Chance me

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Chance me at these colleges:
Reaches: Princeton, MIT, CalTech, Berkeley, Cornell

Matches: UIUC, UW, Columbia, UMich, UCLA, UT-Austin, Northwestern, Duke, Georgia Tech, Rutgers

Safety: NYU, Purdue, Arizona, UVA, Pitt, Northeastern

GPA: 3.95 unweighted, 4.4 weighted
SAT: 1590 (800 Math, 790 Reading), Chemistry, Physics, Math II subject tests all 800
10 APs: AP Chemistry, AP Physics C (E and M not offered), AP Calculus AB & BC, AP WH, AP USH, AP Gov, AP Comp Sci, AP Psych, and AP Stats, all 5.

Preferred Major: Physics, Computer Science, Materials Science

ECs and Awards: Varsity tennis 2 years, founded an Artificial Intelligence Club at School, did my own research about AI and CS and gained 6 certificates through EdX (accredited online course platform), wrote a published research paper, worked at college lab creating technologies for health, taught programming and science to middle school students, went to national science competition, served on the board of local Indian organization for 2 years (usually 5 out of 150 applicants accepted each year), volunteered at summer camps for kids, second degree black belt in martial arts, taught younger kids at my martial arts school, over 500+ hours of community service, top 50 USAPhO and USACO

Feel free to write any feedback and comment on if I am overreaching or if I am not reaching high enough.

2

PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE NOT A SENIOR WHO HAS ALREADY APPLIED TO ALL THESE AND NOTHING ELSE.

You have really great stats in all areas and are definitely going to a good college but you are beyond overreaching, like I have never seen this much overreaching ever. I really do need to know which state you are in because that affects your list. If you live in Arizona, then it could be a safety (match if out of state). Every other one of your safeties is a REACH (not even a match), UVA/Pitt could potentially be considered a match if you are in-state. I think you can leave Rutgers as a match as well. Columbia is an ivy league, that automatically makes it a high reach for someone unhooked. Other reaches include Northwestern, Duke, and UMich. ALL of GTech, UIUC, UCLA, UT Austin, UW are reaches except for whichever one you are in-state.

Since Arizona is a very odd choice, I will assume that as your in-state for the following list:
Safety: Arizona.
Match: Rutgers.
Reach: EVERYTHING else

Look, you have amazing stats, build a reasonable list of matches and safeties. You don’t need a T20 education to be successful. Research a college you like and will fit in. 5% of people go to T20s but way more are successful.

3

How much money can you and your family pay? You’re international and if you need $ they are ALL reaches.

4

Someone I know with a similar GPA and a lower SAT score got accepted to Northeastern but with NO financial aid at all. It was way over budget.

UCLA out of state is definitely not a match. It is a reasonable reach if you can afford to be full pay with no debt. Other than Rutgers your other alleged match schools are also reaches.

Can you afford to pay $320,000 for four years without taking on any debt? Some of the schools on your list are going to cost that much and might be very slightly more.

5

I am in-state at Washington and I am pretty sure I can pay 320,000 without taking debt.

6

“I am in-state at Washington”

The University of Washington is a really good university. Being in-state should help your chances, and make it a bargain if you get in. Your guidance counselor should have a very good sense of what your chances are there. Given your excellent stats I hope that your chances are very good but we are from the opposite side of the country so the only people I know who went there were graduate students.

7

“I am pretty sure I can pay 320,000 without taking debt.”

I hear all the time from teenagers, “My parents can afford it.” Most the time it’s wishful thinking. Even well-to-do parents don’t have that kind of money lying around. Assuming that the dollar figure is true, all these schools are reaches, especially for computer science…except for Arizona. If that dollar figure is not correct, which I kind of suspect it’s exaggerated, all these schools are toast…except Arizona, which does provide very good merit scholarships. You may want to put down some in-state options like UW or WSU.

8

Are you a senior and if so, have you already been accepted to any of the schools you listed?