Chance my son - Asian Male Senior, Computer

Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student: US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: Colorado
  • Type of high school: Public high school
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional): Asian Male
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.): None

Intended Major(s) Computer Science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0 (Straight As)
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.55
  • Class Rank: HS doesn’t rank
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1480 (720 LA, 760 Math)

Coursework
APs:
freshman: Human Geo - 4
Sophomore: World History - 5
Junior: Physics C Mechanics - 4
Physics C E&M -3
Calculus BC - 5
Computer Science A - 5

Relevant Senior Courses:
Calculus 2&3 (Dual Enrollment. most advanced math course in his HS)
Data Structure (most advanced CS course in his HS)

Awards
National Merit Semifinalist
AP Scholar?
A few school academic awards

Extracurriculars
NHS
4 years football (Co-captain of varsity team in senior year)
30+ hours volunteering work in local county Autism Society and city open space
250+ hours summer work in a local restaurant

Essays/LORs/Other
Essay - good. He said he got a great topic and the draft was highly praised by his LA teacher
LORs - strong recommendation from Math and CS teacher

Cost Constraints / Budget
50K/year

Schools

  • Safety (certain admission and affordability)
    CU-Boulder
    ASU
  • Match
    This is what we need help. We want to apply for a few UC schools, but I learned they are very competitive and we are OOS. Some other schools’ CS programs are ranked slightly higher than CU-Boulder and ASU, but I don’t see any obvious advantages in terms of future job placement.
  • Reach
    USC (aim for national merit scholarship)
    Purdue
    UW-Madison
    UMD - College Park

I’m not sure I would consider UMD a reach with those stats. I think he’s very competitive for admission there, especially as OOS.

I think he has a good shot at UMD too.

Be sure to meet the EA deadlines for both Purdue and UMD!

No reason to apply to UC Schools. They will be well over $50k. Wisconsin as well but less than UC. CP SLO would work better budget wise.

USC is for finalists I believe, not semi.

You have CU and ASU - both outstanding. I’d add Arizona. With a 4.0 it’ll be inexpensive. The Honors dorm is awesome. I don’t see why you need a target as I’d go to both cost wise in a heartbeat.

UMD is not a target - I agree. Low reach.

Frankly you can stop but if you want some ‘matches’ there’s UF, Ohio State, UMASS, School of Mines, Minnesota.

I suspect you’ll find entry into Purdue but again your safety list is strong (to me) with CU and ASU.

Good luck.

If $50k is a hard limit, UMD coa is above that at nearly $58k. Purdue is comfortably under at around $42k. Important to consider - as costs build up over 4 years.

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Great catch!

Like the UCs in the high 60s. And Wisconsin high 50s.

These should not be considered.

An SAT of 1480 should be enough for a confirming scores, so the only reason that their so would not advance to finalist, would be if he forgot to apply. So we can probably assume that the OP’s son will be a finalist.

@Leo23, according to USC, if your son is accepted to USC, he will likely get the scholarship. At least that’s what this seems to mean:

https://ask.usc.edu/app/answers/detail/a_id/898/~/what-types-of-scholarships-are-national-merit-finalists-eligible-for%3F#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20National%20Merit,sponsored%20by%20colleges%20or%20corporations

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Thank you @MarylandJOE. Did you mean OOS is an advantage for UMD? I think most state schools prioritize in-state kids.

Thanks @momofboiler1, yes, he will do EA for all the schools, if applicable.

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Since UC costs have already been discussed (around $67K/year) for OOS students, below are some CS admit numbers if available for the UC’s.

UCLA admit rate for CS in 2021 was 8.3% https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/seasoasa/2021-UCEE-Report.pdf

UCB’s admit rate for the College of Engineering was around 7%. If applying for EECS, it was 4.5%
CS in the College of Letters and Sciences was 2.9%.

UCI’s 2021 admit rate for CS was 7.1%. https://datahub.oapir.uci.edu/Data-Hub/Undergraduate-Admissions-Dashboard.php

No specific data for UCSD CS only Student Profile Information: https://ir.ucsd.edu/undergrad/publications/21_22_StudentProfiles.pdf

UCSB historic admit rate for CS 6-8%. New Freshmen Profile | Office of Budget & Planning

No specific Data for UCD CS only Student Profile information. https://aggiedata.ucdavis.edu/#student

UCR 2021 admit rate for CS was 37%. Admission: Undergraduate | Institutional Research

UCSC 2021 admits rate for CS was 71% Admissions Funnel

UCM 2021 admit rate for CSE was 85% Undergraduate Applicants, Admits, and Enrollments | Center of Institutional Effectiveness

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Ok. Thx for clarifying. Didn’t know.

If one is a NMF, you always want to look at the home run schools such as Bama with its four years tuition and housing. And there’s others as well that ‘buy’ kids in. They have the most I believe in the country so your $50k is cut 80%+. And again google other schools - I think UTD is aggressive and others but they might feed into your decision.

It’s the kid, not the school that will determine success. Yet all these schools are putting out great grads.

I put the Bama link and another link with other offers below. If u see a school of interest, look directly on their website to ensure the info is accurate.

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Thank you @tsbna44 and @MWolf for all the info. My son is applying for NMF and hope he can get in.

For additional match schools, I would suggest reviewing the WUE schools which make their Computer Science degree available:
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/?degreetypes=Bachelor's&majors=Computer+Science

For another reach, you could consider UT Austin if you are willing to take the steps for gaining residency. His stats are also inline with admits to the Turing Scholars | Department of Computer Science there which would be worth the extra application.

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There is a forum where NM 2023 is discussed. Have you have checked out that thread?

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I’m sorry. Yes UMD does prioritize in-state students but I’ve seen OOS students get in sometimes over in-state students with higher stats. They are “holistic” UMD just might give a bit of merit to entice them to go there and bring the cost under your 50k limit, it’s worth a shot. As stated above, be sure to apply EA as the chances during regular decision are much slimer.

The 1480 SAT score falls at the 25th percentile of SAT scores of fall 2021 honors recipients, making honors not a certainty by any means. Plus the score range has definitely shifted upwards this year (just as overall acceptance rate to the university is expected to have dropped to 32%).

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I’m not sure your point. UMD doesn’t limit merit aid to honors students. OOS students with lower SAT scores have received.merit aid, it’s not impossible. The students other stats are very good. UMD also admits “holistically”. If they see someone they want they could try to incentivize them.

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I didn’t say it was impossible. I said it’s “not a certainty by any means”, as in - lower probability of getting a scholarship so should not be counted upon.

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Maybe UT-Dallas or UCF because of NMSF status?

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My son had better stats - got $5K. My daughter - not as good - shut out.

I don’t think merit is substantial OOS. My daughter got scholars. My son - three years ago - got nada in regards to Honors… But did get $5K.

If you look at UMs stats, it’s not the same school of a few years ago.

It’s a much harder admit - similar to how UGA has risen.

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