Chances for NYU and Barnard?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Senior in high school. US and Turkish dual-citizen living in Istanbul, Turkey as of last summer + I'm half-Turkish.. one quick question - since I'm a US citizen & have previously attended high school in the USA, they won't count me as an international student, at least financial aid-wise, will they?</p>

<p>My current school is Keystone National High School (online/distance learning).</p>

<p>ACT score: 33 :) writing 7 :(
Breakdown: English - 36 / Math - 30 / Reading - 35 / Science - 29
Unweighted GPA: 4.0, weighted is somewhere around 4.3, probably a little higher after my courses from this year are done.</p>

<p>My school doesn't rank students.</p>

<p>Honors/AP classes:
-9th grade: Honors Physical Science, Honors English - that's all that was offered
-10th grade: Honors Biology, Honors English, Honors US history - again, all that was offered
-11th grade: AP Psych (4), AP English Lang & Comp (4), and AP US History (4). I also took Dual Enrollment PreCal and Pre-AP Chemistry
-This year: AP Computer Science, AP Calculus AB, AP Government, and AP Lit. I might also have the chance to take one more (probably AP Econ or physics)</p>

<p>ECs, volunteer, etc.:
-Helped plan the Mother's Day marketing campaign for a local business in 11th grade
-Played clarinet since 6th grade & was in the band from 7th to 10th grade, marching band in 9th and 10th.
-Member of NHS, FBLA, and French club in 10th and 11th grade
-Volunteer English tutoring in Turkey during my summers and so far this year
-Founder/president of a summer "youth club" in a sort of vacation town in Turkey that I went to every summer. 9th to 11th grade.
-Worked part-time as an assistant clerk for the manager of the Turkish Basketball Federation last summer
-Member of my old high school's math team in the US in 11th grade, & won at a local competition
-Independently studied the Russian language</p>

<p>I'm absolutely sure that my teacher recs are great but probably fairly cookie-cutter. I'm also confident that my employer rec will be great but I'm not sure if it carries much weight.
My essays are pretty good as well. I'm honestly not a bad essay writer despite my ACT writing score, so I hope I'll redeem myself with that...</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>bumpity bump? :)</p>

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<p>I forgot to mention that I plan on studying Computer Science, if that makes any difference…</p>

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<p>Anyone? :(</p>

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<p>… so I need experience in CS to be able to study it in college? Elaborate please…</p>

<p>I’m also taking a class in AP CS at the moment & I’ve studied it before that, and I know that’s not exactly an impressive “experience” as in an activity/job, but still…</p>

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<p>Cellie, a lot of people I know who are applying as CS majors have previous experience, not just with the Comp Sci class but with the school club or on their own time. Compared to them, I think you’d be at a disadvantage, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that you have no chance. You have good grades, a rigorous course load, some leadership, and a good ACT score, so you’re definitely still in the running.
What I’m curious about is why you’re applying NYU and Barnard rather than more tech-oriented schools. Do you want to be in NYC? Which I can relate to, but if you’re truly interested in CS I think you should go for schools like Georgia Tech/CIT/MIT/other schools that are known for their technology programs.
NYU: high match
Barnard: match (applying ED will help)</p>

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<p>Basketweaver, thanks for your respectful and insightful reply. My school(s) never offered a CS-related club, but I have tried to get some research done on my own time. I do understand that I’m still at a disadvantage in comparison, though.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I’ll have to apply RD to Barnard.</p>

<p>As for my choices, it’s a mix of uncertainty + my love of both NYC and liberal arts programs. As much as I’m fascinated by CS, it’s not my only interest, and I have to say I’ve thought about psychology quite often as well. I do plan on CS at the moment, but I don’t want to be in “too deep,” just in case… if that makes sense… Plus, the well-rounded nature of liberal arts appeals to me, and NYC feels like home.</p>