of them will very likely take you , and you can afford them.
If you qualify for financial aid, a serious discussion as to how much you will need to make it work needs to take place. Most of the top schools guarantee to meet full need, but their definition of it and your parents’ might not line up. If you will need merit money to go to school, depending on amounts, there are no safeties among the top schools.
my parents are in the middle situation. we can afford to live in a wealthy and rich neighborhood, but our house isn’t that nice. we’re middle class, and i’m not sure how this will play out in the college admissions process @cptofthehouse @Riversider . Do you have any previous experience with this?
thanks for the new information. I’m not sure if I want to even apply as a CS major . i have some background in programming and software, but I’m not even sure it is my strongest “point”.
yeah you’re right. i should be looking at some reasonable safeties, and I think I have a couple. RPI, RIT, UW, Penn state,and purdue. I’m going to be applying EA to probably stanford, and if I don’t get in I 'm going to be applying to 15-20 schools? yikes i know thats a lot but like you said, safeties aren’t a bad option just in case.
How will finances play out? Well, that’s something only your parents can answer. How much are they willing and able to pay for college? You know what the public colleges in CA cost. Are they up for paying all of that, including room and board and living expenses? Is that their limit? Unless money is no object , you need to get financial info from them to figure out what the colleges expect your family to pay and see how that lines up with what they are willing and able to pay.
CMU does not have merit money except in certain extreme cases, so unless you qualify for financial need, you are not likely to get a dime from them. The ivies and MIT, Stanford, Cal Tech do not give scholarships, only need based money. And these schools all define what need is. Not what your parents feel they can pay. You need financial information from them so you can run it through college NPCd and see what each school expects you to pay.
Let us know, and we can help you get a realistic list together. You have good enough stats that it is highly likely that an in state public school will accept you and if that is affordable, you are set in terms of a safety. You are in a state with great schools, so that is looking good. Once you have an affordable safety nailed, you can play the lottery. But you need to know where you stand in terms of financial aid.
If your parents can’t pay the cost of college and the college formulas say they should, you are not eligible for financial aid, and a number of these schools have no merit possibilities. Yes, there are still opportunities for you, but you have to take a different tack, if that is the case
thanks for the advice. my writing style like on discord/slack/other social media is pretty trash, and I’m not a fan of taking the time to use the “shift” button to capitalize proper sentences and such. I’m actually a big fan of writing essays. do you recommend using just teachers, or go to an actual college counseling place?
A trusted teacher is always a good resource to have for looking at application essays.
My son’s AP Literature teacher actually had the students write UC and Common App essays as graded assignments where she would critique/make suggestions. The teacher had a reputation as being a tough but fair grader and was respected in school.
She must have did a good job since about 90% of the class ended up going to Top-25 schools including multiple Ivy acceptances. The rest went to UCs, top LACs, and good regional private schools. And this was for a class of 35 students.
OP, remember to tailor your writing to the appropriate audience. Writing on social media is way more different than writing an email to a teacher/professor/college admissions officer/future employer.
Out of curiosity, how does one join the triple 9 society as a minor?
If you intend to study CS or Engineering, you should apply to the best schools for that, assuming that they are affordable. They are mostly not the Ivy’s.
hmm that makes sense. I should ask my teacher to help me with my common apps. thats some good advice right there. thanks
I guess I’m in the minority here to think you can use Berkeley and UCLA as safeties. Ivies shouldn’t be your list since you’re thinking CS or engineering. Consider applying to MIT EA if you qualify as a URM. MIT “recruits” toppers at world stem competitions so your chances are decent there.
@brassratter , UCs do not give URMs any different consideration in admissions. Have you seen their CS accept %s? Not safety numbers in the least! Some other Cal states, maybe or if happy with Merced as safety.
Once OP has a good safety in place, he can safely apply wherever he pleases, secure that he has a school in hand. Affordability may be a big issue. Schools like MIT give no merit money and OP mat need some as his parents’ financials may require larger payments than they can manage it should be paying, given their circumstances
Vanderbilt (since you has a saved spot) and UCSD are ok safeties, but I suggest applying to an actual safety just in case. You have family members who went to school in the US, you can use their colleges as safeties.
And @ProfessorPlum168, “And given your writing style, I have a feeling you’re exaggerating about your stats.” As someone who’s competed against/with him (and lost most times I was against him) for three years, I can vouch that the OP’s not exaggerating.
@drowforgdc “my parents are in the middle situation. we can afford to live in a wealthy and rich neighborhood, but our house isn’t that nice. we’re middle class, and i’m not sure how this will play out in the college admissions process @cptofthehouse @Riversider . Do you have any previous experience with this?”
This is vague, your parents have to get a rough estimate by putting numbers in a some college cost calculator. Your family EFC can be anywhere from $0-$85,000 but what matters is what parents can pay or would agree to pay in reality.
Ohh no. Sure I’ll apply just cuz, but I’m actually not that smart and I’ll feel really out of place at MIT. I’m decent at engineering , but idk I don’t feel comfortable at an all STEM tech school . Maybe you can relate? Anyone?